The returning Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra-trained Heatherly has opened favourite to beat home a capacity Carlyon Stakes 2016 field at Moonee Valley this weekend in Melbourne.
Group 1 placed Heatherly kicks off her spring in Saturday’s 2016 Carlyon Stakes at Moonee Valley Racecourse. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
One of two Black-Types on the Saturday card, this year’s $120,000 Listed 1PRINT Carlyon Stakes (1000m) is set to run as Moonee Valley Race 8 at 5:15pm (AEST) and features a full field of 15 runners plus an emergency who has drawn the rails.
Leading the early Carlyon Stakes betting markets at Ladbrokes.com.au is Heatherly (6) paying $3.50 to win her four-year-old debut.
The daughter of Lonhro has had nine starts to date for four wins, two seconds and two thirds.
Three of her runs have been at the tight Valley circuit where she boasts two wins and a third.
She won three on the trot during the summer including the Group 2 Rubiton Stakes (1100m) by a runaway five and a half lengths over Politeness at Caulfield in mid-February.
Heatherly was last seen finishing just three-quarters of a length back for third behind Flamberge in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1000m) on Blue Diamond Stakes Day.
She is tipped to relish a return to Moonee Valley first-up on the weekend at a track / distance she is well familiar over against an easier class of rivals than she faced in the tail-end of her three-year-old campaign.
Despite the size of the field just three other runners are under $10 in the Carlyon Stakes odds this Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival including the Tony McEvoy-trained Shiraz ($6).
Drawn barrier three, Luke Currie rides the Zariz seven-year-old who caught the eye at Rosehill in March when runner-up to Griante in the Group 1 The Galaxy (1100m).
The first-up specialist was last seen finishing a well-beaten 10th behind Chautauqua in Sydney’s Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) from April, the veteran back in Melbourne for the first time since last spring this weekend looking to add to his strong record when resuming (6-4-0-0).
The other single-figure hopes are Wild Rain ($6.50) and Keen Array ($7.50) both suffering a blow with wide barrier 13 and 15 draws respectively.
Mark Kavanagh trains class Manhattan Rain mare Wild Rain who has won two of her four previous starts at Randwick as well as five of her 10 runs over Saturday’s distance.
The five-year-old was last seen winning the Group 3 Sir John Monash Stakes (1100m) in mid-July at Caulfield and her winning hoop in that race Damien Oliver retains the ride on Saturday.
Keen Array has the second widest alley to overcome and has class internationally-perform hoop Craig Williams aboard first-up.
The David & Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig-trained Bel Esprit four-year-old was runner-up to Japonisme in last October’s Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington and has had two previous Moonee Valley runs.
His latest was on March 24 when third behind Stellar Collision over 1200m.
Of the longer priced chances the other best fancied include the Lloyd Kennewell-trained mare Viddora ($11) coming off a win in Adelaide’s Listed Lightning Stakes (1050m) from late July and the Robert Smerdon-trained Monash Stakes third placegetter Atmospherical ($12).
See below for the full Carlyon Stakes 2016 field, barriers, jockeys and latest Fixed Win odds provided by Ladbrokes.com.au – home of Odds Boost.
