Last-start Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) hero Jimmysstar will be a fresh horse when he lines up in Saturday’s Group 1 William Reid Stakes (1200m) at The Valley, a strategy that the Ciaron Maher stable believes is crucial.
Assistant trainer Jack Turnbull said the tactic worked perfectly when Jimmysstar flew home to win the Group 1 1100-metre race at Caulfield on February 22 after a three-month break.
He believes the month-long gap between the Oakleigh Plate and the William Reid is an ideal time frame to prepare for his first weight-for-age Group 1.
“We’ve kept him fresh, and we’ll keep him to shorter trips,” Turnbull told Racing.com.
“If you keep him fresh in high-intensity sprint races, he can sit off them and make a long-sustained run, which he did the other day.
“He’s got a bit of stamina, but he’s quick.”
This will also be Jimmysstar’s first run at The Valley, and he will get to familiarise himself with the track on Tuesday morning.
Prior to nominations closing, the five-year-old was rated the clear $3.50 favourite with horse racing betting sites to give Maher a second win in the William Reid Stakes, having previously won the race with Loving Gaby in 2020.
“He’s come back how he ran last spring and stayed to that rating,” Turnbull added.
“If he was to win, we would consider the T.J. Smith for his next start.”
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