China Sea, who placed in the Victoria Derby, is aiming to make further progress toward his key autumn carnival objectives in Sydney by competing in the Group 1 Randwick Guineas.
The 1600m Randwick Guineas for three-year-olds, which takes place on Saturday, will be China Sea’s second race of the season. His first race back was in the 1400m Hobartville Stakes, where he finished near the back of the field behind Broadsiding, who is the current favourite for the Randwick Guineas.
Trainer John Sargent is confident in China Sea’s progress this autumn, with the horse now gearing up for upcoming targets at 2000m and 2400m.
“He just needed it (in the Hobartville), so he’ll improve with that and go from there to the Tulloch Stakes and then to the Derby,” Sargent shared.
“I think he’s a stronger horse and bigger than he was down at Flemington (in the spring), so I think you’ll see a serious three-year-old when he gets out past a mile,” he added.
China Sea impressed when stepping up in distance last spring, after winning a 1400m maiden at Kembla on debut as a late two-year-old.
He finished a narrow second in the 2000m Caulfield Classic before securing third place in the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington.
Sargent noted that China Sea struggled with the speed of the 1400m race but is optimistic about the horse’s chances in the Randwick Guineas, where he hopes to see him finishing strongly. The trainer believes China Sea will be well-suited to the Group 2 Tulloch Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill and the Group 1 ATC Australian Derby (2400m) at Randwick in the coming weeks.
“They sprinted and he couldn’t really go with them,” Sargent said, referencing the Hobartville run.
“As long as he’s hitting the line I’ll be happy and then when we get to the Tulloch and the Derby he should be at his peak,” he added.
“He’s a big, gross horse but I’m really happy with him,” Sargent concluded.
Sargent also mentioned that the Listed Canberra Guineas (1400m) could be a possibility for French Ruler, China Sea’s stablemate, a day after the Randwick Guineas.
Broadsiding, who has won three Group 1 titles, is the $1.60 favourite for the Randwick Guineas, while China Sea is priced at $51.
