James McDonald opts for Striking Alibi in the Tea Rose Stakes
It's not out of the ordinary for Chris Waller to field several horses in a major race, and his group of four Tea Rose Stakes fillies certainly introduce an interesting dynamic to the Princess Series' third leg.
Striking Alibi, previously campaigned in Perth, is the standout market choice of the four. This is a result of her strong third-place performance on her Sydney debut in the Furious Stakes (1200m) last month.
This particular run prompted leading jockey James McDonald to select her for the Tea Rose Stakes (1400m) on Saturday, bypassing his stablemate Sing Your Song.
"That's the reason James opted to ride her because he's got a very good opinion of (stablemate) Sing Your Song," Waller's Sydney foreman, Charlie Duckworth, explained.
"He was given the option as a race-by-race proposition to ride whichever one he wanted in the race, and he chose to go with Striking Alibi, so that's a pretty good push."
Waller's other three runners – Sing Your Song, Kototo, and Sequinned – have had their recent racing experience in midweek events, and Duckworth noted that all are promising types.
Sing Your Song, a full sister to the stakes winner Matias, broke her maiden status over 1400m at Warwick Farm at her most recent start.
Her ultimate goal is the Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m) two weeks from this Saturday, however, Duckworth anticipates she will be highly competitive at Randwick.
"She hasn't missed a beat. She galloped really well on Tuesday morning, and 1400 on a big track will be right up her alley," he said.
"And beyond that, a mile in the Flight, she'll be ready to peak. She is learning with each and every gallop, each and every race. She has just taken a bit of time to mentally put it all together."
Kototo is also exceptionally bred, being a half-sister to the recent Sheraco Stakes winner Savvy Hallie, by Wootton Bassett. Sequinned, described as "pretty speedy," is a sibling to the successful sire Bivouac.
Duckworth expects Kototo, who placed in stakes company in Brisbane over the winter, to appreciate Saturday's distance after finishing a close fourth to Sequinned when resuming over a shorter trip.
"She's one we've always held in really high regard. She is thrown in the deep end on Saturday, but she won't disgrace herself," Duckworth added.
Consider checking out the online bookmakers for the upcoming Tea Rose Stakes.
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