Australian Racing: Rivals to see Caulfield chances Evaporate

There’s plenty of Group 1 action in Melbourne with the Caulfield Guineas one of three top level races set to take place at Caulfield.

Race 8 Caulfield

Evaporate @ 13.00

Race 10 Caulfield

Craig @ 6.50

Race 8 Rosehill

Gringotts @ 3.50

Evaporate to upset Broadsiding in Guineas

The Group 1 Caulfield Guineas comes up as the eighth race on a 10-race card.

A good 4 surface is expected for the 1600m event, with three-year-old Broadsiding expected to jump a short-priced favourite for James Cummings.

The colt has won his last five starts with three of those coming at this level, including when getting home by a narrow margin in the 1400m Golden Rose at Rosehill.

The youngster was making his first start of the campaign when saluting on a soft 5 track that day and he is a worthy favourite with the extra 200m here in his favour.

However, he is expected to start at cramped odds for this contest and he is worth opposing, with EVAPORATE for the Ben, JD & Will Hayes team.

Evaporate is another to have won his last four starts and, while none of those wins have been at this level, he did register a Group 2 success last time.

That Group 2 success saw the gelding triumph by a length when contesting the MGI Golf Strutt Stakes over this distance at Moonee Valley last month.

Barrier eight shouldn’t pose any difficulties for the son of Per Incanto in this contest and he has demonstrated tactical versatility in the past.

Regular rider Michael Dee, on board for each of his four wins to date, is again set to ride with the pair taken to upset the favourite to register a win at the highest level.

Craig to triumph in Toorak

The concluding race on the Caulfield card is the Group 1 Toorak Handicap over 1600m.

Another Wil has won six of his last seven starts and is expected to have his supporters here.

Those six wins include two victories this prep, having followed up a Benchmark 100 win at this venue with a Listed success in the Testa Rossa Stakes here.

Both of those efforts came on good going and similar underfoot conditions are expected for this contest.

Notably however the five-year-old’s sole defeat so far in 2024 came when contesting the Group 1 Doncaster Mile handicap over this distance at Randwick in April.

With that in mind, CRAIG is the selection for the Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young team.

The four-year-old was imported following a third-place finish over 1408m at Newmarket in the UK in November.

This gelding won two of his first three southern hemisphere starts, including over 1620m on a good 4 track at Flemington in June.

A defeat followed, with the selection returning to winning ways with a victory over 1400m in a Benchmark 78 handicap at Caulfield at the end of August.

The son of Territories caught the eye in finishing a length second in the Group 3 Sandown Stakes over 1500m on the Hillside track at Sandown last month.

Craig caught the eye in finishing strongly on that occasion and, stepping up in distance, he can reverse form with Desert Lightning to register a win here.

Gringotts for Alan Brown success

The $1,500,000 Alan Brown Stakes over 1400m is the most valuable race on Rosehill’s 10-race card.

A good 4 track is expected with GRINGOTTS the pick, having shown good form so far in 2024.

The gelding won all three starts last prep, with those wins culminating in a victory in the Listed Sky Racing Members Handicap over 1600m at Doomben in May.

Gringotts was spelled following that two-length success and he trialled well with a barrier trial triumph at Wyong ahead of his return to action at Randwick last month.

The five-year-old lost out by a narrow margin when runner-up in the 1400m Group 3 Bill Ritchie Handicap on a good 4 track that day.

Gringotts is expected to have improved for that effort and with Tommy Berry up, he is taken to go one better in this event.