Last Saturday saw the official end of the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival with the running of the Hawkesbury Gold Cup meeting, while the racing in Queensland started to heat up with Doomben hosting Mick Dittman Plate Day. The South Australian carnival continued with RN Irwin Stakes Day, and Mornington hosted its Cup Day in Victoria.
With both the Sydney and Melbourne autumn racing carnivals now over, South Australia and Queensland will take centre stage over the next month or so. Below you will find three runners that we have found to follow at their next start after impressive runs last Saturday at Doomben, Morphettville and Mornington.
Morphettville – RN Irwin Stakes Day
Track rating: Good 4
Rail position: True entire circuit
Race 8: Listed Redelva Stakes (1100m) | Time: 1:03.93
- Horse to follow: I’mlovin’ya (1st)
Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr have got their three-year-old filly I’mlovin’ya going very well to start this preparation, winning both of her jump-outs before she went on to dominate the Redelva Stakes field last Saturday afternoon. This daughter of Capitalist jumped well from her barrier and settled in the box seat before getting a saloon passage on the rail to bust through and put a big gap on her rivals by the 200m mark. It was her second win from seven career starts, and she looks to be in for a very nice preparation.
When to bet: The next logical step for I’mlovin’ya is to go to 1200m, with the Group 1 Robert Sangster Stakes or Group 2 Tobin Bronze Stakes being run on May 6 at Morphettville. The Tobin Bronze looks to be ideal for this filly as it is a Group 2 race and is restricted to just three-year-olds, so if she goes there, we will be following her.
Doomben – Mick Dittman Plate Day
Track rating: Good 4
Rail position: +3m Entire Circuit
Race 6: Benchmark 90 Handicap (1350m) | Time: 1:19.72
- Horse to follow: Aussie Nugget (5th)
To begin his second racing preparation since being based in Queensland with Tony Gollan, Aussie Nugget caught the eye taking ground off the leaders along the inside running rail to finish in fifth position last Saturday in the Benchmark 90 Handicap over 1350m. The son of Dansili settled at the rear of the field, and Ben Thompson decided to stick to the inside rail and took runs inside horses. The 1350m is well short of his best distance, with most of his wins coming in between 1600m-1800m, but after such an impressive return, he looks as though he has a good base to build off this time in.
When to bet: Gollan and his team will most likely give Aussie Nugget another run at 1350m or 1400m, before he hits peak fitness and steps up to the mile for the first time this preparation. Keep an eye on him when he runs next, and if he runs well again, he could be a very nice bet in a race over 1600m third-up.
Mornington – Mornington Cup Day
Track rating: Good 4 (up to Good 3 after R4)
Rail position: True entire circuit
Race 3: Benchmark 70 Handicap (1000m) | Time: 0:57.98
- Horse to follow: Ranveer (2nd)
We hadn’t seen Ranveer from the Matt Laurie yard since the Group 3 Blue Sapphire Stakes in 2021, where he ran ninth of nine. In the lead-up to his long-awaited run at Mornington last Saturday, the son of Winning Rupert won his only barrier trial and looked to be a key chance in the Benchmark 70 Handicap over 1000m. Although he was first-up for 18 months, Ranveer returned with a very impressive run in second behind Fasuto as he closed off nicely to record the fastest last 800m, 600m and 200m of the meeting. This four-year-old gelsding has a lot of ability, and now that he is back on the racetrack, we may see the best of him in the coming months.
When to bet: It is likely that Laurie will give Ranveer a conservative gap between runs after such a long layoff, but wherever he goes next over 1000m or 1100m, we will be following him. Put him in your blackbook and keep an eye out for his next start.
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