If she carries her 2016 form into her 2017 debut, Rhododendron is a likely winner of the English 1000 Guineas Stakes on Sunday at Newmarket Racecourse.
Rhododendron won three of her five starts last year at age 2, and it was in her season’s finale that she took a serious step forward, winning the Group 1 Fillies Mile by more than two lengths.
The New York-bred filly Rieno Tesoro, purchased for $250,000 as a yearling at Saratoga in 2015, will make her Grade 1 debut in Sunday’s $1,821,571 NHK Mile for 3-year-old colts and fillies at Tokyo Racecourse.
Rieno Tesoro, one of five fillies in the field of 18, reeled off four consecutive wins to start her career as a 2-year-old. The streak ended with a fourth in the Anemone Stakes at a mile on turf at Nakayama Racecourse on March 11.
Despite the loss, Rieno Tesoro fits in the crowded field of the NHK Mile, which lacks a standout.
The Group 1 Champions Mile at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong on Sunday will provide a stern class test for the brilliant 4-year-old Rapper Dragon.
Earlier this year, Rapper Dragon swept the 4-year-old Triple Crown in Hong Kong – the Hong Kong Classic Mile, Hong Kong Classic Cup, and Hong Kong Derby – and followed with a win in the Group 2 Chairman’s Trophy at a mile on April 9.
The $2,056,211 Champions Mile will be the Group 1 debut in Hong Kong for Rapper Dragon, an Australian-bred gelding by Street Boss who has won 9 of 17 starts, all in Australia and Hong Kong.
SHA TIN SELECTIONS
(Sunday, May 7, 2017)
RACE 1: #1 Ah Bo, #7 Hit A Home Run, #10 Unique Joyful, #8 Lightning And Gold
RACE 2: #1 Ensuring, #3 Green Dispatch, #8 Jolly Gene, #2 Sharp Sailor
RACE 3: #2 Sight Leader, #9 Infinity Endeavour, #5 Multigogo, #7 Enjoy Life
RACE 4: #1 Club Life, #5 Lucky Power, #12 Polymer Luck, #8 Triumphant Light
RACE 5: #7 Gorgeous Again, #11 Garlic Yeah, #6 Blazing Pass, #4 Allcash
Brett Davis:
R1 - 11-2-4-12
R2 - 3-5-2-6
R3 - 9-2-5-1
R4 - 5-2-3-6
R5 - 5-7-6-8
R6 - 5-6-1-10
R7 - 9-1-4-5
R8 - 7-6-3-9
Best - R1 N11 Starlight
Longshot - R3 n9 Seven Luck
Best Play - R3 Q/QP 2,5,9
Andrew Le Jeune:
R1: 12-11-4-3
R2: 5-3-11-4
R3: 8-1-9-2
R4: 2-5-6-7
R5: 2-8-5-6
R6: 2-12-3-1
R7: 10-4-2-5
R8: 7-4-3-6
Best: R6 N2 Perfect Choice
Long: R4 N6 Ever Strong
Play: R6 Q/QP 2-3-12
Werther was named Horse of the Year for the 2015-16 Hong Kong season partially on the strength of his win in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Sha Tin Racecourse last April.
To have any chance to win that title this year, Werther will need another win in Sunday’s $2.5 million Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Sha Tin Racecourse. It is not an easy assignment. The Queen Elizabeth II Cup has drawn the last three winners of the race, including Designs On Rome (2014) and Blazing Speed (2015).
SHA TIN SELECTIONS
(Sunday, April 30, 2017)
RACE 1: #6 Hastily Feet, #4 Rewarding Flyer, #2 Young Dreamer, #11 Lucky Place
RACE 2: #1 Money Boy, #10 Master Steed, #8 Relentless Me, #7 Owners' Prestige
RACE 3: #7 Hurricane Hunter, #11 Ambitious Heart, #6 Destin, #8 Vital Spring
RACE 4: #3 Such A Happiness, #5 Doctors Delight, #11 Electric Lightning, #8 C P Power
