Saturday’s 2020 VRC Sprint Classic (1200m) has a very strong lineup of runners, but as Sam Freedman is aware, most of them have already had their grand final this preparation.
Hey Doc secured his Group 1 with his win in the Manikato Stakes (1200m) last outing, while Santa Ana Lane joins Nature Strip, Bivouac, Tofane, and Libertini coming out of The Everest (1200m).
“There’s some good seasoned horses [in the field] but there is the notion that they may all be past their grand final for their preparation,” Freedman said.
“It’s a good race but it’s a race where you wouldn’t know who could win it.”
“If any of them turn up at their best they could blow this field away and I think Santa’s best is arguably the best in that race.”
It was a barnstorming finish from Santa Ana Lane in the 2018 Group 1 VRC Sprint Classic.💥 pic.twitter.com/bbR5nLuQwI
— Racing.com (@Racing) October 27, 2020
Freedman is confident that Santa Ana Lane at his best could win the VRC Sprint Classic again, but is aware things need to go right for the galloper with his racing style.
“He is not a horse you can be bullish about because he needs the race shape to go his way and that’s just the race style he’s got; it lends itself to being unlucky or to things going wrong more often than not.”
“Luckily we have had things go right five times in group ones so hopefully it can happen again on Saturday.”
Santa Ana Lane is currently a $9.50 chance in Saturday’s VRC Sprint Classic.
You can check out The Shark’s Runner By Runner Preview of the VRC Sprint Classic here.
| Horse | Win | Place | ||
| 1 | Santa Ana Lane (7)J: Ben Melham 58.5kg T: A & S Freedman | $9.50 | $2.80 | Bet Now |
| 2 | Nature Strip (9)J: Hugh Bowman 58.5kg T: C J Waller | $4.00 | $1.55 | Bet Now |
| 3 | Bivouac (6)J: Glen Boss 58.5kg T: James Cummings | $3.70 | $1.50 | Bet Now |
| 4 | Hey Doc (3)J: Luke Currie 58.5kg T: T & C Mcevoy | $10.00 | $2.90 | Bet Now |
| 5 | Graff (1)J: John Allen 58.5kg T: D T O’brien | $19.00 | $4.80 | Bet Now |
| 6 | Zoutori (4)J: Jamie Kah 58.5kg T: M Ellerton & S Zahra | $12.00 | $3.50 | Bet Now |
| 7 | Standout (8)J: Craig Williams 58.5kg T: G Ryan & S Alexiou | $34.00 | $6.50 | Bet Now |
| 8 | Tofane (2)J: Jye Mcneil 56.5kg T: M D Moroney | $16.00 | $4.00 | Bet Now |
| 9 | Libertini (5)J: Damien Oliver 56.5kg T: A J Cummings | $6.50 | $2.30 | Bet Now |
| 10 | Fabergino (10)J: Jordan Childs 56.5kg T: Tiarnna Robertson | $17.00 | $4.20 | Bet Now |
