Jockey Thomas Sadler believes his mount in the season’s first Group 1 race on Saturday Charmed Harmony will be longer in the 2016 Memsie Stakes odds than he should be for the Caulfield clash.
Charmed Harmony (pictured) has good form around Saturday’s 2016 Memsie Stakes favourite Black Hart Bart. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
A total of 22 nominations were taken by Racing Victoria on Monday for this year’s $500,000 Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m), the weight-for-age sprint the first elite level of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.
Among the line-up is the John Sadler-trained Charmed Harmony, a seven-year-old son of Hussonet chasing his first win since late April.
Sadler’s son Thomas is back aboard the veteran gelding on the weekend for the first time since his dead last when 13th in the Group 3 BRC Sprint (1350m) at Doomben in May.
Charmed Harmony was last again at Eagle Farm next start when Chad Schofield guided the galloper to a disappointing 18th behind Under The Louvre in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) as an $81 roughie.
The horse’s latest run on July 30 saw globetrotting hoop Craig Williams take the mount for an eighth behind fellow Memsie Stakes hopeful Lord Of The Sky in the Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m).
That was Charmed Harmony’s 10th Caulfield run, a track he has enjoyed three wins and three thirds over to date.
Sadler is happy to reunite on what he rates a smoky chance in the Memsie Stakes field on Saturday, believing the galloper has taken great benefit from his last start and subsequent four week break.
“We were all a bit disappointed with his first-up run but if you go back to his first-up run when I rode him over seven furlongs (1400m) last preparation he ran very similarly and he actually was beaten further and first-up this time it was also short of his best distance,” Sadler told Racing Victoria.
“I think he just needed to blow the cobwebs out and I think he’ll definitely take a fair bit of benefit from that first-up run.
“He’s going really well. He’s a big-striding, strong horse to ride in his work and we worked out wide on the course proper (at Caulfield) and the surface was perfect for him and he worked well.”
This weekend is Sadler’s third elite level ride having finished unplaced on Throw The King in the 2013 Victoria Derby and Bengal Cat in this year’s Schweppes Oaks.
The bookies only rate Charmed Harmony a $21 hope in pre-field Memsie Stakes odds where the Darren Weir-trained 1400m specialist and Group 1 winner Black Heart Bart is the firm $3 favourite at Ladbrokes.com.au.
Sadler though thinks his ride is worth a spot in exotic Memsie Stakes bets at least based on his form around Black Heart Bart, including his second to Weir’s galloper in the Group 3 Victoria Handicap (1400m) in late March.
“He was really good here at Caulfield in the autumn where he was beaten a long-neck and it took (Black Heart Bart) the length of the straight to get past him,” he said.
“I think he’ll definitely be longer odds than what he should be, especially if you match up that form.
“A Good 4 or Soft 5, or even a Soft 6 (track) would be perfect for him, if it’s a Good 3 he just feels it a bit in his legs so the track should be ideal and that should help to bring him into the race.”
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