TJ SMITH STAKES

1200m, $2.5 million, Group One weight-for-age at Randwick

HISTORY

* Named in honour of Randwick’s most famous trainer whose daughter Gai Waterhouse has won the race with Phoenix Park in 2002, Shamekha in 2005 and Bentley Biscuit in 2007

* First run in 1997 and won by Mahogany

* Elevated to Group One status in 2005

* Some outstanding sprinters have won the race including Apache Cat (2008), Takeover Target (2009), Black Caviar (2011 and 2013) and Chautauqua (2015,16,17)

* Final race for Black Caviar before her retirement

* The champion mare also holds the race record of 1:08.71 set in 2011

* Chautauqua is the only horse to win three TJ Smiths

* 2018 winner Trapeze Artist will run again in 2019

TALKING POINTS

* A field of 11 has been declared for Saturday’s race

* Six favourites have won the race since its inception

* Last year’s winner Trapeze Artist leads the field as favourite at $4.20

* Redzel will be aiming to win another Randwick run, having already won eight of his 14 starts on the track, including the inaugural The Everest, which he won again in 2018

* It’s likely to be run on a rain-affected track with 39 mm falling on Royal Randwick in the last seven days, the track was rated a soft 7 on Friday

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

* “He wouldn’t be running if everything wasn’t right with him. He’s too good a horse to do that. We’re looking to redeem ourselves and I think we’ve got the horse to do it” – Redzel’s co-trainer Paul Snowden

* “It will be a very big contest for her, probably her biggest contest. She’s run in the Magic Millions, she’s run in the Golden Slipper and they’re high-pressure contests and she’s handled herself very well in those” – Sunlight’s trainer Tony McEvoy

* “He’s got better this preparation and is bright and happy in himself and is ready for the TJ” – TRapeze Artist’s trainer Gerald Ryan

Credit: AAP