Last year’s upset Cox Plate winner Shamus Award represents a touch of class in this afternoon’s group 1 Australian Guineas for three-year-olds over 1600m at Flemington.
Following a string of unlucky performances leading up to the Cox Plate, Shamus Award finally had things go his way, leading throughout under Chad Schofield to record a game win defeating Happy Trails and Fiorente in what subsequently turned out to be a strong form race.
This afternoon he comes into the Australian Guineas second up and much fitter for his first up effort when third behind Moment Of Change in the G1 Orr Stakes over 1400m at Caulfield.
Despite some critics expressing their disappointment at the performance, Shamus Award’s effort was anything but, tracking the leader Moment Of Change early and then taking the field up to him on turning for home.
With bigger targets ahead this campaign, it was unrealistic to expect Shamus Award to be close to peak fitness, although under different circumstances his class may have been enough to see him score.
This afternoon should be a different scenario, recent track trials and race day track gallops have tightened the colt up considerably in the fitness department.
Although still not fully would up, Shamus Award, Timeform rated 124 will strip a much fitter conveyance. On Timeform weight adjusted ratings he is clearly the horse to beat.
It is some years since a three-year-old winner of the Cox Plate has contested the Australian Guineas, a race first run in 1986 which narrows down the opportunities to complete the double considering there has been just four three-year-old winners of the Cox Plate in that time, Octagonal (1995), Savabeel (2004), So You Think (2009) and Shamus Award.
Of the first three only Savabeel and now Shamus Award will attempt the double. Savabeel could manage only seventh behind Al Maher in the Australian Guineas but there were excuses for the $3.50 favourite who pulled a shoe in the race.
Leading rider Craig Williams stays in the saddle and if allowed to roll along in the lead as he did in the Cox Plate, it will take a pretty good effort from his rivals to run him down.
That said, the calibre of the field in this year’s Australian Guineas is very high, headed by Eurozone, Hucklebuck, Prince Harada and The Quarterback, so Shamus Award will indeed need to be on top of his game to prevail.
Bart Cummings who trains Eurozone in partnership with his grandson James has already won the Guineas with Rock Classic in 2010, a not too dissimilar horse to Eurozone in so much as both were rapid improvers off their Sydney form.
Eurozone has raced just seven times for four wins, the most recent in the G2 Stan Fox Stakes at Rosehill last September.
Eurozone has raced once since resuming from a 133 day spell for a narrow defeat behind Moment Of Change in the G1 Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield with Shamus Award in third place.
The effort was probably the run of the race, Eurozone running on solidly from third on the turn some four lengths off the lead to get within half a head of the winner and running to a new Timeform rating of 121, a seven pound leap in his Sydney Timeform rating last preparation.
Like Shamus Award, Eurozone comes into the Guineas second up from a spell, a state he was successful in last campaign, albeit at 1200m.
Glen Boss takes over from the suspended Damien Oliver and if Eurozone does run up to his Orr Timeform rating then he will certainly prove the testing material.
Hucklebuck is probably the most under estimated runner in the race, probably because he is trained and ridden by low profile participants.
But his performances on the track where it counts clearly suggest otherwise.
A winner of five of his seven race starts, Hucklebuck is unbeaten in two starts this time in and has the fitness advantage of another run under his belt compared to the aforementioned pair.
Hucklebuck resumed with a win under 59.5kgs at Morphettville before coming to Melbourne to win the G3 C S Hayes Stakes over 1400m at Flemington in most impressive fashion and running to a new master Timeform rating of 116p.
While he has some to find on Timeform weight adjusted ratings, I believe this galloper is equal to the task, but as early favourite for the race, he would seem to be a little short of where his true odds should be.
That aside, I expect Hucklebuck to play a hand in the finish.
Autumn Staked winner Thunder Fantasy (Timeform rated 115), Prince Harada (109), and The Quarterback (109) all have to find extra to trouble the higher rated trio of chances but their performances will be watched with interest as all are promising and have the capacity for more to come.
Enjoy a quality Australian Guineas.
