Saturday’s $5 million The All-Star Mile (1600m) returns to its inaugural home at Flemington for the fourth running of the world’s richest mile race and the race favourite Zaaki has the outside barrier 15 to win from.
Zaaki is the horse to beat in Flemington’s $5 million The All-Star Mile this weekend. Photo: Steve Hart.
Injury and withdrawals have seen a notable change of line-up to this year’s The All-Star Mile field with only four of the original Top 10 Vote-Getters still in the mix.
That includes last season’s Mackinnon Stakes champion, the Annabel Neasham-trained Zaaki presenting fit second-up off a Group 2 Blamey Stakes second at the track that he is looking to atone for from out wide on Saturday.
Zaaki remains the $3.50 favourite in The All-Star Mile betting at Ladbrokes.com.au despite drawing the carpark.
The other top vote-getter that takes his place in the field is the Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr-trained I’m Thunderstruck.
Winner of the Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) and the $7.5 million The Golden Eagle (1500m) during a stella spring campaign, the four-year-old son of Shocking came up trumps with the inside alley for jockey Jye McNeil third-up on Saturday.
I’m Thunderstruck is out to $6 as the third elect to win, with Zaaki’s last start conqueror Inspirational Girl ($5) between them in the markets.
Damian Lane partners Danny O’Brien’s ultra-consistent Reliable Man mare from a favourable barrier four draw.
The six-year-old has won 10 of her 15 starts to date and is undefeated with a perfect four-from-four mile record, including her Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m) victory back in Perth in November of 2020, heading into her rematch with Zaaki.
She ran him down in the Blamey Stakes at the track and distance on March 5 second-up off six-month break and presents as the danger again.
O’Brien is dually represented in Saturday’s feature race with Callsign Mav, eighth in last weekend’s Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m), a late minute inclusion replacing injured South Australian galloper Regalo Di Gaetano.
Pinstriped, one of a three three-year-olds in the mix, rounds out the single-figure fancies at a current quote of $7.
The Enver Jusufovic-trained son of Street Boss was undefeated after his win in the Group 3 CS Hayes Stakes (1400m) two back and lost few admirers when running a brave fifth in the Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) here last start.
The Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained Australian Derby winner Hitotsu made history first-up since his VRC Derby win in the spring and was one of the original Top 10 for The All-Star Mile.
The stable has opted to keep him on the path towards the Group 1 $2 million Australian Derby (2400m) next month in Sydney however, opting not to pay final acceptances.
Lighthouse, last weekend’s Group 1 Coolmore Classic winning mare, was also a non-acceptor for the Maher/Eustace stable replaced in the line-up by the Peter & Paul Snowden-trained colt Captivant.
CF Orr winning mare Tofane ($15), Lindsay Park’s last start Blamey Stakes fourth placed four-year-old Mr Brightside ($15) and Godolphin stalwart Cascadian ($19) are considered the best of the rest.
Cascadian is also on the short turnaround off an Australian Cup run, the seven-year-old finishing fifth over the 2000m.
He won the Group 2 Peter Young Stakes (1800m) prior to that second-up off a CF Orr third and has form around Zaaki having run second to him in the Mackinnon here last November.
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