Hugh Bowman admits Chris Waller has made the right call with Catkins despite his Canterbury Stakes loyalties lying elsewhere on Saturday.
“It’s a good race for her. I think it’s a better race for her than the Coolmore (Classic),” the jockey said.
Criterion
Bowman has won six races on Catkins but he will ride another horse in the race which he also holds in the highest regard.
Criterion will start his autumn carnival at Randwick as one of Australia’s premier middle-distance horses and Bowman said even if he had the choice, picking which horse to ride would not have been easy.
“I already had a booking for Criterion so I didn’t really get off Catkins,” Bowman said.
“But it would have been a difficult decision. I have won two Group Ones on Criterion and I went to Hong Kong and rode him when he finished third in the Cup.”
Criterion’s first-up record as an older horse includes a Warwick Stakes placing and it’s enough for Bowman to rate him the knockout runner at his second start for David Hayes.
“The reports are very good from the stable and I think he will sprint well fresh because there is no substitute for class,” Bowman said.
Catkins just holds favouritism over Cosmic Endeavour, the Gai Waterhouse-trained mare backing up after her placing in the Guy Walter Stakes last week.
They dominate the market with Joe Pride’s Tiger Tees the only other runner under a double-figure quote.
Tiger Tees enjoyed a profitable early spring carnival campaign, winning the Aurie’s Star at Flemington before revelling in his favoured soft going to claim the Warwick Stakes.
The sprinter presents jockey Christian Reith with a Group One opportunity as he re-establishes himself in Sydney after riding in Hong Kong.
