2008 George Main Stakes – 27 September 2008

The $400,000 Group 1 Tabcorp George Main Stakes is a standard weight-for-age race for three-year-olds and upwards over 1600 metres at Randwick, and is Sydney’s first Group 1 race of the new season. There is a quality field of nine, all ready to hit their peaks for their spring campaigns. Seven of them will be third-up this campaign, while Duporth has already had three runs and Ashikaga has had four.

Duporth is the only three-year old in the field, and is a dual acceptor as he is also entered in the Stan Fox Stakes over 1400 metres, against his own age. Trainer Anthony Cummings is going to leave it until the last moment to decide which race to run him in. Three-year-old colts have won the George Main before, and the last was Viscount in 2001.

In the early betting market Triple Honour is a short-priced favourite, while Gallant Tess is second favourite at $4. Both horses ran in the Chelmsford on 9 September, where Gallant Tess beat Triple Honour. Trainer Chris Waller will put the blinkers back on him and believes he can win, as does jockey Glen Boss who won this race in 2006 on Racing To Win and in 1996 on Juggler.

Gallant Tess is the only mare in the field, and a mare hasn’t won the George Main since Ma Chiquita in 1986. She is a very classy mare though and has a definite chance. If she should be victorious, connections have indicated they might miss the Epsom Handicap next week and look at the Cox Plate as a target. Connections of Triple Honour are also considering the same.

If Duporth starts he will be third favourite, then next in the betting is Mentality. Mentality does his best over this distance and his trainer John Hawkes knows what it takes to train a George Main winner, having done it in 2003 with Lonhro and 1998 with Dracula.

Gai Waterhouse has two runners – Ashikaga and Theseo. Ashikaga appears the best of the pair. He is a very lightly raced five-year-old with 5 races for 4 wins and a second, and Gai hopes to get him into the Epsom field. The horse is still learning and could be a real contender.

by Jo Jackson