Last year’s winner Alizee is a dominant favourite in the betting to score back to back wins in the Group 2 $200,000 Expressway Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on Saturday.
Alizee, above, is the dominant favourite for the 2020 Expressway Stakes at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart..
Alizee scored a comfortable first up win in the 2019 Expressway Stakes and trainer James Cummings said that the $2.35 favourite is set to produce a similar performance.
“She’s training really, really well, frighteningly well,” Cummings said.
“It’s another case of aim-and-fire when she’s fit and ready.”
Alizee collected her third Group 1 trophy by winning the 2019 $500,000 Yulong Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield during the 2019 Melbourne Autumn Carnival and Cummings will aim the five year old mare towards that Group 1 weight for age again this Autumn as well as the Group 1 $1m The Agency George Ryder Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill on March 21.
“I’d love to see her in the Ryder, it’s a race of high status that takes a wonderful effort to win,” Cummings said.
Hugh Bowman will take the ride on Alizee who will jump from barrier seven in the Expressway Stakes that has been reduced to nine runners following the early scratching of Special Reward.
Cummings will also saddle up last year’s Golden Slipper winner Kiamichi who was one of several late entries for the weight for age sprint after the Australian Turf Club called for extra nominations to boost the numbers.
Kiamichi will jump from the outside gate with Rachel King in the saddle.
“We added her to the field after she trialled so well on Tuesday morning,” Cummings said.
“By keeping the entries open it allowed me to assess her trial and then to return to our original thought which was to race her at weight-for-age.”
“She showed as a two-year-old that she was something of an iron filly and we’re looking forward to seeing her show that again.”
The Chris Waller trained Kolding is second in the betting at $4.20 at Ladbrokes.com.au just ahead of Gerald Ryan’s Standout at $5.
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