Big Names Return In Expressway Stakes
Story By Chris Scholtz
Sunday, 17 February 2008:  | | Bentley Biscuit at Royal Ascot |
Jockeys have been finalised for the top trio following the engagement of Blake Shinn for Stradbroke Handicap winner Sniper's Bullet by trainer Tracey Bartley.
Hugh Bowman will ride Racing To Win while Nash Rawiller will be reunited with the Gai Waterhouse-trained Bentley Biscuit.
Rawiller teamed with Bentley Biscuit last year when the sprinter won the Group One double of the T.J. Smith Stakes and All Aged Stakes at the Randwick autumn carnival before embarking on his Royal Ascot campaign in England.
Rawiller went to the UK to ride Bentley Biscuit in the King's Stand Stakes and his association with the big chestnut paved the way for Waterhouse to lure him to Sydney as her senior stable jockey.
Bentley Biscuit returned to Australia in September after failing in two more European starts at Newmarket and Deauville in France in July and August.
Shinn, like Rawiller, moved to Sydney form Melbourne at the start of the season to ride for Waterhouse but is free to ride Sniper's Bullet as the trainer will start only Bentley Biscuit in the Expressway Stakes.
Shinn was keen to secure the ride on Sniper's Bullet in th Expressway Stakes after he rode the sprinter in a recent exhibition gallop at Hawkesbury.
John O'Shea gave the green light for Racing To Win to resume in the Expressway Stakes after he worked smoothly in an exhibition gallop at Randwick on Saturday.
Racing To Win's preparation hit a speed bump 10 days ago when he was found to b suffering from a foot abscess.
Racing To Win, who has not raced since he flopped in the 2006 W.S. Cox Plate at Moonee Valley in his only start outside Sydney, worked with stablemate Just Mambo and had a narrow advantage at the end of a 600m gallop in 34.45 seconds.
O'Shea will also start Just Mambo in the Expressway Stakes.
Bowman may have an edge on Rawiller and Shinn in the Expressway Stakes as he is familiar with all three horses.
He has winning form on Bentley Biscuit and Sniper's Bullet as well as Racing To Win.
Bowman won the AJC Shorts at Randwick on Bentley Biscuit in 2006 and teamed with Sniper's Bullet for three successive races in Sydney when the sprinter was rising through the classes last season.
Bowman has had two previous race rides on Racing To Win for a win and a second in the $1 million Golden Rose at Rosehill when the grey was a three-year-old in 2005 before Glen Boss became the gelding's regular jockey.
Bowman rode Racing To Win in to win a barrier trial at Randwick on January 25.
|
