First acceptances were revealed Wednesday for The Championships at Royal Randwick Apr. 2 and 9, and Chautauqua (Aus) (Encosta De Lago {Aus}) will be looking to notch back-to-back wins in the A$2.5 million G1 Darley TJ Smith S., which has received a record number of entries. The 1200-metre sprint has 54 acceptors, up from 46 in its inaugural year.
Peter V'landys, Chief Executive of Racing NSW, said, “The Darley TJ Smith S. has become an iconic race and interest grows each year. In just two editions we have seen some outstanding sprinters contest the race, with superstars Chautauqua and Lankan Rupee winning.”
The Doncaster Mile, BMW Australian Derby and Inglis Sires' are the three accompanying top-level contests during the opening weekend, while the following Saturday sees the running of Group 1 contests the Longines Queen Elizabeth S., Schweppes Sydney Cup, James Boags Premium Australian Oaks and Queen of the Turf S.
Some familiar stayers hold entries for the Sydney Cup, including last year's first four home, Grand Marshal (GB) (Dansili {GB}), Who Shot Thebarman (NZ) (Yamanin Vital {NZ}), Like A Carousel (Aus) (Helike), and Hartnell (GB) (Authorized {Ire}).
Criterion (NZ) (Sebring {Aus}) is another winner from last year's Championships looking to retain his title in the Queen Elizabeth S., which has attracted an entry from Japanese raider Tosen Stardom (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).
Click for the complete lists of Championships acceptors for day one and day two.
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