The purple and white colours of Star Thoroughbreds have already had a summer to remember, and their army will be out in full force in Launceston on Cup Day.
Mazzini, Durazzo, Sanniya and Azonto will all represent Star Thoroughbreds and trainer Barry Campbell on Wednesday and may carry the favourites tag into their respective races.
Mazzini is the first cab off the rank, looking to atone for a shock defeat in the Magic Millions 3YO/4YO Classic in Hobart. He steps out in the $125,000 Lime Finance 3YO Classic (1200m), against several rivals he met last start.
“His bloods weren’t right after Hobart. We’ve treated him and had another blood test since, and they tell us it’s right,” Campbell said.
“Kelvin (Sanderson, jockey) says he’s back to his best in his work, so I’m hoping he bounces back.”
Mazzini is a winner in six of his eight career starts, with his two defeats coming in races where he hasn’t been able to control the race from the front. Campbell thinks that it is more circumstance-driven, given the horse has had excuses in both defeats.
“I actually think he will be better with a sit. I know it didn’t work the other day, but it might’ve worked if he had been right.”
Durazzo and Sanniya were both victorious on Launceston Cup Day in 2025 and head the market in 2026 to repeat the dose.
Durazzo announced himself as one of Tasmania’s best horses with victory in the $125,000 Listed Hellova Street Stakes (1600m) last year and is $2.60 equal favourite with Steparty to defend his title.
That pair finished as the quinella in the Thomas Lyons, with Steparty winning by a narrow margin.
“I think he’s won seven out of eight in Launceston and one out of five in Hobart,” Campbell said of Durazzo.
“He hasn’t been beaten at Launceston for two years, and he was every bit as good as the winner in Hobart.”
Sanniya won the Gold Sovereign as a 2yo on Cup Day last year, and 12 months on, she’s the $1.55 favourite to beat the older horses in the $150,000 Group 3 Country Club Vamos Stakes (1400m).
Sanniya was far too good for similar opposition over 1200m in the Group 3 Mystic Journey Stakes in Hobart, but Wednesday’s assignment will be her first over the seven-furlong distance.
“If they leave her alone early, then she’s hard to beat, but if they take her on and chop her up, then they might do damage to her, but they’ll do a lot more to themselves.”
The Ben, Will & JD Hayes-trained Grid Girl missed the Mystic Journey but has accepted for the Vamos, and the market considers her the main danger to the favourite. The six-time winner, most recently at Rosehill in a BM94 on 7 December, is the $4.60 second-elect in a race where only two of the 12 runners are at single figures.
Campbell is no stranger to carrying the weight of expectation into a race day with his team and would love to leave Cup Day with a similar result to last year.
“To win one of the majors would be good. They’re fit, and well, we won two last year, and we can probably win a couple again.”
