Having missed the winning ride on Anamoe in the Hobartville Stakes, Hugh Bowman is keen to make his presence felt at Sydney’s first Group 1 meeting of the autumn.
The champion jockey was a late scratching from Rosehill last weekend due to illness and in his absence, Tommy Berry picked up the plum mount on Godolphin’s star colt, who claimed the feature narrowly over Hilal.
Bowman is back in business at Randwick this Saturday with a strong book of mounts, headlined by Top Ranked in the Chipping Norton Stakes and Fangirl in the Surround Stakes, but he is also looking forward to testing a handy two-year-old.
Bowman has picked up the Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m) ride on the Annabel Neasham-trained Lady Laguna, the only filly in the field of 11 to have won on a heavy track.
That experience is expected to hold her in good stead when she clashes with Golden Slipper favourite Coolangatta, who will need a strong performance to retain her post at the top of markets for the $5 million race.
The two-year-old form has chopped and changed this autumn and Bowman believes the Slipper is still wide open.
“It’s three weeks away and I think the next two weeks are going to tell the tale,”said Bowman, who won juvenile feature two years ago on Farnan.
“Usually, we know the script by now. Maybe we already do know the script, we just don’t know we know it. Maybe Coolangatta will come out and stamp her authority. And maybe she won’t.
“Lady Laguna had a convincing victory at Rosehill on the heavy track. She has been primed for this through a recent trial, which she gave me a really good feel in.
“She has got a lot in her favour, and I think she will go very well.”
Lady Laguna has been fitted with winkers for Saturday’s assignment and is on the third line of Sweet Embrace betting at $4.60, behind Coolangatta at $2.20 and Inglis Millennium winner Xtravagant Star at $4.40.
Coolangatta’s stablemate El Padrino is a $6 favourite for the Skyline Stakes (1200m) for the colts and geldings.