Bryce Heys perennial Group 1 placegetter Spieth kicks off his spring bid in the Concorde Stakes 2017 this weekend heading markets on the Royal Randwick showdown.
Spieth currently leads 2017 Concorde Stakes betting markets. Photo: Steve Hart
The first of the Group status races on Chelmsford Stakes Day, this year’s Group 3 $150,000 Concorde Stakes (1000m) runs as Race 5 at 2:35pm (AEST).
The Concorde Stakes has attracted a diminutive but top-class field of just six short distance specialists and currently Spieth heads the odds at Ladbrokes.com.au paying $2.80 to win first-up.
A talented son of Thorn Park, the gun stallion jumps from barrier three with Corey Brown aboard for Spieth’s first run since the luckless 10th to Chautauqua in the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) in April.
Spieth is a multiple Group 1 runner-up including in last year’s Darley Classic down the Flemington straight, which is again on the agenda this Melbourne Cup Carnival.
A fresh flyer, the horse comes off a winning trial at Warwick Farm with Brown aboard and first-up last preparation Spieth finished second when devastatingly close to the winner Terravista in the Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m) over this distance in Melbourne.
Two other runners are then battling for second position in the latest Concorde Stakes betting markets with Redzel ($3.70) and Nieta ($3.60) at opposite ends of the weight scale.
Peter & Paul Snowden saddle-up the 60kg top weight Redzel who won back-to-back races at the end of last preparation.
After a Group 1 The Galaxy (1100m) second to stablemate Russian Revolution at Rosehill in March, Redzel won the Group 3 Hall Mark Stakes (1200m) at Randwick in mid-April before heading to Brisbane for a victory in the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1200m) last time out.
He has twice trialled at Randwick leading up to his highly anticipated return, most recently beating Russian Revolution (2nd) and Happy Clapper (3rd) in a 1045m heat on August 21.
There is no denying the ability of the Snitzel five-year-old, but Redzel will need to be at his best giving the weight away to the rest of the field.
The John Thompson-trained Nicconi mare Nieta meanwhile gets into the Concorde Stakes field on the 54kg minimum and has Brenton Avdulla booked for her opening spring run.
Nieta is two-from-two at the Randwick track and also boasts an imposing record over the distance with four wins and a third from five starts at the 1000m.
She is up in grade for this, but has won back-to-back trials at the track leading up to Saturday and deserves her shot at this field looking to retain her flawless first-up record (3-3-0-0).
It is a wide-open edition of the Concorde Stakes this year with the other three runners being kept safe in betting with no horse over $11.
The line-up and markets are rounded out by Hinchinbrook mare Super Too ($10) in gate two coming off a win at the track and distance a fortnight ago, the Kris Lees-trained Hawkesbury Rush winner Felines ($11) who benefits from the booking of gun hoop Hugh Bowman of Winx fame and early firmer The Monstar ($14 into $11) last seen finishing third to Invincible Gem in the Group 2 Missile Stakes (1200m).
See below for the complete Concorde Stakes 2017 field, barriers, jockeys and weights along with the top odds available now at Ladbrokes.com.au.
2017 Concorde Stakes Field, Barriers & Odds
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