3 minute read
Stakes racing commences in Sydney for the new season with the Group 3 Missile Stakes at Randwick.
The nine race program is spearheaded by the Group 3 1200m sprint feature which when acceptances came out on Wednesday boasted Capitalist.
A winner of Magic Millions Classic - Golden Slipper double earlier this year as a two-year-old, anticipation was high to see the well performed colt return.
With the son of Written Tycoon yet to run on anything worse than a good surface through his short career to date, Team Snowden wisely scratched Capitalist to save their colt for another day.
The decision was expected and understandably so.
Sadly, the removal of an odds on favourite destroys the price of Rebel Dane who profiles to hit the ground running first up in the Missile Stakes.
The Gary Portelli-trained entire kicks off on Saturday in the easiest assignment he has contested in some time.
He held his own through the autumn at Group 1 level, finishing close up in the C.F Orr Stakes, the Futurity Stakes and the All Aged Stakes all over 1400m.
During spring, he produced minor placings behind the likes of Chautauqua and Terravista.
It was behind Terravista in the Premiere Stakes over this course and distance Rebel Dane produced the best effort of his 2015/16 season, running to a Timeform rating of 122.
His other better runs of the season behind Chautauqua in the Manikato Stakes and through the autumn all returned figures in the high 110's.
Simply put, he is head and shoulders above any of his remaining rivals in the Missile Stakes on best form.
Rebel Dane in regards to Saturday possesses an excellent first up record of four wins and three placings from eight starts.
While yet to win on heavy, his record on it reads well having finished second in each of his heavy track runs.
They aren’t just any old placings either. In his first look at a heavy track, Rebel Dane ran second to Pierro in the 2013 Hobartville Stakes (1400m).
At his second look on a heavy, he was runner up to Lankan Rupee in the 2014 T J Smith Stakes (1200m).
It should be a case of class prevailing in Saturday's Missile Stakes.
Big Money on best form at the very least has the potential to keep things sporting.
The son of Choisir was excellent in the Ramornie Handicap (1200m) at Grafton on July 13, falling only marginally short of victory behind ghostly grey Smart Volatility.
It Big Money a Timeform rating of 115, marginally shy of his master Timeform rating of 116 which the gelding has run to twice previously.
The Rodney Northam-trained runner is well performed on soft tracks having recorded two wins and three placings from six starts.
He is however untried on a heavy surface which is an obvious query surrounding the multiple Group winner.
Race quality drops off sharply in the small field after this pair.
While class will not get him over the line, being rock hard fit should play nicely into the hands of Mount Nebo.
The gelding is performing well this campaign and wasn't beaten far two starts ago in the Ramornie Handicap (1200m) when running fifth.
Big Money finished marginally ahead of him on that occasion however 24 days later, Mount Nebo meets him 2kg better at the weights.
The Allan Denham-trained runner is also proven on heavy ground having won three times and placed twice in eight starts.
His last start at Canterbury was a bit of a forget run where he simply got too far back behind Redzel.
The son of Dubawi was still finding the line well though and should be doing so again in this.
It must be stated though, Mount Nebo has big improvement to find on latest form to be a factor even if the likes of Big Money and Rebel Dane run marginally below their best.
Lastly, watch both betting and parade rings for Tycoon Tara
Even with the loss of Capitalist, Team Snowden are still represented in Saturday's feature by new stable acquisition Tycoon Tara.
It is hard to recommend the mare on anything she produced last season however this said, the Snowden stable must be respected and could potentially spark the daughter of Written Tycoon.
