At Randwick on Saturday, El Dorado Dreaming will be aiming to become the sixth horse in nine years to score back-to-back wins when taking out the Inglis Sires’ and then the Champagne Stakes (1600m).
The Benjamin Smith-trained galloper has come up with barrier 7 for Saturday’s $500,000 contest following his surprise victory in the Inglis Sires’ last fortnight.
Traditionally, the Sires’ is the best guide to the Champagne Stakes, and lead-up form is the ultimate guide with 21 of the past 25 Champagne Stakes winners having won or finished runner-up at their previous start.
Other Inglis Sires’ runners to be lining up on Saturday include: All Too Hard colt Outrageous (3rd), Lindsay Park galloper Long Leaf (4th), the James Cummings-trained Encryption (6th), Bondi (7th), Ragged Rascal (8th), Seabrook (9th), Not A Single Cent (10th) and Seberate (11th).
Trainer Paul Perry scored in this race last year with The Mission who finished 6th in the Inglis Sires’, and on Saturday, he saddles up Ragged Rascal from barrier 13 following the Denman colts’ 8th placing in the Sires’.
Barrier 6 has been most successful in recent times with five of the past seven winners jumping from that alley.
Matt Cumani’s Akkadian has come up with the coveted barrier but will need to improve on his 14th placing in the Baillieu Handicap (1400m).
2018 Champagne Stakes field and barriers:
1. ENCRYPTION James Cummings - Hugh Bowman (10) 56.5kg
2. LONG LEAF David & B Hayes & T Dabernig - Kerrin McEvoy (9) 56.5kg
3. OUTRAGEOUS Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes - Brenton Avdulla (3) 56.5kg
4. RAGGED RASCAL Paul Perry - Joshua Parr (13) 56.5kg
5. NOT A SINGLE CENT Ciaron Maher - Blake Shinn (5) 56.5kg
6. IRUKANDJI Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes - Corey Brown (4) 56.5kg
7. BONDI Peter & Paul Snowden - Mark Zahra (2) 56.5kg
8. SEBERATE David & B Hayes & T Dabernig - Tim Clark (11) 56.5kg
9. AKKADIAN Matt Cumani - Jordan Childs (6) 56.5kg
10. BLAZING ISSUE Gregory Hickman - Michael Walker (8) 56.5kg
11. GUERRIER Jean Dubois - Jean Van Overmeire (a) (1) 56.5kg
12. EL DORADO DREAMING Benjamin Smith - Jason Collett (7) 54.5kg
13. SEABROOK (NZ) Mick Price - Damien Oliver (12) 54.5kg