Australian Racing: Gringotts eyes Kembla Grange glory

There’s plenty of racing action on Saturday, including in Perth where Ascot are set to play host to the 2024 renewal of the Group 1 Railway Stakes.

Race 8 Ascot

Belclare @ 5.50

Race 8 Cranbourne

Rey Magnerio @ 6.00

Race 8 Kembla Grange

Gringotts @ 4.80

Belclare to claim Railway

The previously mentioned Group 1 Railway Stakes comes up as the penultimate race on a nine-race card at Ascot.

James McDonald is set to take the ride on Ciaron Maher’s Light Infantry Man, with the six-year-old expected to jump as favourite.

The gelding failed to shine when jumping at big odds for the Group 1 Toorak Handicap at Caulfield in October but returned to winning ways two starts later.

That success came when contesting the Listed Channel 9 Chester Manifold Stakes, a 1600m handicap contest held on a good 3 surface at Flemington.

The son of Fast Company, who was placed at this level when trained in Europe, boasts an inside alley here and rates highly in this field.

However, Bjorn Baker’s BELCLARE is preferred here, with the ex-New Zealand-trained mare having shown up well in recent starts.

The seven-year-old, shown as successful at this level in New Zealand earlier this year, has registered Group 2 wins in each of her last two starts.

Both of those starts have come against her own sex over 1400m, including in the Hot Danish Stakes at Rosehill earlier this month.

Belclare looks ready for this step up in grade, with Nash Rawiller set to take the ride for the first time.

Barrier 14 isn’t ideal for this contest however, she looks capable of overcoming that to register her third consecutive victory.

Rey to take Meteorite

The Meteorite is the feature race at Cranbourne with a $1,000,000 prize fund on offer for the 1200m set weights contest.

Baraqiel is expected to have his supporters, having registered wins in six of his nine starts to date.

Those wins include a victory by nearly three lengths in the 1200m Group 2 Mittys McEwen Stakes held on a good 3 track at Moonee Valley last month.

While the gelding could finish only sixth in the Group 1 Champions Sprint at Flemington subsequently, he delivered a respectable effort that day.

Regular rider Ben Allen is again set to ride and, while he holds obvious claims, preference is for REY MAGNERIO.

Trained by Robbie Griffiths & Mathew de Kock, the gelding finished runner-up in each of his first three starts this prep.

Those efforts included two narrow defeats with the first of those coming in the 1000m Group 2 Millennium Sprint at Caulfield in October.

Rey Magnerio raced on a soft 7 surface that day but is equally at home on good going, as evidenced by his Listed Cirka Always Welcome Stakes triumph last time.

The five-year-old won by a narrow margin when contesting that 1200m handicap event at Flemington and is taken to complete a double.

Gringotts for Gong victory

The most valuable race on the Kembla Grange card is the $1,000,000 Group 3 The Illawarra Mercury Gong over 1600m.

A soft 6 track is expected for the race, with GRINGOTTS the selection to defy a wide barrier.

The five-year-old has been in good form this prep, finishing runner-up in his first two starts.

Gringotts was beaten narrowly on each occasion, including when contesting the Group 3 Bill Ritchie Handicap over 1400m at Randwick first up.

A second placed in Rosehill’s Alan Brown Stakes followed, with the gelding returning to winning ways in the Listed Big Dance over this distance at Randwick.

The switch to the forecast soft 6 track should prove no issue, with Ciaron Maher’s representative having shown a liking for wet surfaces last prep.

Tommy Berry, on board for all three starts this time around, is again set to ride and his mount looks up to registering his ninth career win.