3 minute read
There are a number of meetings set to take place on Saturday, including Group 1 action at Eagle Farm.
Race 8 Eagle Farm
Semana @ 13.00
Race 6 Eagle Farm
Spirit Ridge @ 6.00
Race 7 Rosehill
Waterford @ 3.50
Semana to triumph in Tiara
The previously mentioned Group 1 event is the 1400m Tattersall's Tiara restricted to fillies & mares and set to take place on a soft 5 surface.
Ciaron Maher's Bella Nipotina is expected to start a short priced favourite for the race, having demonstrated good form at this level in the last two months.
The six-year-old made her first Brisbane start of 2024 when winning the 1200m Group 1 Doomben 10,000 last month.
The daughter of Pride Of Dubai has followed that effort up with two second-place finishes, including in the 1400m Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap here two weeks ago.
The mare jumped from barrier 17 that day and she has again been allocated a wide alley for this contest.
Racing back against her own sex is a positive for Ryan Maloney's mount and, while she rates a worthy favourite, stablemate SEMANA is the pick in this contest.
The four-year-old was another to jump from a wide alley in the Stradbroke, however, she failed to shine having been ridden from off the pace that day.
The selection was forced to race wide throughout on that and she is better judged on her earlier form.
Those earlier efforts included a third when beaten less than one-and-a-half-lengths in the 1600m Group 1 Queen Of The Turf at Randwick in April.
Regular pilot Dylan Gibbons was on board that day, having also taken the ride when narrowly beaten in the 1500m Coolmore Classic at Rosehill the previous month.
That Rosehill event was held on a soft 6 surface and the wet track forecast here is no issue.
The selection will jump from barrier six here and, while she meets her stablemate at level weights here, she is taken to register her first Group 1 success.
Spirit to salute in Cup
Earlier on the Eagle Farm card the sixth race of the day is the Group 3 Tattersall's Cup over 2400m.
Knight's Choice has shown solid form this prep and he is expected to prove popular with punters with Robbie Dolan set to ride.
The four-year-old has finished in the first four in all three starts in 2024, including when runner-up in the Group 2 HKJC World Pool Q22 over 2200m here on 15th June.
The gelding finished strongly having raced wide and from off the pace on his first attempt at 2200m and the extra 200m here is expected to suit.
SPIRIT RIDGE is the selection here however, with Annabel Neasham's representative having registered a narrow victory in a Doomben Group 3 on his penultimate start.
The pick contested the JRA Chairman's Handicap held on a soft 7 track that day, prior to finishing seventh in the previously mentioned Group 2 HKJC World Pool Q22.
The veteran has performed well over this distance in the past, including when a close second in the Group 1 James Squire Metropolitan in September.
Ryan Maloney's mount has an inside alley here and racing on his home track is taken to deliver his first victory since winning at Flemington in January last year.
Waterford for Rosehill glory
The Listed W J McKell Cup over 2000m is the feature race on Rosehill's 11-race card.
A heavy 8 track is expected for the race, with WATERFORD selected to successfully concede weight to his rivals.
The five-year-old resumed this prep with a win in a 1500m Benchmark 100 handicap held on a good 4 track at this venue just over two months ago.
Waterford followed that effort up with a narrow defeat when runner-up in the Listed Scone Cup over 1600m.
The gelding raced on a soft 5 track in that race at Scone and subsequently delivered a sixth in the Racing And Sports Handicap at Randwick earlier this month.
The wet track forecast is no issue, with Nash Rawiller's mount looking up to registering the sixth win of his career.
