Saturday preview: six things to keep an eye on

Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything

First run as the Warwick S., a principal race in 1923, this seven furlong/1400-metre contest was awarded Group 2 ranking when the pattern system kicked off in the 1970s and with its name change in 2018 came an elevation to its current Group 1 status.

Its honour roll is a strong one, including a number of horses who have won the race on multiple occasions; Limerick (NZ) (Limond {GB}), Johnnie Jason (Treclare {Ire}), Chatham, San Domenico (Hua), Tarien (GB) (Tehran {Ire}), Sky High, Gay Gauntlet, Kingston Town (Bletchingly), Super Impose (NZ) (Imposing), Filante (NZ), Lonhro and of course Winx (Street Cry {Ire}) who made the race her own between 2016 and 2018.

There are links to Lonhro and Winx in this year's race with the favourite Fangirl (Sebring) attempting to become the 13th horse to win this more than once; and she is a homebred for Ingham Racing, racing in the same famed cerise colours as Lonhro.

Debbie Kepitis is of course in the ownership of Fangirl as she was in Winx, and she has two horses to cheer for on Saturday with another of her homebreds in Riff Rocket (American Pharoah {USA}) also resuming.

Fangirl and Riff Rocket have won three Group 1 races each and both are capable of running boldly fresh. Fangirl kicked off her last short campaign with a G2 Apollo S. victory and her previous campaign began with her win in this race. Riff Rocket is yet to taste defeat from three first-up attempts; in the summer taking out the G3 CS Hayes S. first-up and this time last year a Class 1 contest at Kembla Grange, quickly rising through the grades.

The duo have four stablemates lining up in this race, Chris Waller saddling up half the field in a race he has won on seven occasions since 2010. Also well in the market for him is the classy import Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock) who won the G1 Ranvet S. first-up last time in and Zougotcha (Zoustar) who won all three of her summer/autumn assignments.

Zougotcha boasts a historic family link with this family, Septet (Genetout {Fr}) winning this race as a maiden back in 1948. The two horses hail from the same Medmenham (Ire) (Prince Galahad {GB}) family and that mare made her mark as dam of the champion Ajax.

Via Sistina races in the Yulong colours as does Tropical Squall (Prized Icon) who has her first start for her new owners, looking good winning a couple of recent Rosehill trials.

G2 Silver Shadow S. - first-up for Manaal?

Manaal (Tassort) was one of last season's better juveniles and it is exciting to see that G1 ATC Sires Produce S. winner kicking off here, favourite to make her 3-year-old debut a winning one on the back of a Warwick Farm trial win over Southport Tycoon (Written Tycoon) and Kimochi (Brave Smash {Jpn}).

Amongst her main dangers are the G2 Reisling S. winner Erno's Cube (Rubick), Ameena (Tassort) who was good winning two of her first four debut campaign assignments, Hallett (Deep Field) who still has plenty of upside after just two smart runs and Zeitung (Exceed And Excel) who has the fitness edge having beaten the older mares first-up.

First run as a Group 3 race in 1980, the Silver Shadow has proven to be a good pointer to future success both on and off the track.

Amongst its winners are those who have gone onto Group 1 success; Zougotcha (Zoustar), Gold Edition (Lion Hunter), Samantha Miss (Redoute's Choice), Ha Ha (Danehill {USA}), Diamond Shower (Zephyr Zip {NZ}), Mnemosyne (Encosta De Lago), Regimental Gal (General Nediym), Triscay (Marscay), Skating (At Talaq {USA}), Angst (Kala Dancer {GB}), Satin Sand (Buena Shore {USA}), Shankhill Lass (NZ) (Star Way {GB}), Nechita (Fastnet Rock) and Speak Fondly (Northern Meteor).

And of the 43 Silver Shadow winners, 14 have gone on to produce stakes winners including two at the elite level; Mnemosyne the dam of the G1 Stradbroke H. and G1 Kingsford-Smith Cup winner Impending and Triscay the dam of the G1 Galaxy winner La Baraka (Euclase). And the 2016 winner Omei Sword (High Chaparral {Ire}) was represented by a dual stakes winner last season; the two-time spring carnival Group 3 winner Muramasa (Deep Impact {Jpn}).

G3 Show County Quality - a match in two?

Last year saw the 30th running of this Group 3 dash taken out by Buenos Noches (Supido) who added his name to a nice list of winners; others to win the race named after the very fast 11 time stakes winner Show County (County) including Might And Power (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}), Lotteria (Redoute's Choice), Rebel Dane, Terravista (Captain Rio {GB}) and Private Eye (Al Maher).

Two talented sprinters are fighting out favouritism this time around: Joliestar (Zoustar) and Our Kobison (Kobayashi) heading to the race from very different racing backgrounds.

Scratched from the G3 Toy Show Quality later in the day, Joliestar is last year's G1 1000 Guineas winner resuming off a short but sweet autumn campaign that saw her win the G2 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint S. at her only outing.

Her trainer Chris Waller, who also saddles up the prolific winner Democracy Manifest (Flying Artie), has won most of Sydney's feature races but is yet to take this one out.

Joliestar's jockey James McDonald does however have a couple of Show Countys on his record; successful aboard Showmanship (NZ) (Showcasing {GB}) two years ago and also winning aboard Le Romain (Hard Spun {USA}) in 2018.

Three of Our Kobison's wins have been with McDonald aboard but this time Kerrin McEvoy, who has also won on the speedy 5-year-old, takes the mount and he too has already won this race twice; on Tycoon Tara (Written Tycoon) in 2016 and Skytrain (Lonhro) in 2011.

The winner of six of his 10 starts, the Angela Davies-trained gelding is yet to tackle stakes company but his turn of foot suggests that he is up to the task.

Other interesting runners include the G1 Australian Guineas winner Southport Tycoon (Written Tycoon) and the G1 Caulfield Guineas winner Griff (Trapeze Artist) who are both resuming off solid trials.

G3 Toy Show Quality - talented speedsters

Here is another race with two nice types vying to start favourite; Commemorative (I Am Invincible) and The Black Cloud (Shamus Award) both kept very safe in early betting.

Having her first run since taking out the Listed Denise's Joy S. in mid-May, the James Cummings-trained Commemorative boasts an excellent fresh and overall record; winning three of her first seven starts.

The Black Cloud also knows how to find the line with her six starts yielding four wins and two seconds for the Joseph Pride stable. She was last seen in late June leading throughout to record a soft victory at Flemington.

It does not look a race in two however, with chances also going to the Group 1 mare Lady Laguna (Overshare) who can race well fresh and the classy Kimochi (Brave Smash {Jpn}) who races for Yulong for the first time.

Named in honour of the brilliant Tommy Smith-trained Toy Show (Showdown {GB}) who raced on from her major 2-year-old victories in the G1 Golden Slipper S. and the G1 Sires Produce S. to further big wins in the G1 Thousand Guineas, the G1 Newmarket H. and the G1 William Reid S., this race was first contested as a Listed event in 1995.

Upgraded to its current Group 3 status in 2013, it has been won by 28 fillies; four of whom have gone onto enjoy Group 1 glory; this year's G1 Galaxy winner Zapateo (Brazen Beau) as well as Red Tracer (Dane Shadow), Mizzy (Zoustar) and Joie Denise (Danehill {USA}) whilst five have gone on to successful stakes-producing stud careers.

And two of those are the dams of Group 1 winners with the race's regally related inaugural winner Joie Denise being the dam of the Group 1 girls Tuesday Joy (NZ) (Carnegie) and Sunday Joy (Sunday Silence {USA}) whilst the 1996 winner Macrosa (NZ) (McGinty {NZ}) produced the Singapore star Rocket Man (Viscount).

G3 Premier's Cup - a race for the imports

Imported gallopers boast an imposing recent record in this Group 3 2000-metre contest, won just twice by Australasian bred horses in the last 12 years.

And that record looks set to be enhanced with only one Australian-bred horse: Political Debate (So You Think {NZ}), and one New Zealand-bred horse; Super Strike (NZ) (Super Easy {NZ}) lining up this year.

Both of those horses are double-figure odds with the most fancied runner being Eliyass (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) who seeks to become the third French-bred winner of the race, the others being Arapaho (Lope De Vega {Ire}) two years ago and Less Is More (Beat Hollow {GB}) in 2013.

Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott have won this race on numerous occasions and Eliyass is showing good potential for them, at his local debut in early June recording a dominant win in the Listed Lord Mayor's Cup.

Touristic (GB) (Frankel {GB}) has a fitness edge having been in consistent form over the winter, game in defeat when second in Listed assignments at his last two outings.

Redstone Well (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}) had been carrying big weights prior to showing improvement last time out and with 53kg here looks set to run another good race.

Listed Carlyon S. - a dash around Moonee Valley

A 1000-metre dash around the Moonee Valley circuit, this Listed contest has attracted a field of nine smart sprinters with a mixture of those resuming (four) and those with an edge of fitness.

These are horses who really know how to find the line, the nine between them winning 53 races with several boasting outstanding strike rates.

Such as the favourite Bold Bastille (Brazen Beau) who has done such a good job winning four of her first five starts from her Lindsay Park base. She is already a dual Listed winner and at her only other start at Moonee Valley she was a debut Inglis Banner winner over the subsequent G1 Blue Diamond victor Hayasugi (Royal Meeting {Ire}) as a 2-year-old.

She takes on some smart older horses such as the consistent Queenslander Golden Boom (Spirit Of Boom), the last-start easy Moonee Valley winning, G1 Oakleigh Plate placegetter Mornington Glory (Shalaa {Ire}) and the exciting Sans Doute (Not A Single Doubt) who won four in a row over the summer and autumn months.