Small Carrington Stakes 2017 Field Released

The sole Sydney black-type race taking place weekend is the 2017 Carrington Stakes at Royal Randwick, a small field of just seven gallopers accepted for the handicap showdown.

Oxford Poet is a well-weighted hope in the 2017 Carrington Stakes field at Randwick Racecourse on Saturday. Photo: Steve Hart.

Due to run as Randwick Race 7 at 4:20pm (AEDT), this summer’s $150,000 Listed Tattersalls Club Carrington Stakes (1400m) may be lacking in numbers but there’s still plenty of depth among the final acceptances.

Leading the Carrington Stakes field and weights with 61kg is the rails-drawn Ecuador for Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott.

Front-riding hoop Adam Hyeronimus is in flying form and retains the mount on the High Chaparral seven-year-old on Saturday.

He partnered the multiple stakes winner and 1400m specialist first-up on December 24 at Rosehill for a one length win over Snoopy on 62kg in the December Handicap (1400m).

Ecuador still gives the weight away to his rivals in the Carrington, but drops a kilo and faces another small field in his bid at back-to-back wins to add to his impressive record at the distance (6-3-2-0).

Following in the ratings and weights with 58kg and drawn one wider in barrier two is the Peter Robl-trained Ninth Legion to be ridden by Blake Shinn.

Ninth Legion hasn’t won a race since the Listed Civic Stakes (1350m) at Rosehill in July last year, but comes two good Brisbane runs into Saturday’s race.

Two back he ran fourth behind Most Important in the Listed Lough Neagh Stakes (1350m) at Doomben before being beaten home by the same horse by just a neck on New Year’s Eve at Doomben in the Buffering Quality (1300m) carrying 59kg from the outside alley (13 of 13).

A drop in weight and better barrier on the weekend, plus the return to Sydney should suit the Fastnet Rock seven-year-old who is after his seventh win from 21 starts at the 1400m.

Wyong’s Kim Waugh has accepted for both Shiraz and Oxford Poet drawn in barriers seven and five respectively.

The latter will be ridden by Tommy Berry second-up after the Dylan Thomas six-year-old resumed on January 7 at Warwick Farm for a brave third under a big weight in the Summer Sprint.

Oxford Poet carried 61kg that day over 1000m and will relish the drop back to 55kg on the weekend as well as the step up in distance to 1400m, which he boasts two wins, two seconds and three thirds from nine starts over to date.

Also with dual representation in this year’s Carrington Stakes field are Peter & Paul Snowden who have stablemates Princefamous and Gold Symphony drawn alongside each other in barriers three and four respectively.

Both get in on the 53kg minimum and of the duo Gold Symphony shapes-up as the best hope after his Warwick Farm win in a Benchmark 92 beating home Imposing Lass by nearly two lengths a fortnight ago.

See below for the full Carrington Stakes 2017 field, barriers, jockeys and weights with betting to open shortly at Ladbrokes.com.au – home of Odds Boost (T&Cs apply).

2017 Carrington Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw

Randwick Race 7 (4:20pm) – 21/01/2017