This afternoon the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival action continues with Dato’ Tan Chin Nam Stakes Day 2015 at Moonee Valley Racecourse, a bumper nine-race program headlined by four black-type features.

It is a chilly day in Melbourne this Saturday, September 5, with a top of just 16 degrees. While there’s plenty of cloud cover on the forecast, there is little chance of rain so the current Good (4) rating at Moonee Valley is set to stand for the day’s line-up.

Moonee Valley Track Report – 05/09/2015

• Rail Position: True
• Track Condition: Overcast
• Track Type: Turf
• Irrigation: Nil
• Rainfall: Nil last 24hrs, 9mm last 7 days
• Penetrometer: 4.64
• Track Rating: Good (4)

Racing is set to kick off at Moonee Valley at 12:25pm (AEST) and continues through until 5:20pm (AEST) this afternoon.

There are two Group features on the program including the day’s showcase race – the $250,000 Group 2 Dato’ Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) running as Race 7 for the 2015 Cox Plate hopes.

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Moonee Valley Scratchings – 05/09/2015

Total Scratchings: 19

Race 1 (12:25pm) – $80,000 Quest Moonee Valley Handicap (1500m)

• No current scratchings

The day starts with this handicap for three-year-olds where the original nine are all still in the mix in a wide open market that has all but two at single-figures. Market mover ($5.50 into $3.80) is Kentucky Flyer in gate four coming off a 1200m win at Cranbourne, while value could be in Euston Road ($7.50) drawn one wider and also a last-start winner having taken out a 1300m race on the synthetic track at Geelong.

Race 2 (12:55pm) – $80,000 Jeep Handicap (1600m)

• No current scratchings

Race two has the fillies and mares engaged in a BenchMark 84 and there’s some class in the line-up where the $6 co-favourites are Letmedowngently who has an outside (barrier 13 of 15) draw to overcome and the better drawn Mossbeat in gate two for Craig Williams. Even carrying the 58.5kg top weight though could be worth giving the Peter Moody-trained Spirit Of Heaven ($7.50) a shot again after a couple of close calls this time in.

Race 3 (1:30pm) – $50,000 Ranvet Handicap (1500m)

• #5 High Church (7)
• #16e Wales (16)
• #17e Youbolt (3)
• #18e Collins Street (4)

Still a full 14-starter field for this BenchMark 78 with first emergency Grand Sai Wan getting a run, the markets firmly led by the red hot favourite Strong Hand ($3.60 into $2.50) who looks hard to tip against after Darren Weir’s Not A Single Doubt four-year-old has won his past four on the trot including a victory over the Moonee Valley mile last time out.

Race 4 (2:10pm) – $90,000 1PRINT Craig Opie Cup (1600m)

• #8 Garud (10)

A dozen left in the Craig Opie Cup field this year with markets led by the Team Williams-owned import The United States ($3.40), the Galileo stallion coming off a Moonee Valley win in similar class from August 22. The dangers are the widely-drawn Opicalo ($4.80) for Mick Price coming off a third last Saturday in black-type company at Caulfield and the well-weighted Pacific Heights ($5.50)

Race 5 (2:45pm) – $120,000 Listed Telstra Phonewords Atlantic Jewel Stakes (1200m)

• #14 Hela Flyer (15)
• #16e Young Amazon (2)

First of the black-types has the three-year-old fillies, heading into something like the 2015 Thousand Guineas next month, facing off and there are 14 in the line-up. Narrow favourite is Stay With Me ($4.80) who has a nasty gate to overcome but a last start win by 4.5 lengths on her side. Moody’s Group 1 winner Pasadena Girl ($4.40 out to $5) is on the drift and looks the value with luck needed from the barrier.

Race 6 (3:25pm) – $120,000 Listed The Cup Club Stakes (1200m)

• #2 Gregers (14)
• #7 Rose Of Choice (3)
• #16e Just For Starters (15)
• #17e Who You Know (4)

The sprinters face off in the other Listed race on Dato’ Day and all the money is on the in-form Fell Swoop ($3 into $2.40) shooting for a third straight win on the 54kg minimum with Damien Oliver in the saddle. Will get a gun run but could there be an upset from the rails-drawn Galaxy Pegasus ($6) who will go well fresh.

Race 7 (4:05pm) – $250,000 Group 2 Dato’ Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m)

• #9 Big Memory (1)

The day’s headliner is the weight-for-age Dato’, a traditional lead-up to the $3 million Group 1 WS Cox Plate (2040m) back at the track on October 24 this spring. Big Memory, who had the inside alley, is the sole scratching with 11 left to face off including the odds-on favourite Contributer ($1.85). Godolphin’s dual Group 1 champ is first-up and loves racing fresh (6-5-0-0) so will be hard to beat from barrier one. The Cleaner ($5) has money coming for him to score the upset after the Tassie galloper was just run down first-up in the PB Lawrence last time out.

Race 8 (4:45pm) – $200,000 Group 2 Mitty’s McEwen Stakes (1000m)

• #8 Miss Steele (7)
• #13 Headwater (13)
• #15 Parcel (10)

Three come out of the day’s other Group 2 feature leaving 12 for the weight-for-age sprint where the returning Group 1 winning sprinter Chautauqua ($2.40) for Team Hawkes is the one to beat. The market mover thought is Furnaces ($9.50 into $4.80) who has been smashed by the punters with a gun barrier three draw and 52kg for the John O’Shea-trained colt’s first-up run of the spring.

Race 9 (5:20pm) – $90,000 Follow the @WillHillWolf Handicap (2040m)

• #2 Foundry (6)
• #4 Diametric (17)
• #8 Danchai (13)
• #17e Diaghan (16)

A handicap for the staying types to close the card and there’s a few coming out in a race where seven are under $10 to win including the in-form Shenzhou Steeds ($4.80) coming off back-to-back wins including last time out at this track and distance.