Sydney’s wet weather has turned the Villiers Stakes from a summer stepping stone into a realistic target for Stockman, as he and stablemate Brutality bid to deliver Joe Pride the trifecta of feature Randwick miles.
With two Doncasters courtesy of Vision And Power (2009) and Sacred Choice (2011), and an Epsom Handicap trophy thanks to Private Eye this year, the Group 2 Villiers Stakes (1600m) is the only one of Randwick’s trio of ‘big’ mile races to elude the trainer.
In Brutality ($9) and Stockman ($12), Pride has two genuine chances to come away with a clean sweep.
The Villiers was initially intended to be a springboard into the 2000 metres of the Summer Cup for Stockman, but such is the horse’s proficiency on wet tracks, the last start Festival Stakes runner-up is among the top six horses in betting.
“I put this in his program because it was the obvious stepping stone to the Summer Cup,” Pride said.
“But when the wet tracks came around, it brought him into a race like this.
“If he won on Saturday, I would nearly tip him out. He would get too much weight in the Summer Cup, and I am keen to get him ready for the autumn.”
Brutality will be racing for the third Saturday in succession after following a fourth in the Festival Stakes with a third to Katalin at Rosehill last weekend.
It is not a tactic Pride would usually employ but Brutality thrives on it, the gelding racing on three consecutive weekends in the winter, culminating in an 1800m victory at Rosehill.
“They are all different and you work out along the way what the right formula is to get a horse to peak,” he said.
“Last preparation, his best run came on that three-week, triple back-up and we are hoping to replicate that in this run.”
First-up Canterbury winner Snippy Fox rounds out Pride’s Randwick contingent when she rises to Saturday grade in the Acy Securities Handicap (1200m) and is another superior wet track performer.
“I’ve got three mudders in,” Pride said.
“I just want the rain to come. If it comes, my chances go from good to great.”
The Randwick course proper was a soft 6 on Thursday with rain forecast overnight and into Friday.
