2017 Villiers Stakes Mile Suits Mister Sea Wolf

December 15, 2017

2017 Villiers Stakes Mile Suits Mister Sea Wolf

Sydney’s leading horseman Chris Waller is confident the step-up to a mile second-up down under will work in favour of his gun import Mister Sea Wolf in the Villiers Stakes 2017 on Saturday.

Kerrin McEvoy

Kerrin McEvoy jumps aboard Chris Waller’s smart import Mister Sea Wolf in the 2017 Villiers Stakes at Randwick on Saturday. Photo: Race Horse Photos Australia.

Waller has an imposing record in Randwick mile feature races and will be out to add to that with Amadeus Wolf six-year-old Mister Sea Wolf on the weekend in the Group 2 $250,000 Inglis Villiers Stakes (1600m).

Offering the winner a ballot free ride to the winner into the Group 1 $3 million Doncaster Mile (1600m) back at the track and distance in April next year, the Villiers Stakes field is shaping up as a typically competitive summer showdown.

Waller boasts an incredible six wins in the Doncaster Mile in the past decade, his first achieved in 2008 with Triple Honour and his latest in 2016 when super mare Winx gave him his fourth on the trot.

Progressive gelding Mister Sea Wolf can put his hand up for a 2018 Doncaster Mile bid in the autumn with success in the Villiers Stakes on the weekend after an eye-catching Australian debut a fortnight ago.

At Rosehill on December 2 the former Irish-raced miler was narrowly beaten home when just failing to reel in Testashadow in the Group 3 $150,000 Festival Stakes (1500m).

The Gary Portelli-trained Festival Stakes winner Testashadow is a $17 roughie to win again in Villiers Stakes betting at Ladbrokes.com.au, but Mister Sea Wolf is predicted as a danger paying $5.50.

The Villiers Stakes odds are dominated by the Godolphin-raced Interlocuter ($3.50) who is up in class having won three in a row.

The favourite gets a gun run from barrier four, while Mister Sea Wolf and his hoop Kerrin McEvoy have work to do from barrier 13 (into 12).

Waller has prepared just one previous Villiers Stakes winner when the race was run over 1400m due to the equine influenza back in 2008 with Honor In War, who took out the January edition in a protest over Takeover Target.

Waller’s stable representative Charlie Duckworth said the stable were full of confidence heading into Saturday with Mister Sea Wolf based on the European expat’s “enormous” run first-up.

“He was at Werribee when he first came into quarantine and had a good grounding there,” he told The Daily Telegraph.

“Then he came to us in Sydney and went enormous first up in the Festival Stakes.

“It was exciting for us to see Mister Sea Wolf run so well because of most of our European horses, in their first preparations here, show us a fraction of what we get from them in later preparations.”

Duckworth also labelled the horse “a professional” and said that Mister Sea Wolf, who had a strong galloper with McEvoy aboard on Tuesday morning, had quickly adapted to the Australian way of racing.

“A lot of the European horses want to overdo things when they first race here because of the slower tempo mid-race in Australia but not this horse, he is just a professional,” he said.

“He has trained on really well and Kerrin galloped him on Tuesday morning and gave a glowing report.

“He is a tough horse who wants to try for you.”

Mister Sea Wolf has a versatile record on all track conditions and Duckworth said that the team had no concerns that the predicted firm going at Randwick this weekend would be problem.

“Mister Sea Wolf’s form is superior on the softer surfaces but I don’t think it will impact him too much,” he said.

“We are confident he is in good shape but obviously Interlocuter is a very smart horse and they are trying to get him to the Doncaster.”

To back your Villiers Stakes 2017 tips at the best price this weekend visit the country’s leading bookmaker Ladbrokes.com.au.

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