The other feature event on the card, the WA Guineas (Race 7), should also be an interesting affair with Ellicazoom just shading favouritism at the time of writing.
The father-son combination of Neville & Steven Parnham will be looking for their second triumph in the space of three years in this race following Rommel’s win back in 2014.
However, the filly’s preparation has been somewhat hindered after she sustained some abrasions when galloped on soon after the start of last Saturday’s Champion Fillies Stakes, where she recovered from some hefty interference to finish second behind Samovare.
While our traders saw plenty of merit in her previous win in the Burgess Queen Stakes and aren’t convinced about the overall quality of the colts on show, we’re happy enough to accommodate punters wanting to back her in light of that news.
The other two fillies to accept for the race, I Am Boudica and Whispering Brook, both fared badly at the barrier draw having landed out in 13 and 10 respectively.
Despite that obstacle, trainer Simon Miller was keen to talk up the chances of Whispering Brook, who returns west having performed well in Melbourne over the carnival, most notably in the Thousand Guineas where she finished third behind Global Glamour.
However, we suspect the filly may have to work to take up the lead and this may really take its toll in the final furlong.
Daniel Morton also knows what it takes to win this race and would surely be confident about the chances of Saul’s Special, who has been given a very similar preparation to last year’s winner Man Booker through the Belgravia and Fairetha Stakes.
BONUS: Get a $300 FREE BET at UniBet.com.au
We’re expecting him to prove hard to beat and have kept him onside near the top of the market, although his chances took a bit of a dive after barrier 15 came out at the draw.
The other main chances surely come out of the Fairetha Stakes with our traders keen to side with Trevor Andrews’ Get Over It, who made up plenty of ground late on and is aided by the Pike-factor while both Humanity and Lusaha should also make their presence felt.
While Geiger Gem is up in class but the nature of his emphatic win in midweek grade here 10 days ago suggests that he might be the best each-way value of the longer priced runners.
