Chris Waller's Beiwacht is favourite for Saturday's Group 1 CF Orr Stakes after drawing barrier 3, with Jimmysstar on the rail as Ciaron Maher chases a third straight win.
The final Group 1 of the Victorian spring has come up small but strong. Eight horses will line up in Saturday's $1 million CF Orr Stakes (1400m, weight-for-age) at Sandown, and Chris Waller's Beiwacht has been installed favourite after the barrier draw.
The field and barriers
- 1. Jimmysstar (barrier 1) – Ciaron Maher, Ethan Brown, 59kg
- 2. Pericles (8) – Bjorn Baker, Craig Williams, 59kg
- 3. Angel Capital (6) – Chris Waller, Ben Melham, 59kg
- 4. War Machine (5) – Ben, Will & JD Hayes, Mark Zahra, 59kg
- 5. Beiwacht (3) – Chris Waller, James McDonald, 59kg
- 6. Desert Lightning (7) – Peter Moody & Katherine Coleman, Luke Nolen, 59kg
- 7. Splash Back (4) – Grahame Begg, Jordan Childs, 57kg
- 8. Shadhavar (2) – Tom Dabernig, Kerrin McEvoy, 57kg
The race is set down for 4:25pm (AEDT). Sandown was rated a Good 4 earlier in the week, with the rail in the true position.
Beiwacht on top
Beiwacht opened around $3.10 after the draw. He won the Group 1 Memsie Stakes over this 1400m trip at Caulfield in August and was third behind Skyhook in the Golden Eagle at his latest start. James McDonald takes the ride for the first time, and barrier 3 gives him every chance to settle handy.
Maher's hat-trick bid
Jimmysstar, last year's winner and a Group 1 winner again this spring in the Manikato Stakes, has drawn the inside. He comes off a disappointing seventh behind Pericles in the Russell Balding Stakes at Randwick. Pericles, the Futurity Stakes winner earlier this year, beat him that day and now steps back up to Group 1 level from barrier 8.
The mare in form
Shadhavar is the one coming in on a roll. She has won four of her past five, including the Group 2 Tristarc Stakes at Caulfield and an easy win at Flemington on Melbourne Cup day, and she gets the 2kg mares' allowance from barrier 2. Angel Capital, the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes winner, steps back up in trip after an eighth in The Everest.
The punting angle
With only eight runners, the speed map matters more than the draw. Jimmysstar, Shadhavar and Beiwacht all come from the inside four gates, so expect them to be close to the pace. Beiwacht's record at 1400m makes him the natural favourite, but at around $3 there isn't much room for error against a mare who keeps improving. Check the track on race morning, as showers have been mentioned in some forecasts.