A final field of twelve runners will line up in the 2018 Group 1 $500,000 Moet & Chandon Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick.
Thinkin’ Big, above, remains the favouriote for the 2018 Spring Champion Stakes at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.
There was no additional scratchings on race morning to add to the early withdrawal of the James Cummings trained Cloak who taken out of the Group 1 for the three year olds on Thursday.
Today’s Randwick track has been rated a Heavy 9 after receiving 49mm of rain in the last seven days with the rail out 6m from the 1600m to the winning post and 4m for the remainder of the course.
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott trained Thinkin’ Big remains at the top of the market order at $3.30 for the Spring Champion Stakes ahead of Dealmaker and Frankely Awesome who share the second line of betting at $7.50 and Aramayo at $8.
Thinkin’ Big put in a terrific first up performance with an all the way win in the Group 3 $200,000 360DMG Gloaming Stakes (1800m) at Rosehill on September 22 and Waterhouse said that the High Chaparral colt has come through that run in great shape and will be hard to beat again.
“Thinkin’ Big gets to his debut Group 1 assignment on Saturday over 2000m and has gone from strength to strength over the past few months and he certainly deserves his place in this field,” Waterhouse wrote on her website.
“He has come on terrifically well since his winning first up performance, he has won on a heavy track in the past and he looks an absolute picture. We are quietly confident he can produce another winning display on Saturday. Strong winning chance.”
Thinkin’ Big will jump from barrier seven with Tim Clark in the saddle while the Chris Waller trained Dealmaker (Damien Oliver) and Kris Lees’ Frankely Awesome (Corey Brown) will jump from the two outside gates.
James McDonald’s mount Tarka (barrier 2) was beaten two and a half lengths when runner up to Thinkin’ Big in the Gloaming Stakes and trainer David Payne is hoping the addition of blinkers will help the colt bridge the gap in the Spring Champion Stakes.
Tarka is marked at $9 alongside of Purple Sector and Maid Of Heaven.
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