Real Punters Play Here – Coolmore Classic

Posted on March 12, 2026March 12, 2026 | Posted by TABtouch

Racing And Sports’ Brad Bishop looks at the record of 3YOs in this year’s Coolmore Classic, brought to you by TABtouch.

Fillies have a rich history in the Group 1 Coolmore Classic, but last year’s win by Lady Shenandoah snapped a frustrating run of outs for the three-year-old girls.

The Chris Waller-trained star became the 20^th filly to win the 1500-metre handicap, which was first run in 1973, but the first since Typhoon Tracy in 2009.

Adding to Lady Shenandoah’s achievement was that she won under 54.5kg, the fourth-heaviest weight carried to victory by a filly, behind Bounding Away (57.5kg), Assertive Lass (55.5kg) and Stage Hit (55kg).

Savvy Hallie and Ole Dancer will be out to better that in this Saturday’s $1 million event at Rosehill, with each allotted 55kg. Savvy Hallie could carry up to 1kg more than that, however, with Nash Rawiller granted permission to ride overweight.

Despite the weights, Savvy Hallie and Ole Dancer hold down the $5 and $7 second and third lines respectively in betting with TABtouch (prices as of 10am ADSR Thursday).

Some eyebrows might be raised that Ole Dancer and Savvy Hallie both have half-a-kilo more than Lady Shenandoah given they don’t boast the career record Lady Shenandoah had going into last year’s race.

The Coolmore win completed back-to-back Group 1 victories for Lady Shenandoah, following victory in the Surround Stakes, while she also won the Flight Stakes as a spring three-year-old.

Ole Dancer has one Group 1 win to her name, via the Thousand Guineas, while Savvy Hallie’s biggest wins have come in the Silver Shadow Stakes and Light Fingers Stakes at Group 2 level.

Savvy Hallie was nosed out by Tempted in the Surround Stakes at her most recent start, mind you, a performance that earned her a new peak Racing And Sports rating of 114.

Ole Dancer finished third in the Surround, a performance that earned her a rating of 110, the same mark she was awarded for her Thousand Guineas win.

But handicaps come down to official handicapper ratings and both Ole Dancer and Savvy Hallie are rated 104, five points inferior to four-year-olds Lazzura and Manaal, who are the joint 58kg topweights.

Lady Shenandoah had the 112-rated five-year-old Amelia’s Jewel as 58kg topweight last year with Olentia (55.5kg) and Alsephina (55kg) the only others weighted above Lady Shenandoah, who had the same or more weight than nine rivals.

Vivy Air (57kg), Verona Rose (56kg), Arctic Glamour (55.5kg) and Cinsault (55kg) are the others in this year’s Coolmore with 55kg or more, meaning the three-year-olds are spotting weight to only six rivals.

Connections of those horses can take heart from the recent record of horses up in the weights.

In the 25 years following Bounding Away’s win in 1987, only Sunline – who lumped 60kg to victory in 2000 and 2002 – Eskimo Queen (56kg, 2008), Assertive Lass (55.5kg, 1997) and Acushla Marie (55kg, 1992) won with more than 54.5kg, but nine of the past 13 editions have been won by horses with at least 55kg.

Lady Shenandoah, like 2024 heroine Zougotcha, won as favourite but are the only punters’ picks to score since Aloha, who was $6 equal favourite in 2011.

Nine of the 10 winners between 2012 and 2021 started double-figure odds with the average winners’ price since Aloha being $12.32.

That’s despite 11 of the past 14 winners having filled a trifecta slot at their final lead-up run, six of them last-start winners, including Daysee Doom ($21), Krone ($14) and Ofcourseican ($13).

There are nine last-start placegetters in this year’s field of 14, but the only last-start winners are Cinsault and Verona Rose, who are at $9 and $10 respectively with TABtouch.

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