The Shorts (G2) – Key Prep for The Everest: Race 8 is a barn-burning renewal of a Group Two sprint named The Shorts, whose nine entrants boast a collective 76 wins from 165 starts. It features no fewer than six confirmed runners for The Everest, the world's richest race on turf, which will be run at Randwick on October 15. The Everest (6 furlongs) has a slot-holder format, and the following entrants for The Shorts (5-1/2 furlongs) have guaranteed berths in The Everest:
#1 Nature Strip (3-2 fav.) was Horse of the Year in the 2019/20 season and is currently the world's highest-ranked sprinter. In his 7-year-old debut two weeks ago, he blistered the last three furlongs in 32.62 seconds, winning a G3 five-furlong race.
#2 Eduardo (7-1), #3 Gytrash (13-1), #4 Masked Crusader (7-2) and #5 Rothfire (9-2) are all Group One winners.
#7 Lost and Running (6-1) has raced only seven times and never at Group level, but created a huge impression while progressing through restricted grades earlier this year.
Early Market Mover: Race 8 #5 Rothfire has been sidelined for a year since sustaining a potentially career-ending injury, when favorite and looking the likely winner mid-stretch of a Group One race. His morning works have been so electric that he was recently “bought” by a slot-holder for The Everest. As much as 7-1 was offered early this week for The Shorts, and Rothfire has been bet down to 9-2 to complete a fairytale comeback this Friday night.
Feature Race: The George Main Stakes, Race 7 at Royal Randwick in Sydney. The George Main is a one-mile Group One race at weight-for-age. Winx set the stakes record of 1.33.65 in 2017, when winning her second of three George Mains.
Star Performer: #7 Verry Elleegant (6-5 favorite). Australia's Horse of the Year for the 2020/21 season made her 6-year-old debut with an excellent 2nd-place finish in the G1 Winx Stakes, at seven furlongs, four weeks ago.
Hold All Tickets: Verry Elleegant has followed the same path from the Winx Stakes the past two years, and failed to win the George Main both times (as favorite last year). In both campaigns, she peaked in the following race of the form cycle when stepping up to 1-1/4miles.
Alternatives:
#1 Kolding (7-1) owns two G1 wins at the Randwick Mile when making his 3rd start from a layoff – including last year's George Main at 9-1. However, he might have “lost a step.” Kolding and Verry Elleegant are both trained by Chris Waller, of Winx fame.
#2 Think It Over (5-1) arrived in the last breath to win a G2 at the Randwick Mile two weeks ago. He might be looking for more distance.
#3 Cascadian (7-1) started favorite when 4th behind Think It Over. Peaked 3rd-up last campaign to win a G1 at the Randwick Mile.
Blowout: #6 Lion's Roar (40-1) did nothing off a layoff, but is 2-for-2 when 2nd-up. Both wins were at a mile – the latest in the G1 Randwick Guineas, at 20-1, when beating subsequent dual-G1 winner Mo'unga.
Selections: 3 Cascadian; 7 Verry Elleegant; 6 Lion's Roar
The Randwick card will be broadcast live on TVG this Friday night (First Post: 9:40pm ET / 6:40pm PT) alongside cards from Kembla Grange, Gold Coast and Eagle Farm. All races will be live-streamed in HD on the new Sky Racing World App, skyracingworld.com and major ADW platforms such as TVG, TwinSpires, Xpressbet, NYRABets, WatchandWager, HPIbet, and AmWager. Wagering is also available via these ADW platforms. Fans can get free access to live-streaming, past performances and expert picks on all races at skyracingworld.com.
The post Australia: World’s Best Sprinter Nature Strip Returns At Randwick Friday appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
