Polarisation bids to get Appleby on the board in Sydney carnival

Charlie Appleby bids to pick up where he left off in Australia last year when Polarisation tackles a Group 2 race on the opening day of The Championships, Sydney's autumn carnival on Saturday.

The Godolphin trainer enjoyed five winners during last year's spring carnival around Melbourne and will give the 100-rated Polarisation his Australian debut in the Chairman's Handicap at Randwick.

The 1m5f contest is the third event on a ten-race card which includes four Group 1s – the Inglis Sires', Australian Derby, TJ Smith Stakes and Doncaster Mile.

A good run for Polarisation, who finished fourth in the Mallard Stakes at Doncaster's St Leger meeting on his last run, will see the five-year-old seal a place in the Group 1 Sydney Cup on April 8, also a target for stablemate Penglai Pavilion.

Appleby's assistant James Ferguson said: "If Polarisation runs a big race in the Chairman's on Saturday he will establish a serious benchmark for us, and we'll know exactly where we stand with Penglai Pavilion.

"It is very difficult to split the two horses. If you look at their pieces of work, they are very similar."

Kerrin McEvoy rides Polarisation for Appleby, whose team lost The Gold Trail to a fatal injury after finishing fourth in a Listed race at Mornington last Saturday.

Godolphin is strongly represented in the Doncaster Mile with the team's Australian trainer John O'Shea set to saddle Hauraki, It's Somewhat (Zac Purton) and Spectroscope (Joao Moreira) in the historic Group 1 handicap.

James Doyle partners Hauraki in the Doncaster Mile and will also be aboard Astern in the TJ Smith Stakes, in which Chautauqua bids for a third straight victory if given the green light to run on expected heavy going.

Randwick Saturday card