Dubai: Team Godolphin head to Saturday’s The Championships meeting at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia, with several exciting prospects headed by former Royal Ascot scorer Hartnell.
A brilliant winner of both his starts Down Under this year, including the Group 1 BMW at Rosehill two weeks ago, the four-year-old son of Epsom Derby winning stallion Authorized faces ten classy rivals in the 150th running of the A$1,600,000 (Dh4.5 million) Sydney Cup (G1) over 3,200 metres.
Prepared by John Shea, Godolphin’s principal trainer in Australia, the ex-Mark Johnston trainee appears to have thrived since being transferred to Crown Lodge Stables at Warwick Farm.
His main threat comes in the shape of the Chris Waller-trained Who Shot Thebarman and Melbourne Cup (G1) winner and Germany’s 2014 Horse of the Year Protectionist.
To be ridden by big-race jockey Tommy Berry, Hartnell can take advantage of the significant pull in weights since his last outing in the weight-for-age BMW, where he carried 57kg to victory.
He races off a 52kg mark on Saturday, which must give him a big advantage over his rivals, as he is also proven over the two-mile trip having comfortably won the Queen Vase at last year’s Royal meeting.
Shea will be hoping Hartnell can draw some of their pain away following the late withdrawl of his Horse in the Year hopeful Contributer from the A$4,000,000 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1), Australia’s richest weight-for-age race and one of the highlights of the ten-race card.
Contributer was found to be lame and the decision was taken to scratch him from the 2,000m contest, which looks to be fought out between Japan’s To The World and Cox Plate (G1) winner Adelaide, who returns to action after a long lay-off. Criterion and Tosen Stardom also have genuine claims.
John O’Shea told the Godolphin website: “We’ll know more in the next few days but we’re hoping for a successful spring campaign with him.”
The Australian handler also saddles Earthquake in the Group 2 Arrowfield Sprint, where the four-year-old daughter of Exceed And Excel faces 11 rivals.
Young New Zealand-bred sprinter Kuro looks a serious threat, as do Rubick and Bring Me The Maid.
Godolphin’s Calaverite (James McDonald) and Ottoman (Sam Clipperton) take their chances in the A$500,000 Sykes Stakes over 1,200 metres earlier on the card.
For more than 160 years, Randwick or Royal Randwick, as it is popularly referred to, has hosted Sydney’s top thoroughbreds races and remains one of Australia’s most favoured racing venues, hosting around 40 meetings a year.
