Haggas targets Australian riches as stable stars head out for Sydney carnival

William Haggas is preparing an audacious twin strike on Sydney's lucrative Autumn Racing Carnival starting next month, with stable stars Addeybb and Young Rascal set to begin their journey to the other side of the world on Thursday.

The carnival features six days of high-class racing at Rosehill Gardens and Royal Randwick between March 14 and April 18, with Haggas hoping both horses will have the chance to run twice before returning to Britain to continue their campaigns.

"The plan for Addeybb is to run in the Ranvet Stakes on March 21, which is a Group 1 over a mile and a quarter at Rosehill, and then go for the Queen Elizabeth Stakes on April 11, which is also a Group 1 over a mile and a quarter at Randwick," said Haggas.

"Young Rascal is scheduled for the Manion Cup [Group 3 handicap] on March 21 over a mile and a half or the Tancred Stakes [Group 1], also over a mile and a half at Rosehill on March 28, and then the Sydney Cup [Group 1 handicap] on April 11."

William Haggas: 'Why not give it a go?'Credit: Edward Whitaker

Assistant trainer Harry Eustace, whose brother David trains in partnership with Ciaron Maher in Melbourne, will oversee the horses on a trip Haggas has been contemplating "for a while".

Haggas added: "Young Rascal would be running in the John Porter Stakes at Newbury for £34,000 and be no certainty to win it so why not give it a go? The Ranvet is worth three-quarters of a million dollars, the Queen Elizabeth Stakes four million and the Sydney Cup two million dollars, so it's worth a look."

Tom Marquand, who returned to Britain only this week from a successful winter stint in Australia, will return to ride for Haggas on March 21, although no further riding plans have been finalised.

Addeybb: Queen Elizabeth Stakes on April 11 will be his big targetCredit: Edward Whitaker

Haggas said: "Tom is going to ride at Rosehill because he has a ride in the Golden Slipper on the same card and we've just got to sort out afterwards. They will go into quarantine for two weeks when they arrive at Canterbury racecourse, where they will be based for the trip."

Both horses have already scored in Group company in Britain and Haggas is most concerned about the arduous journey to Australia his runners face.

"The huge worry is the travel," he said. "Young Rascal raced in Hong Kong in December and he was uneasy going there but much better coming back. Addeybb has done trips on aeroplanes but nothing like this. They've got to get through the first week in good shape and take to it. That's the risk but we've all decided it's a risk worth taking."

Young Rascal: has the Sydney Cup on April 11 among his plansCredit: Edward Whitaker

He added: "The ground is a worry for Addeybb but every time I watch the championships from Sydney it's run on soft ground so I'm hoping it rains."

Closer to home, Haggas has saddled only 22 runners so far in Britain in 2020, although two of his last three have been winners and the trainer is pleased with the stable's form.

He said: "We had a very slow January but the last few runners have run well so hopefully it's onwards and upwards. We're a couple of weeks ahead of schedule but no more than that."

Challenge Stakes for Royal Ascot hopeful Nature Strip

Chris Waller has ruled multiple Group 1 winner Nature Strip out of Saturday week’s Group 1 Newmarket Handicap over six furlongs at Flemington, with the five-year-old instead set to contest Randwick’s Group 2 Challenge Stakes over five furlongs on the same afternoon.

Nature Strip had been allocated the welter burden of 58kg in the Newmarket, the weights for which will now rise 1kg, and Waller said the Challenge provided a better stepping stone for his star sprinter, who is being targeted at the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes over six furlongs in April before embarking on a Royal Ascot campaign.

"It has not been an easy decision but we have now made a final call to bring him back to Sydney and prepare him for the Challenge Stakes,” Waller said.

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