Joe Pride believes early markets have got it wrong and the Randwick Guineas is a race between his Group One winner Attica and Caulfield Guineas victor Autumn Boy.
The pair turned in similar efforts in the Hobartville Stakes (1400m) first-up when they paired off at the back of the field, Autumn Boy making his run down the outside to finish second to Ninja, while Attica closed along the inside for fourth.
However, after Attica landed the outside gate when acceptances were declared on Wednesday, bookmakers pushed the Godolphin colt’s quote out to $10, while the Chris Waller-trained Autumn Boy remained a $2.50 favourite, just ahead of Sheza Alibi ($2.60) for Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman.
“I can’t line Peter Moody’s filly up, and that’s not to say she’s not a chance. I’m just struggling to line her up,” Pride said.
“But I would have thought Autumn Boy or Attica will be winning the Randwick Guineas.
“I think my boy will, but I’m not going to take Chris’ horse for granted because he is a good colt.”
Attica is proven over the Randwick mile having claimed the Dulcify Stakes over the Guineas course and distance on the way to his Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) win.
Pride has been thrilled with the Godolphin colt through every step of his preparation and says a smooth, uninterrupted build-up is one of the key ingredients to winning Group 1 races.
“It has all gone exactly to the script I have wanted it to, and generally when you look back and you’ve won a Group One, you look back at the preparation and go, ‘well it just all went to plan, didn’t it’,” Pride said.
“We’re not there yet, but that’s the way it has felt this preparation.
“Every step of the way he has met the markers I have wanted him to be at, and that makes his job easier because it’s uninterrupted.”
While Pride was hoping for a better gate, Attica will only face eight rivals in the Randwick Guineas (1600m), with Sheza Alibi and Autumn Boy drawing alongside each other in gates two and three respectively.
