Both Melbourne and Sydney Spring Racing Carnivals have kicked into full swing, and last weekend the Group 1 Moir Stakes headlined the Moonee Valley program. From the two feature meetings in Victoria and New South Wales, we have found three runners that are worth putting in your blackbook, so you can follow them throughout their spring campaigns.
Moonee Valley
Rail position: True entire circuit
Race 1: 3YO Handicap (1600m) | Time: 1:37.58
- Horse to follow: Evaporate (1st)
Evaporate brought up a winning hat-trick for the Ben, Will & JD Hayes stable after proving way too good for his rivals over 1600m, keeping his undefeated record at Moonee Valley intact. The son of Per Incanto jumped well from his outside barrier and pushed forward to settle outside the leader before kicking clear around the home turn. Michael Dee didn’t have to ride the winner out to the line, and he clocked off nicely to record a 2.75-length victory.
When to bet: Post-race, Ben Hayes confirmed that Evaporate would return to the Valley for his third straight start and compete in the Group 2 Stutt Stakes, where he will be one of the key chances.
Race 10: Benchmark 84 Handicap (1200m) | Time: 1:10.72
- Horse to follow: Miss Aria (1st)
Blake Shinn gave Miss Aria one of the rides of the day at Moonee Valley as he hugged the inside running rail, and the Danny O’Brien-trained mare sprinted past all of her rivals in the final 200m. This daughter of Zoustar clocked the fastest last 800m, 600m, 400m and 200m sections of the race and appears to have returned well from her winter campaign. In Queensland, the three-year-old filly finished second in the Group 3 Winx Guineas, and she is expected to compete in Group races during the spring.
When to bet: Danny O’Brien mentioned the Group 2 Rose Of Kingston Stakes at Flemington as one of the targets for Miss Aria. She also holds a nomination for The Golden Eagle at Randwick on November 2, and with a massive $10 million prize pool up for grabs, expect her to be ready to peak in Australia’s richest four-year-old race.
Randwick
Rail position: +6m entire circuit
Race 8: Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) | Time: 1:33.76
- Horse to follow: Adelaide River (4th)
Adelaide River has only been to the races three times in Australia since being sent over from Europe, and his fourth-place finish in the Chelmsford Stakes was by far his best performance on Aussie soil. The Kris Lees-trained galloper failed to fire a shot in the Group 3 Lord Mayors Cup and Group 2 Q22 in Queensland before going out for a two-month freshen. The son of Australia settled midfield last weekend and ran through the line strongly over 1600m, which should bring him on for his second-up start over further.
When to bet: Adelaide River holds nominations for all of the top Group 1 races in Melbourne and Sydney, so Kris Lees is likely to target the Group 3 Kingston Town Stakes at Randwick on September 21.
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