Cup winner Verry Elleegant returns with eyes on Queen Elizabeth

“She was equally as impressive in the spring at Flemington beating the boys in the Carbine Club. She looks like a Vinery filly type to me but we are also still learning about her.”

Waller said Hinged and Roots were on the next tier and they would start in the Light Fingers Stakes but could move south after Saturday to split up the quality group of fillies.

“We want to give them all the chance to win races and will make decisions which way to go after Saturday,” Waller said.

Warwick Farm to be rebuilt

The Australian Turf Club and Racing NSW is to begin the biggest infrastructure project on metropolitan tracks this century, starting with a rebuild of Warwick Farm track later in the year.

It will secure the future of Warwick Farm as a training centre and will be just the start of the improvements to the Western Sydney track, which also get more on-course stables as the second part of the project.

The ATC and Racing NSW had an onsite meeting to discuss the work that needs to take place on the track, which will be brought up to 21st-century standards with the cambering of turns and the levelling of the straight, so that horses can gallop down the outside of the course proper.

It will be the first of the four Sydney major tracks to be rebuilt since the Randwick course proper was upgraded. Every Melbourne city track has had a significant redevelopment since then.

Prizemoney boost across the board for NSW

The focus of Racing NSW’s prizemoney announcement on Wednesday will be to improve the stakes ladder from country to provincial racing and then to metropolitan racing.

The rises in Saturday stakes have ruined the progression in prizemoney, with the gaps becoming too big between midweek racing in the city and Saturdays.

The minimum Saturday prizemoney will become $150,000, outside of Midway and Highway races. It will mean that eight meetings will move into the premium racefields section, which will fund the increases.

There will be stakes increases across the board, with midweek metropolitan meetings and provincial meetings to get a lift.

There will be a $1 million series-based race, which will be run on Melbourne Cup day, to take advantage of the one of the highest turnover meetings of the year. It will become a premier meeting under the racefields fees, which doubles the takeout from bookmakers.

The entire package will be discussed and approved at a Racing NSW board meeting on Tuesday before Wednesday morning’s announcement.

O’Shea’s sprinter to resume in Southern Cross

John O’Shea gun sprinters Lost And Running and Quantico will begin their autumn campaigns in the Southern Cross Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.

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The pair finished one-two in a Warwick Farm barrier trial on Friday, with Quantico shading The Hunter winner Lost And Running.

“They were both really sharp in the trial and they are ready to go to the races,” O’Shea said. “It is a good starting point for them as they head for bigger targets in the autumn. Quantico came through his grades in the spring but will still get into a race like Saturday’s close to the limit.

“He continues to get better every time he comes back. Everyone knows Lost And Running now and he will look towards the better races at the carnival.”