Did someone say Hollandaise or Hollindale? Either way, one is a beautiful sauce and the other is a cracking edition of a Group 2 Gold Coast 1800M weight for age race; but both are loves of ours here at the Mugs. On Saturday, the sun will be shining the drinks will be flowing and while we would love to be up in Brisbane, the GCTC is hosting us this week and what a belter days racing we have coming up.
We lead off in the first on what should be a competitive Benchmark 78. Conditions are looking in the heavy range but with a bit of sun about in the coming days, a soft track wouldn’t surprise. It is however, as the Mugs describe it, the Middle Distance Waller Handicap for the day. He has two key runners in Kimpembe and I Could Do Better and both can be unreliable at best. Not to be out done, Gollan has the money mover Tavion Prince lining up alongside the tough as Captivator and they will all be chasing the tail of Olympic Class who looks to have the lead on his own out in front.
There’s quick, there’s speedy and then there’s the Bat Out Of Hell over the 900M here and boy oh boy do we have a brilliant edition. Sugar Boom and Neidorp lead the market and presents a Battle Royale for these two Gollan runners. While the horses are classy, both are paired with James McDonald and Glen Boss respectively so you can’t even split them on jockey combination either. The classy Usmanov looks to get the run of the race in behind this up front pace battle and if there is a runner storming from the back you can’t be leaving out Spurcraft.
The Gold Coast Cup over the 2400M presents a pretty tough race with a few of our local battlers lining up and a bit of Southern class to spice it up. Humbolt Current is now in the sea for the Mugs and if it comes out and wins this, I think we may have to give it away. Not to be out done though, Stardome is back, will he lead again? Then there is the flying Traduce who is back again this week along with Romakash. While they are here every week, we do get Lord Belvedere for Maher & Eustace and Alakahan for the Freedmans and the former at his best would be winning this easily; but has he come back better this preparation?
In the fourth; the airborne Racecourse Road is here again for Schweida and looks mighty hard to hold out drawn the pole. He will be taken on up front from the Neasham-trained Wisdom of Water, while Boomsara won’t be too far away either. If there is one from the back maybe it could be Scallopini? Has he returned in top shape after a few tough draws last prep, or will we see track specialist Elixir blow them out of the water late?
The Group 3 Ken Russell Memorial for the two year olds sees a sublime field line up. The Queenslanders are represented with Debussy, Dovetail Diva and Mr Larrabee but they appear up against it here with the Southerners. Baby Wong comes back after a nice kill at Tamworth latest and will need all the confidence he can muster coming up against the Waller army of Cork Harbour and Ranch Hand, the later was a favourite coming into the Magic Millions but didn’t fire a shot, does he handle the GCTC this time in?
In the listed Gold Coast Bracelet it looks like a bit of lead up to the Oaks and we have two horses from the QLD version of Addeyb vs VE and that is Tycoon Evie vs Easifar. First start for Evie this trip and may present a query. The lightly raced Waller runner Grace and Harmony looks like she could be classy or does Mozzas Kiwi’s second up rule come to fruition here with Force of Will. Good Soize for Gollan should improve second up into this and wouldn’t be a surprise pinching this, but lets be honest its basically Waller versus the rest?
Another Group 3 here and this time it’s the Gold Coast Guineas and its sponsored by Brandon himself, pity he didn’t let the other mugs know. Kisukano and Simply Fly are back at it again here and here’s hoping Simply Fly doesn’t kick poor Steph off again. The raiders however are up here and they have brought some real class to this already hot race. Amish Boy and Rocketing By come through the G2 Arrowfield and that race has ISOTOPE form which makes both look really hard to beat here. There is a diamond in the rough in Fleet Dove who does love a wet track and if the leaders are on, she could surprise.
It’s the MAIN EVENT and if this isn’t one of the best Group 2 line ups we have seen this year I don’t know what is. It’s a Group 1 winner face with Nettoyer, Fifty Stars, Humidor, Avilius and the Kiwi superstar in Melody Belle paired with Opie for what they are saying could be her final campaign. The Queenslanders aren’t left out either with Vanna Girl and The Candy Man who will be hoping the track turns into a slop fest later in the day. There’s a lot of class but with pace drawn out, will this race be truly run or a muddling affair? Either way the Mugs are up and about for this deadest slammer of a race.
Ending the day with a Listed 1400M race, it is is a loaded field of mares that just need to take that next step. Yamazaki, Gem of Scotland, Euro Belle and Sofie’s Gold Class have all been travelling well but just need to get that win. One horse however that is going super is Wonderful Riri for O’Dea and Hoysted and for favourite backers the short way home could be just the way to end what looks a competitive and highly entertaining day of Group racing.
Check out the Mugs selections below:
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