By Emma Berry
The connections of last year's G1 Longines Queen Elizabeth S. hero Criterion (NZ) (Sebring {Aus}) will be hoping for one last hurrah before the 4-year-old bows out from an honourable international racing career to join the stallion ranks at Newgate Stud. The globetrotter completed the trifecta in the G1 Audemars Piguet QEII Cup at Sha Tin Apr. 26 before two unplaced runs in Ascot's G1 Prince Of Wales's S. last June and in the G1 Juddmonte International S. at York two months later. Back on top returned to Oz in the Oct. 10 Caulfield S., the handsome chestnut conceded eight pounds to superstar mare Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) when second in the G1 Cox Plate in late October, before a gritty third-place run stretched to 3200 metres in the G1 Emirates Melbourne Cup Nov. 3. Criterion failed to factor in the 2000-metre G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup at Sha Tin Dec. 13 and was last of seven in the G1 Canterbury S. at Randwick Mar. 5, before an encouraging third to the reopposing pair of The United States (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Hauraki (Aus) (Reset {Aus}) in the G1 Ranvet S. Mar. 19.
David Hayes and Tom Dabernig's stable star faces stiff opposition, however, from Preferment (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}), who returns to Randwick after his fourth-place finish to stablemate Winx (Aus) in the G1 Chipping Norton S. in the rudest of health following back-to-back wins in the G1 Australian Cup and G1 The BMW.
Regally-bred 6-year-old The United States (Ire) is one of many European imports to have found their way to Robert Hickmott's stable and he has thrived in his new life Down Under, with a recent second place in the G2 Blamey S. and victory three weeks ago in the G1 Ranvet S. signalling he is set to run another big race this Saturday.
Another former European runner, It's Somewhat (Dynaformer), has also mined a rich vein of form recently, and demonstrated that he is ready for another challenge at the highest level with consecutive wins in the G2 Ajax S. and G3 Neville Selwood S.
Happy Clapper (Aus) (Teofilo {Aus}) finished closest to Winx (Aus) last Saturday when two lengths behind her in the Doncaster Mile, a run which should put him in the mix if he is able to handle the extra distance. He is one of two challengers for Godolphin, which also fields Hauraki (Aus), who was runner-up to The United States in the Ranvet and came home just in front of Preferment when third in the G1 Chipping Norton S.
One for whom stamina is not an issue is Lucia Valentina (NZ) (Savabeel {Aus}), who was sixth in this race last year for Kris Lees and has been freshened up in a trial since her fourth-place finish in last month's G1 Coolmore Classic.
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