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Canberra Today 22°/24° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Stubbs tips a ‘crack’ field for Opal

THE Canberra Racing Club is hopeful of attracting a crack field to the $250,000 Black Opal Stakes (1200m) in March.

With less than two months until the capital’s flagship race, Thoroughbred Park chief executive Peter Stubbs is unsure which of Australia’s juvenile horses would be making the trip, but confident of entertaining a strong field.

The Canberra feature used to directly compete with the Skyline Stakes (1200m) for colts and geldings, and the Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m) for fillies, both of which were traditionally staged in Sydney the day before the Black Opal. This year, these races will be run one week later, leaving just the $100,000 Lonhro Plate (1100m) on the same weekend as the Opal.

Stubbs is heading to Sydney this week to man a Canberra Racing Club marquee at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale in a bid to promote Black Opal Day that, for the first time, will feature four listed races.

Last year the club moved the $200,000 Canberra Cup (2000m), traditionally held during the spring, on to the Black Opal race card.

The National Sprint (1400m) and the Canberra Guineas (1400m), both worth $100,000, will also run on the same day.

“Whether that works or not remains to be seen but the concept was if a trainer’s got a stayer and a [Golden] Slipper horse, then you might be inclined to bring two or three for those feature races, rather than just come down for the Black Opal,” Stubbs said.

 

 

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