Press Statement firms for Doncaster

Monday 22 February 2016, 7:39am

Three-year-old Press Statement is the outright favourite for the Doncaster Mile with stablemate Winx drifting after being given 56.5kg, a weight her trainer says puts her in doubt for the race.

Chris Waller made the comparison to 2012 winner More Joyous, the last mare to win the $3 million handicap.

"More Joyous carried 57-1/2 when she won on a 52 kilogram minimum. Winx has 7-1/2 kilos above a minimum of 49," Waller said.

"From that perspective it is disappointing.

"We won't make a decision until closer to the race but it would be hard for her to win the Doncaster and then head to the Queen Elizabeth Stakes."

The Doncaster Mile is on April 2, a week before the $4 million weight-for-age Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m).

Press Statement and Winx were the TAB's $6 equal favourites on Monday before the release of weights with the Caulfield Guineas winner now at $4.60 and the Cox Plate winner out to $7.50.

"If Press Statement wins the Randwick Guineas and the George Ryder, 54 kilograms looks good. If he doesn't he would be harshly weighted," Waller said.

First Seal, who made a winning comeback in the Millie Fox Stakes on Saturday after being sidelined with a hoof injury, has 53kg and a perfect winning record over Winx when they raced each other as three-year-olds.

She is now the $9 third favourite ahead of last year's winner, the Waller-trained Kermadec at $11.

Triple Group One winner Fawkner heads the weights with 58kg with Boban on 57.5kg and Contributer, Kermadec and Turn Me Loose all on 57kg.

Criterion is topweight for the Sydney Cup on 58.5kg, half a kilo more than Caulfield Cup winner Mongolian Khan.

The Waller-trained Grand Marshal and Who Shot Thebarman who ran one-two last year, have 54 and 56kg respectively.

"I think Grand Marshal is pretty well weighted for a Sydney Cup winner, especially if we get a wet track," Waller said.

Racing NSW announced on Monday, weights would rise to a minimum topweight of 57kg and not 58 if the higher weighted horses were not in the final field.

– AAP

Latest News

Prime Thoroughbreds - We have a Host of Leaders in our Team

Tuesday, 29 June 2021

Prime Thor­ough­bred’s cur­rent rac­ing team is putt­ing to­gether quite a re­cord. We have 22 hors­es that have raced in our team at pre­sent. Six­teen of th­ese are win­n­ers in­clud­ing the Stakes win­n­ing trio Ru­bisa­ki, Fituese and Xtreme­time with Miss Di­vine Em and Miss In Charge run­n­ing 4th in Stakes races. This sees a stakes win­n­er to win­n­er ra­tio of 18.75% with a stake’s per­formed to win­n­er ra­tio of 31.25%. Th­ese are ex­cep­tio­n­al fig­ures.   More »

Freedmans land maiden Group One win

Saturday, 27 February 2021

Un­der-rat­ed fil­ly For­bid­den Love has emerged as an au­tumn car­ni­val smokey with a bril­liant per­for­mance to win the Sur­round Stakes at Rand­wick.  More »

Capriccio completes Damian Lane treble

Saturday, 27 February 2021

In a big day for coun­try-trained hors­es, War­r­nam­bool fil­ly Capric­cio has tak­en out the In­glis Dash for Daniel Bow­man.  More »

More news headlines »