A field of 20 3-year-olds have accepted for Saturday's G1 Coolmore Stud S. (1200m) down the famed Flemington straight, with the $1-million sprint being one of the most open Group 1 contests for some time.
The stallion-making race sees the unbeaten Sydney-trained colt Viridine (Aus) (Poet's Voice {GB}) likely to start favourite. Having defeated G3 Pago Pago S. winner Single Bullet (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}) at his two most recent starts, highlighted by an easy two-length victory in the G2 Roman Consul S. (1200m), the colt is one of three runners for team Godolphin.
Toby Edmonds's up and comer Eptimum (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) headed to Melbourne as a travelling companion for his more highly-touted stablemate Houtzen (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}), who will also race here, but the former is the one that everyone is talking about, especially after his victory last Saturday in the G3 Red Anchor S. (1200m), where he defeated Single Bullet by three lengths, running an impressive time just 0.02 seconds slower than Hey Doc (Aus) (Duporth {Aus}) in the G1 Manikato S. (1200m) the night before.
With many differing form lines leading into the race, two fillies who came through the $10-million The Everest on Oct. 14 both look to have very good chances. Tulip (Aus) (Pierro {Aus}) produced a cracking performance against Redzel (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) in The Everest working home well to take fifth, beaten under three lengths, and back to her own age here, the filly could give her Golden Slipper-winning sire his first elite-level winner.
The other Everest runner here is the previously mentioned Houtzen, the Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner of her juvenile year. A winner two starts back in the G3 Champagne S. (1200m) before leading up The Everest field and weakening to finish just over three lengths from the winner, the Toby Edmonds-trained filly impressed in a jump out down the Flemington straight last week.
One start at the track and distance saw Group 1-winning juvenile Catchy (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) defeat fellow runner Jukebox (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) in the G2 Danehill S. (1200m) on Sept. 16, and with both having since recorded further stakes performances, the pair have very good chances and although drawn on different sides of the track, they have the form and ability to be right in the finish.
Arrowfield Stud's champion sire Snitzel (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}) has an unmatched six runners in the field, all stakes winners, headlined by a pair of Group 1-winning colts, Trapeze Artist (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) and Summer Passage (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}). Impressive when clearing out by four lengths in the G1 Golden Rose (1400m) on Sept. 23, the Gerald Ryan-trained Trapeze Artist will need to emulate champion 3-year-old Zoustar (Aus) (Northern Meteor {Aus}) as the most recent winner in 2013 to claim the Group 1 double.
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