In what can be billed as the battle of the sexes, top Sydney three-year-old gelding, Manawanui, takes on Melbourne's heroine, Mosheen, in the $500 000, Group One, Turnpoint Royal Randwick Guineas on Saturday.
Photo by Racing and Sports
Last season Mosheen set the Flemington track alight with a scintillating victory in the Group Two Edward Manifold Stakes (1600m), where she raced handy and pulled clear to win by 2.8L.
Her next two starts saw her finish second to Atlantic Jewel in the Group One Thousand Guineas and sixth in the Group One Myer Classic behind Hurtle Myrtle.
A change of equipment followed with the blinkers being replaced with winkers and a tongue tie being applied in the Group One Crown Oaks (2500m).
Mosheen made the opposition look ordinary with a nine-length start-to-finish victory, stamping her authority as one of the top three-year-old fillies.
Mosheen stepped up to Group One level again this campaign in her third start in the Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington on March 3.
From barrier 16 the filly had to relinquish her usual front-running tactics, and instead regular jockey Danny Nikolic opted to race midfield, before producing a blistering finish to beat Strike the Stars by three lengths.
Barrier 14 should hence be no problem and neither should the right-handed Randwick track as Mosheen already made her Sydney debut as a two-year-old, in the Group One Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill, where she had to settle for second behind Dubai-bound Sepoy.
Local star Manawanui's exploits are well known and with his nemesis Helmet also Dubai-bound, the gelding has stepped up to take the mantle of top three-year-old in Sydney. The Randwick track is currently rated as a Dead 5, which will cheer up Ron Leeman, after Manawanui lost the Group Two Hobartville Stakes (1400m) on a Heavy 9 on a protest, to Wild And Proud.
With regular jockey Glyn Scholfield collecting seven days for that incident, Tommy Berry again has the ride. Manawanui has not raced at Randwick before, and his only start over 1600m saw him finish a short-head second to Helmet in the Group One Caulfield Guineas. The classy gelding should relish the step up in distance and jumps from barrier 11.
With the two never having met, the market has gone for the known quantity and priced Manawanui as favourite at a steady $2.90, with the Mosheen firming from $4.20 to $3.60.
Gai Waterhouse saddles the pair of Wild And Proud and Laser Hawk. While Wild and Proud won the Hobartville on protest, he steps up in class and distance here and won't find this easy. Jim Cassidy has the ride and the gelding jumps from barrier 17.
Stable jockey Nash Rawiller has relinquished the ride on Wild And Proud to partner unbeaten Laser Hawk. Laser Hawk's first metro win was in the Quakers Inn BM80 over 1500m, where he won by 1.3L, beating Said Com, who he meets here again. This is a huge step up in class, but the market has taken notice of the jockey change and the gelding is fourth favourite at $11.
A complete unknown quantity here is the NZ raider Ocean Park. The colt has won three from five starts with two seconds and has never raced on a track rated worse than a Good 3. Barrier two may not be an advantage to the colt, as he likes to race from off the pace.
The distance should not be a problem as Ocean Park won the Group Three Wellington Stakes (1600m) at Trentham. It is however, a step up in class for the colt, but the Craig Williams factor cannot be discounted and Ocean Park could fill the minor places.
“He is absolutely thriving at the moment,” commented trainer Gary Hennessy, adding that he has brought the colt over for the Randwick and Rosehill Guineas' with the ultimate aim being the Hong Kong Cup and the Hong Kong Derby.
"He'll probably have a freshen-up and come over and have three runs in the spring. If he can win a Group One we hope to get him through to the Hong Kong Cup and the Hong Kong Derby.
"I bought him originally as a Hong Kong Derby prospect and he's certainly shaping up fine from that light."
Another to consider is the Anthony Cumings trained Strike The Stars who finished second to Mosheen in the Australian Guineas.
The Savabeel gelding won the Gloaming Stakes (1800m) at Rosehill beating Doctor Doom, who promptly reversed the order two weeks later in the Group One Spring Champion Stakes over 2000m. The 2000m may have just been a bridge to far and the 1600m should suit much better. Strike The Stars is currently third favourite at $10.
They seem to be of a reasonably high standard and I would be happy to take pretty much any one of them home out of that race." said Cummings of the field.
"They're nice horses and all on their way to bigger and better things over the carnival.
"But this is the first main target for most.
"The reality is, I want to win the Derby and if The BMW fits with that goal in mind I'll do that, but if it doesn't I'll just stick to the three-year-old races."
Peter Moody thinks quite highly of his charge, Moment of Change, and the colt lived up to that expectation with a good third in the Hobartville Stakes and the Group Two Royal Sovereign Stakes (1200m).
The gelding's Sydney form is solid, but he is up against some of the best three-year-olds in Mananwanui and Mosheen, with a place chance at best again.
