2017 Group 1 William Reid Stakes
Friday 24 March
Moonee Valley
It doesn’t get much better than Group One racing under the Moonee Valley lights. The William Reid always assembles a cracking field and is a great spectacle around the tight turning suburban track. Champions of the turf such as Black Caviar and Apache Cat have won the race and last year’s victor joins us again.
Flamberge ($15) winning last year was the G1 swansong for trainer Peter Moody. Always a chance at The Valley as he has only been out of the placings once in 5 starts at the track. First two runs of this campaign were quite solid though after a sub-par performance in the Oakleigh Plate, the $15 is probably the right price. He is close to a month between runs now and saves his best racing when fresh, so can figure in the placings.
Rebel Dane ($10) from the now Golden Slipper winning yard of Gary Portelli’s saves his best racing for Moonee Valley. He goes great first up and is genuine group one horse at the track. In the 2014 Manikato stakes he was an unlucky 5th to Lankan Rupee, and then took out last year’s edition assisted by a great Ben Melham ride. Melham is again engaged to ride the entire and looks a touch overs at the $9. Saved his best work for the last 100m in his only trial and is sure to be cherry ripe first up to take this out.
Whenever Darren Weir saddles up a runner in a group one you can never dismiss them. Hellbent’s ($6.50) win over Sheidel in the spring was nothing short of exceptional but hasn’t managed to win a race since. His starts this time in have been a touch disappointing for the punters considering the boom around the horse. His Oakleigh Plate run was better than it first looked considering the early pace of the race was completely against his racing style. He has drawn well in gate 5 which should give him every possible chance. He should enjoy a great run in transit and be rattling at them late. His chances are very dependent on which Hellbent shows up.
The ever consistent former WA mare in Sheidel ($5) lines up for her third start of this preparation. She won the Oakleigh Plate first up and then wasn’t disgraced in the Newmarket Handicap finishing fourth. Moonee Valley should suit her far more than the straight course did and I expect her to be back with a winning chance. She hasn’t put in a poor performance since joining the Hayes/Dabernig stable and is sure to be there when the whips are cracking. Jumping from barrier 9 isn’t ideal for her racing pattern and is probably well found in the market at the $4.80 quote.
Silent Sedition ($7.50) is an interesting inclusion coming back from a 1500m start in Sydney. Her main target this preparation is the Queen of Turf and I fear this is being used as a maintenance run opposed to a fair dinkum crack at winning a group one. Much more suited over 1400 metres plus and she may not have the dash of some of the others at this stage of her preparation however she has been subject to some good support this week into $7.50 after opening $14.
Star Turn ($4.40) is the lone 3yo of the field and one of the last remaining of the superstar 3yo crop in which we’ve seen two retire to stud duties in the past week. He goes into this third up, and found his peak at the same stage of last preparation in the Schillaci Stakes. In that outing he gave the older horses a spanking, one of them being Malaguerra who went on to win a group one. This will be his first start racing around a bend since that day at Caulfield and I believe he is a much better racehorse when doing so. Both runs this time in have been great and he should be either leading or very close to it from barrier three. I think Vinery Stud will have their faith in the colt rewarded here by taking out his maiden group one. The current price of $4.40 at BlueBet looks very inviting.
Tip – Star Turn ($4.40)
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Words: Jack 'The Coach' McLoughlin
