Multiple Group 1 winning filly Sunlight will have to do it tough again after drawing the outside barrier in the 2019 Group 1 $2.5m Aquis T J Smith Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on Day One of The Championships on Saturday.
Sunlight, above, has drawn the outside barrier in the 2019 T J Smith Stakes at Randwick. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Melbourne based jockey Luke Currie let Sunlight cross to the front from the outside gate in the nine horse William Reid Stakes field and the Tony McEvoy trained filly went on to record an all the way win in the 1200m Group 1 $500,000 sprint at The Valley on March 22.
Currie finds himself in the same predicament after Sunlight drew the outside gate in the eleven horse T J Smith Stakes field and will no doubt will have to go forward again from the awkward draw.
Sunlight wrapped her preparation for the T J Smith Stakes with a gallop at Randwick this morning at the Breakfast With The Stars and McEvoy was pleased with the hit out.
“I saw her pull up and she had a nice healthy glow and looked like she needed the gallop, which she does, and she’s in good order,” McEvoy told AAP.
“She’s really tough, she loves her role and knows exactly what’s needed.”
Sunlight is sharing the third line of betting at $8 with dual Everest winner Redzel for the T J Smith Stakes at Ladbrokes.com.au who have last year’s winner Trapeze Artist and the James Cummings trained Osborne Bulls as the joint favourites at $4 ahead of Santa Ana Lane and Pierata at $7.
Hugh Bowman will let Osborne Bulls settled in the second half of the field from barrier four while Kerrin McEvoy will have Redzel in his preferred position in the first three from barrier five.
Blake Shinn will have plenty of options on Trapeze Artist from gate seven as the Gerald Ryan trained four year old attempts to score back to back wins in the T J Smith Stakes.
Final field for the 2019 T J Smith Stakes (1200m)
| No | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Hcp Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24x1515x28 | REDZEL | Peter & Paul Snowden | Kerrin McEvoy | 5 | 58.5kg | 118 |
| 2 | 311x342x41 | TRAPEZE ARTIST | Gerald Ryan | Blake Shinn | 7 | 58.5kg | 118 |
| 3 | 311x5161x5 | SANTA ANA LANE | Anthony Freedman | Mark Zahra | 8 | 58.5kg | 116 |
| 4 | 2x12913x52 | PIERATA | Gregory Hickman | Tommy Berry | 2 | 58.5kg | 113 |
| 5 | 257x8x140x | VEGA MAGIC | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | Damien Oliver | 3 | 58.5kg | 113 |
| 6 | x66x1101x1 | BALL OF MUSCLE | Joseph Pride | Glyn Schofield | 10 | 58.5kg | 112 |
| 7 | 21x1531x22 | OSBORNE BULLS | James Cummings | Hugh Bowman | 4 | 58.5kg | 112 |
| 8 | 598×513265 | FELL SWOOP | Matthew Dale | James McDonald | 1 | 58.5kg | 106 |
| 9 | 81x1x320x2 | SHOALS | Anthony Freedman | Tim Clark | 6 | 56.5kg | 114 |
| 10 | 0x320x3178 | CHAMPAGNE CUDDLES | Bjorn Baker | Damian Lane | 9 | 56.5kg | 106 |
| 11 | x21171x311 | SUNLIGHT | Tony McEvoy | Luke Currie | 11 | 54.5kg | 115 |
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