Alligator Blood looks the miler to beat when a field of the season’s best 1600m gallopers take to The Valley track on Saturday for the fifth edition of the $5 million The All-Star Mile.
Alligator Blood is the horse to beat in Saturday’s 2023 The All-Star Mile field at The Valley. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
The Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Queensland expat received the highest number of public votes for the 2023 All-Star Mile field and is out to reward his faithful followers this weekend.
The Gator presents fit second-up after a strong win fresh in the Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Sandown on Blue Diamond Stakes Day.
He will appreciate the extra furlong second-up and sits top of All-Star Mile betting at Ladbrokes to atone for his unplaced 10th back in the 2020 edition of the hugely popular buy-in event.
Alligator Blood looked good putting in a quick piece of work at Moonee Valley early on Tuesday morning and that only boosted the confidence of connections ahead of Saturday’s feature race.
“I thought he was magical,” co-trainer Waterhouse told Racing.com after the galloper.
Alligator Blood further firmed into clear $3 favouritism in All-Star Mile betting at Ladbrokes following Tuesday morning’s barrier draw where he came up trumps with a mid-field gate seven position.
It is a typically tight top-half of betting with a number of other weight-for-age stars at single-figure All-Star Mile odds this year including the $4.80 second elect in gate five I’m Thunderstruck for Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr.
The now five-year-old son of Shocking was runner-up to Zaaki in last year’s All-Star Mile results at Flemington and presents as a danger again this year off some solid lead-up form.
At his last trip to Moonee Valley back in October he was enormous when runner-up to Godolphin gun Anamoe in the Ladbrokes Cox Plate.
This campaign he has had two runs at Sandown in February with a Futurity third to Saturday’s All-Star Mile favourite Alligator Blood the latest.
The other best out of the Futurity Stakes from February 25, which looks the hot form race to follow into the All-Star Mile field, is the Ben & JD Hayes-trained runner-up Mr Brightside in barrier two and paying $5 to return to winning form.
The five-year-old son of Bullbars is an out-and-out miler boasting an excellent record at the distance (11:7-0-1) and he is also two-from-three at the famous Moonee Valley track.
He is after his first win since last September when he took out the Group 2 Feehan Stakes over the mile at The Valley by a runaway 4.5 lengths.
Coming via runs in the CF Orr and Futurity Mr Brightside brings in the good form lines and presents as a genuine winning chance up to 1600m and returning to one of his preferred circuits.
Also being kept safe in All-Star Mile betting is James Cummings‘ evergreen veteran Cascadian at $15 who eased out after drawing the second outside alley with barrier 14.
With one of the original Top 10 vote-getters Jacquinot withdrawn early from contention and first emergency Fangirl being kept in Sydney the path opened up for eight-year-old Cascadian to take his spot.
He ran fifth in last year’s race after gaining a start as an emergency and powering home from last in a big late run, but Saturday sees the gelding have his first official Moonee Valley run at career start number 46.
Cascadian also comes via a different lead-up having run a fifth fresh under two lengths beaten behind Artorius at Randwick in the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes (1300m) on March 4.
The All-Star Mile field this year is completed by nine-year-old So Si Bon having his 89th career start as a 100/1 roughie after drawing barrier 15 of 15.
2023 All-Star Mile Final Field & Barrier Draw
| No | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Penalty | Hcp Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x214225x43 | I’M THUNDERSTRUCK (NZ) | Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) | Daniel Moor | 5 | 59kg | 116 | |
| 2 | 1x721551x1 | ALLIGATOR BLOOD | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Blake Shinn | 7 | 59kg | 117 | |
| 3 | 1x341154x5 | CASCADIAN (GB) | James Cummings | Ben Melham | 14 | 59kg | 113 | |
| 4 | x115473x52 | MR BRIGHTSIDE (NZ) | Ben & JD Hayes | Luke Currie | 2 | 59kg | 112 | |
| 5 | 4235734120 | SO SI BON | Ben & JD Hayes | Harry Coffey | 15 | 59kg | 98 | |
| 6 | 9x42833x64 | LAWS OF INDICES (IRE) | Annabel Neasham | Oisin Murphy | 6 | 59kg | 110 | |
| 7 | 00x6142x64 | AEGON (NZ) | Andrew Forsman | Blaike McDougall | 8 | 59kg | 106 | |
| 8 | 9x1616x69x | ALENQUER (FR) | Michael Moroney | Jordan Childs | 9 | 59kg | 114 | |
| 9 | 412×111111 | THE INEVITABLE | Scott Brunton | David Pires | 3 | 59kg | 106 | |
| 10 | 61x13x16x6 | MY OBERON (IRE) | Annabel Neasham | Jamie Mott | 11 | 59kg | 109 | |
| 11 | 1x2146x124 | GENTLEMAN ROY | Ben & JD Hayes | Daniel Stackhouse | 10 | 59kg | 107 | |
| 12 | 5125821112 | POUNDING | Peter G Moody | Luke Nolen | 12 | 59kg | 104 | |
| 13 | x14x211135 | NUGGET (GB) | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Damien Oliver | 1 | 59kg | 105 | |
| 14 | 0141210×43 | KEATS (IRE) | Gavin Bedggood | Craig Newitt | 4 | 59kg | 95 | |
| 15 | 311x81x783 | SHEEZA BELTER | Peter & Paul Snowden | William Pike | 13 | 54kg | 108 | |
| 16e | 152732×30 | THE FORTUNE TELLER | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | 0 | 56kg | 77 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
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