Victoria Derby placegetter China Sea will take the next step towards his major autumn carnival targets in Sydney when he runs second-up in the Group 1 Randwick Guineas.
Saturday’s feature for three-year-olds over 1600m at Randwick is scheduled to be China Sea’s second start of his campaign after finishing second-last of the 10 runners over 1400m when resuming in the Hobartville Stakes, won by nominal Randwick Guineas favourite Broadsiding.
But trainer John Sargent is happy with the way China Sea is coming up this autumn as he progresses towards targets over 2000m and 2400m.
“He just needed it (in the Hobartville), so he’ll improve with that and go from there to the Tulloch Stakes and then to the Derby,” Sargent said.
“I think he’s a stronger horse and bigger than he was down at Flemington (in the spring), so I think you’ll see a serious three-year-old when he gets out past a mile.”
A winner of a 1400m maiden at Kembla on debut as a late season two-year-old, China Sea started to really hit his straps when he stepped up in distance last spring.
He finished a close second in the Caulfield Classic over 2000m at Caulfield before running third in the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington.
Sargent said China Sea was outsprinted over the 1400m but he wants to see him hitting the line in the Randwick Guineas with a view to being even better-suited in the Group 2 Tulloch Stakes (2000m) on March 29 at Rosehill and the Group 1 ATC Australian Derby (2400m) at Randwick a week later.
“They sprinted and he couldn’t really go with them,” Sargent said of the gelding’s Hobartville run.
“As long as he’s hitting the line I’ll be happy and then when we get to the Tulloch and the Derby he should be at his peak.
“He’s a big, gross horse but I’m really happy with him.”
Sargent indicated the Listed Canberra Guineas (1400m) a day after the Randwick Guineas was on the radar for China Sea’s stablemate French Ruler.
Broadsiding, already a winner of three Group 1 races, is the $1.60 favourite for the Randwick Guineas with China Sea a $51 chance.
