Cellsabeel doubt creates Millennium intrigue
Warwick Farm, R. Listed Inglis Millennium - 2YOs, $2,000,000, 1100m
After Sydney's rain forced the rescheduling of this $2 million race from Saturday, questions still remain whether boom 2-year-old Cellsabeel (Hinchinbrook) will contest the event.
Co-trainer Ciaron Maher has indicated the filly won’t run, but she remains in the field and the temptation is there with such big prizemoney on offer.
She had one run back in the spring, finishing hard for fourth in the $1 million Golden Gift, before returning to trounce her rivals in a recent 2-year-old race at Rosehill, winning by 6l on a heavy track.
Cellsabeel
The John Sargent-trained Encountabull (Bull Point) is second pick on the strength of his second in the Inglis Nursery race back in December, but he is yet untested on a genuinely wet track.
The Lindsay Park-trained Fixated (Hinchinbrook) comes north from Melbourne of a solid debut run in the Listed Blue Diamond Preview, while stablemate, the filly Bella Nipotina (Pride Of Dubai) wasn't far away at Caulfield last time and did beat Encountabull home when the pair met in the Inglis Banner back in October.
$1.7 million colt Osamu (Exceed And Excel), trained by Chris Waller, was just beaten on debut at Randwick and showed enough in a recent trial to suggest he can also figure, while the James Cummings-trained Marnix (Written Tycoon), a recent winner at Geelong, is also afforded some chance.
Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young enjoyed some feature 2-year-old success over the weekend and take Larimer Street (Brazen Beau), whose lone run was a second at Moonee Valley back in December, into this event.
McEvoys hunt 2-year-old black type
Launceston, Listed ALFA Gold Sovereign, $150,000, 1220m
Tony and Calvin McEvoy have taken their filly Jyoti (Akeed Mofeed {GB}) south for some valuable black type in one of Tasmania's best 2-year-old races.
This filly won easily first-up at Morphettville before being edged out by a handy one at Murray Bridge and that looks stronger form than the locals bring into the race.
It’s a similar story for the Lindsay Park-trained Avenue Of Pleasure (I Am Invincible), who has two close-up finishes in Melbourne metropolitan class races to her name, the latest when fourth behind Personal (Fastnet Rock) at Flemington.
Avenue Of Pleasure (yellow colours)
Gee Gee Josie (Wordsmith) looks the best of the Tasmanian hopes, having won the Listed Elwick S. at this track last time, finishing too strongly for Hot Relation (Sizzling), who also features here and will be improved by that debut run.
Blushed (Jabali) was a good winner at Hobart last time out and can be another locally prepared filly to figure in the finish.
