Jockey Blake Shinn is Melbourne-bound this weekend picking up a ride in the season’s opening Group 1 race aboard the Darren Weir-trained Tosen Stardom in the 2017 Memsie Stakes at Caulfield.
Tosen Stardom (inside) has been included in 2017 Memsie Stakes nominations. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos
Shinn chases his first success in the Group 1 $1 million Memsie Stakes (1400m) having had two previous mounts in the weight-for-age feature.
Weir meanwhile is after successive Memsie Stakes wins following the trainer’s success with Black Heart Bart last Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.
Seven-year-old Black Heart Bart is again in the mix for Weir, the evergreen veteran out to improve on a first-up third to Hartnell in the Group 2 P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at the track and distance a fortnight ago.
Weir has a total of four Memsie Stakes 2017 nominations including also Tosen Stardom.
Another seven-year-old, the Deep Impact stallion remains only lightly-raced for his age with Saturday marking his 21st start.
Formerly trained and raced in Japan, Tosen Stardom had one spring run with Weir when fourth in the Group 2 Dato’ Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley last September.
The galloper returned in late February and put in an eye-catching run as a $13 chance crossing just a nostril flare off his star stablemate Black Heart Bart in the Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) on Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes Day.
Another second followed at Flemington for Tosen Stardom behind Palentino in the Group 2 Blamey Stakes (1600m) before the horse came back in the P.B. Lawrence crossing four lengths back for fifth.
Apprentice Ben Allen rode the Japanese import first-up, but the jockey misses the plum Memsie Stakes mount having copped a careless riding suspension last week.
That has opened it up for Shinn to swoop south, jumping aboard Tosen Stardom for the first time.
“It’s a bit of a juggling act but there are no Group 1s in Sydney this week and Tosen Stardom’s a top horse and worth coming down for,” Shinn, who recently returned down under after a stint in the US, told Racing Victoria on Monday.
“He’s obviously proven that he’s up a very high level and it’s nice to be heading down to Sydney.
“It’s what I want to be doing – targeting these big Group 1s.”
While it is Shinn’s first time aboard Tosen Stardom, the in-demand jockey does have history with Weir that he is looking forward to adding to this weekend.
“I have done a bit of riding for Darren over the years when I was an apprentice in Victoria,” Shinn explained.
“I rode Star Exhibit in the Doomben Cup last season and won on Jennifer Lynn down in Melbourne over last year’s carnival and had a few rides for him last season, so it’s great to be riding for him again.”
Black Heart Bart is the $6 second favourite in pre-field Memsie Stakes odds at Ladbrokes.com.au that have the Lindsay Park-trained The Goodwood winning sprinter Vega Magic as the $4 top fancy.
Tosen Stardom is the other best fancied of Weir’s entries at $13.
The stable’s other potential runners can be found further down all-in Memsie Stakes betting with Humidor ($17) and Gailo Chop ($41).
Get behind your early Memsie Stakes 2017 tips online now at Ladbrokes.com.au before markets firm with final acceptances closing on Wednesday morning.
