2016 Doncaster Mile Field & Barriers: Winx Draws 11

Chris Waller’s champion mare Winx is odds-on favourite after drawing well in barrier 11 of 15 for Saturday’s Doncaster Mile 2016 at Royal Randwick Racecourse.

Odds-on favourite Winx jumps from barrier 11 in the 2016 Doncaster Mile Handicap at Randwick on Saturday. Photo: Steve Hart.

A five-time Group 1 winning daughter of Street Cry, Winx leads the below capacity field for this year’s $3 million Group 1 The Star Doncaster Mile (1600m) that headlines Sydney racing on Day 1 of ‘The Championships’.

The flying four-year-old has won her past eight races on the trot going back to May last year including all three of her runs this time in.

Her latest was a one and a half-length effort when easily holding stablemate and last year’s Doncaster Mile winner Kermadec on the line in the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m) on March 19.

She is now odds-on favourite in Doncaster Mile betting at Ladbrokes.com.au to keep the winning streak going and hand Sydney’s best Waller with his sixth Doncaster Handicap success.

Waller has won the past three editions of the classic with Sacred Falls (2013-14) and then Kermadec (2015) last Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.

The latest two winners came out of the George Ryder Stakes, however the double Winx attempts on Saturday hasn’t been completed since Vision And Power (2009) took out the George Ryder and Doncaster Mile for Joe Pride.

The last mare to win meanwhile was the Gai Waterhouse-trained More Joyous (2012) who made it back-to-back victories for the girls after the success of Pride’s second winner Sacred Choice (2011).

Barrier 11 last produced a Doncaster Mile winner back in 1996 (Sprint By), but Winx is well placed to break the drought for the gate.

Waller has a total of three final Doncaster Mile acceptors this season with Winx joined by the defending champion Kermadec (barrier three) and Good Project (barrier seven).

Kermadec is the second favourite in Doncaster Mile betting out to emulate Sacred Falls in going back-to-back, but rises from 51kg last year to 57kg on Saturday as the equal top-weight.

He did it from a wide barrier 16 of 20 draw last year, but is drawn closer to the rails this time around with barrier three not producing a winner in over 30 years.

Four-year-old Good Project meanwhile pays around $26 to score the upset in his first run since a seventh in the Group 2 Ajax Stakes (1500m) on March 12, the stallion getting in on 52kg with a rider still to be confirmed.

Outside of Waller’s dominant duo the other major player betting-wise in the Doncaster is Happy Clapper jumping from gate eight with Brenton Avdulla aboard on just 50.5kg.

Pat Webster’s Teofilo five-year-old is a three-time Randwick winner from five starts at the track including his Group 2 Villiers Stakes (1600m) success last December.

His lead-up run was a fifth to Winx in the George Ryder where he carried 59kg at weight-for-age, the gelding to relish the drop back in weights on the weekend.

Equal 57kg top weight with Kermadec meanwhile is Turn Me Loose for New Zealand’s Murray Baker.

Opie Bosson continues his association with the Iffraaj four-year-old who won Flemington’s Group 1 Emirates Stakes (1600m) last November as well as the Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield two back.

The smart Kiwi raider went to Sydney last time out and could only manage to cross six and a half lengths away sixth to Winx in the George Ryder.

Other notable Doncaster Mile hopes this year include the Ciaron Maher-trained Coolmore Classic runner-up last start Azkadellia in barrier 12 on the 50kg minimum with Glen Boss aboard, the John O’Shea-trained Bow Creek (barrier four) out to atone for an Australian Cup eighth last start in Melbourne and the rails-drawn George Ryder Stakes fourth placed mare First Seal.

Check out the full Doncaster Mile 2016 field, barriers, jockeys and weights below before heading to Ladbrokes.com.au to back your favourites in Sydney on Saturday at the right price!

2016 Doncaster Mile Final Field & Barrier Draw

Randwick Racecourse – 02/04/2016