Looking for our next Hero in Sydney
This weekend New South Wales hosts the Theregoesmyhero Stakes, a grade 3 race over a mile and 1/8th on the turf. This race has traditionally produced winners who have gone on to be top horses over the longer journeys of a mile and a half. Horses such as Minesweeper and Cortez spring to mind as horses that have used this race as a stepping stone to greater triumphs. This years field of 12 is perhaps a little light on potential grade 1 champions but will still provide the public with a fantastic spectacle.
Goldfriars is the favorite for the race, listed at 5/2, and is the horse with the score on the board. The only time he has failed to show up in the placings was when he was an unlucky 6th in the G1 Breeders Bowl Juvenile Turf. From the outside barrier he is again going to need a little luck and at 5/2 is probably not the best value runner in the race.
King of Indy, Waterfront and Spending Bill are the next three horses in the line of betting, King of Indy the best of the lot at 4/1. He is stepping out beyond a mile for the first time but is bred to stay the extra trip and should put in a bold showing. Spending Bill is my tip for the race and is 5/1. He is in a rich vein of form at the moment, clocking an SP of 102 last time out to record his 3rd straight victory. He could be the horse from this race to go on and become a consistent grade 1 performer in the future. Waterfronts price of 6/1 is also very generous considering he has only failed once on the turf in his short career. He looks to be maturing into a nice horse and he could be first past the post with out surprising anyone.
Casi Cielo , 11/1, is having his first run on turf after 6 dirt starts and one win. To go straight into a grade 3 race with a horse who is untried on the surface is a very ambitious move if ever I’ve seen one and quite frankly one I can’t see paying off.
Three horses are at the unlucky for some price of 13/1. Being a superstitious fellow I will not be supporting any of these horses with my wallet but will be wishing them the best of luck. Dellpenn Champ is having only his third start having only won a maiden before this. Surely he can’t win this. Mars River is a stakes winner who will at least get the distance having won over 9 ½ furlongs. He finished 12 ¼ lengths behind the winner last start in a weaker race and it’s hard to see him being a threat in the stretch. Pure Oil is a good value runner in this race and is by far the pick of the horses in this price bracket. He will appreciate the firmer surface here and if he were to salute the judge it wouldn’t be called an upset.
Sea Chapparal at 16/1 looks to be outclassed in this race. Although a last start winner over this distance he will need to find another couple of gears if he is to be in the finish. He looks to be a nice horse who’ll win a few stakes races this year but probably not too many graded victories. The depressingly named The Dream Is Dead is 19/1 and not bad odds if you were looking for a roughie to get up. A handy winner of 6 from 8 starts including a last start stakes victory, this guy could give you a bit of value for your dollar if you like to punt each way.
The last two horses are Irish Festival and PJ Scooter Run. Irish Festival is unbeaten as a three year old but has never raced in anything higher than an allowance race. He gets his chance here in this moderate field but will more than likely find the pace in the stretch too much to handle. At 22/1 I think he is about the right odds. PJ Scooter Run is listed at 29/1 and is every bit those odds. He has improved with each run which is pleasing but I think he’ll need to improve too much to be competitive in this race.
My tips for this race – 1st – Spending Bill
2nd – Goldfriars
3rd – Waterfront
Good luck to all competitors, I’ll see you at the races.