The 2010 Epsom Handicap final field of 20 acceptances has been released in anticipation of this Saturday’s showdown at Randwick.
The $500,000 Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) is one of the final major races of the Sydney Spring Racing Carnival and has attracted a top class field of contenders lead by Neeson and Trusting.
Early Epsom Handicap betting had been dominated by Rothesay and Drumbeats, however Rothesay was ruled out with a virus last week and the Peter Snowden-trained Drumbeats will bypass the race in favour of next weekend’s Toorak Handicap at Caulfield.
The two top picks in the Epsom odds are now the Joseph Pride-trained Neeson and John Thompson’s Trusting.
Four-year-old Mossman gelding Neeson has drawn well in barrier four and will be looking to improve from their sixth place finish in the Shannon Stakes while Trusting (barrier nine) will be a favourite with the punters following their impressive second to More Joyous in the George Main Stakes last weekend.
Other top picks in the Epsom Handicap field are Gai Waterhouse’s duo made up of AJC Oaks winning mare Once Were Wild (barrier five) and US import Cannonball (barrier 14).
Topweights Danleigh and Black Piranha also have claims.
Chris Waller’s Danleigh must carry 59kg with Hugh Bowman aboard while the Con Karakatsanis-trained Black Piranha is expected to return to form on Saturday after drawing ideally with barrier two.
Other horses not to be forgotten that look ideal for a Place bet are the two runners that finished one-two in the Shannon Stakes at Rosehill last start, Centennial Park in barrier one and Firebolt out wide but whose victory in the Shannon was very impressive.
The other major features at Randwick on Saturday are the $400,000 Group 1 The Metropolitan (2400m) where No Wine No Song should start the favourite, and the $400,000 Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m) featuring classy fillies More Strawberries, Parables and Yosei.
Smart punters will head straight to SportsBet and sign up today to get the best odds for this weekend!
2010 Telstra T-Box Epsom Handicap Field & Barriers
| # | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Br. | Weight (kg) | Hcp. Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DANLEIGH | Chris Waller | Hugh Bowman | 10 | 59 | 117 |
| 2 | BLACK PIRANHA | Con Karakatsanis | Nash Rawiller | 2 | 58.5 | 116 |
| 3 | DOUBTFUL JACK | Peter G Moody | - | 11 | 54 | 107 |
| 4 | ONCE WERE WILD | Gai Waterhouse | Corey Brown | 5 | 52.5 | 108 |
| 5 | TRUSTING | John P Thompson | Jim Cassidy | 9 | 52 | 104 |
| 6 | DEALER PRINCIPAL | Anthony Cummings | Brenton Avdulla (a) | 6 | 52 | 103 |
| 7 | CANNONBALL (USA) | Gai Waterhouse | Blake Spriggs (a) | 14 | 52 | 102 |
| 8 | CENTENNIAL PARK (NZ) | David Payne | Christian Reith | 1 | 52 | 102 |
| 9 | NEESON | Joseph Pride | Peter Robl | 4 | 52 | 102 |
| 10 | SACRED CHOICE | Joseph Pride | - | 15 | 52 | 99 |
| 11 | LEICA LARRIKIN | Richard Freyer | Mathew Cahill | 7 | 52 | 98 |
| 12 | CAPTAIN SONADOR | Roger Milne | Glen Boss | 8 | 52 | 97 |
| 13 | FIREBOLT (NZ) | Roger James | Glyn Schofield | 21 | 52 | 97 |
| 14 | PRINCE BRAEMAN | Paul Perry | Nathan Berry (a) | 19 | 52 | 97 |
| 15 | SNAPY HALO (ARG) | John O’Shea | Tim Clark | 16 | 52 | 97 |
| 16 | SAINTHOOD | Rick Worthington | Rod Quinn | 17 | 52 | 96 |
| 17 | RETURNTOSENDER | Peter G Moody | - | 12 | 52 | 94 |
| 18 | BAY WINDOW | Gwenda Markwell | Craig Newitt | 20 | 52 | 93 |
| 19 | KEEPIN’ THE DREAM (NZ) | Jim & Greg Lee | Daniel Ganderton | 18 | 52 | 92 |
| 20 | HIDDEN WONDER | Kris Lees | Jay Ford | 3 | 52 | 91 |
| 21e | SYREON | Joseph Pride | - | 13 | 52 | 85 |