Australia: Watch Me Rock makes Group 1 debut over favorite course in Railway Stakes

The local star Watch Me Rock will be a solid favorite to win his Group 1 debut in Saturday’s $967,800 Railway Stakes at a mile at Ascot Racecourse in Perth, Australia.

Finding the exacta is more problematic.

As of Thursday, five runners – Cosmic Crusader, Diamond Scene, Osipenko, Super Smink, and Western Empire – were between 6-1 and 8-1 in early betting. Cosmic Crusader was on the also-eligible list, however.

Watch Me Rock, a winner of 10 of 18 starts, has won four stakes this year at distances ranging from seven furlongs to 1 1/8 miles, all at Ascot. Trained by Grant and Alana Williams, Watch Me Rock won the Group 3 Asian Beau Stakes by a neck at seven furlongs on Nov. 1, closing from sixth of 13.

Watch Me Rock, a 5-year-old gelding by the Fastnet Rock stallion Awesome Rock, has won an admirable 8 of 10 career starts at Ascot. Regular rider William Pike has the mount in the Railway Stakes.

Of the potential second choices, Diamond Scene, Osipenko and Super Smink won their last starts.

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Diamond Scene has the most appeal, a course specialist with 8 wins in 16 starts at Ascot. Diamond Scene returned from a layoff of more than nine months to win the Group 3 Eurythmic Stakes at seven furlongs at Ascot on Oct. 18 after stalking the early pace. A 6-year-old gelding, Diamond Scene has won 9 of 18 starts in his career.

Super Smink won the Group 2 Lee Steere Stakes at seven furlongs at Ascot on Nov. 8 to end a six-race losing streak. He often races as a stalker.

Osipenko closed from eighth in a field of 15 to win the Little Dance Stakes at a mile at Royal Randwick Stakes in Sydney on Nov. 4, ending a six-race losing streak since January. A closer, Osipenko was Group 1-placed in 2023.

The Railway Stakes has a post time of 12:58 a.m. Pacific on Saturday.

At Kembla Grange Racecourse near Sydney, the 11-time winner Gringotts will be a strong favorite to win the Group 3 Gong Stakes at a mile for the second consecutive year.

The $645,200 Gong Stakes will have a full field of 16. Gringotts was the 6-5 favorite on Thursday on the strength of his win in the $1.96 million Big Dance Stakes at a mile at Randwick on Nov. 4. Gringotts won the 2024 Big Dance Stakes.

Tavi Time, eighth by 3 1/4 lengths in the Big Dance Stakes earlier this month after racing in traffic in the final furlong, is rated as a potential upsetter in the Gong Stakes.

The Gong Stakes has a post time of 12:45 a.m. Eastern on Saturday or 9:45 p.m. Pacific on Friday.

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