The Championships is upon us and what a day it promises to be. With the Sydney autumn carnival at its crescendo there will be no futures tip this week however I’m confident we can get a result out of a top class sprinter on Saturday.
Saturday tip:
SANTA ANA LANE (Randwick R8 N3): The TJ Smith Stakes is shaping as one of the races of the carnival. I would suggest at least eight of the 11 runners have winning claims but I can’t go past SANTA ANA LANE – a horse you’ll note I also tipped for this race a few weeks back and I see no reason to change my stance now. Thought his recent tune-up trial was excellent and looks beautifully placed under weight-for-age conditions having finished less than 1.5 lengths in arrears of Sunlight as topweight in the Newmarket Handicap. Meets Sunlight 4.5kg better here and is drawn out which should give him a clear crack at his rivals. However, this tip comes with one caveat – the track must be no worse than a soft (5). As of Thursday morning the track was rated a soft (6) so hopefully the rain stays away.
Tom Walter is the son of and deputy to Proven Thoroughbreds proprietor Jamie Walter. He manages the website, social media, IT and admin, following six years as a journalist for online racing publication Racenet.