The full field of 20 runners will contest the Group 2 Ingham Stakes at Randwick this Saturday, with A$2 million in prize money up for grabs.
Cepheus heads capacity Ingham Stakes field
The Group 2 Ingham Stakes (1600m) is the headline act this Saturday at Royal Randwick in Sydney, Australia, with a capacity field of 20 set to duke it out over A$2 million.
Formerly known as the Villiers Stakes, the winner earns ballot exemption from the Group 1 Doncaster Handicap (1600m) in the following autumn.
The Matthew Dunn-trained Cepheus leads the field as top weight, with the seven-year-old gelding yet to be seen since finishing runner-up in The Big Dance (1600m) at this course on November 7.
Nash Rawiller is set to take the reins once again, but he is sure to have his hands full with the son of Sea The Stars drawing barrier 19.
Detonator Jack will be searching for back-to-back wins after proving too strong in The Gong (1600m) at Kembla Grange a fortnight ago, while the Ciaron Maher & David Eustace barn will also have Cranbourne Cup winner Charterhouse in the mix.
It’s no surprise to see the Chris Waller yard bring a strong contingent of six, with Hinged, Osipenko and Waterford all needing to improve from winless campaigns so far.
The John O’Shea-trained pair of Kirwan’s Lane and Lion’s Roar ran into the Ingham quinella last year and will be looking to replicate that feat this weekend.
The 2023 Ingham Stakes is the first leg of the Randwick quaddie and is set get underway at 4pm local time.