Saturday’s Toorak Handicap 2017 field could have an international affair with the William Mullins-trained Irish gallop Riven Light one of a number of raiders nominated for the Ladbrokes Caulfield Guineas Day event.

He’s Our Rokkii is nominated for a 2017 Toorak Handicap title defense this Saturday at Caulfield Racecourse. Photo: Steve Hart.
Four elite levels take place at Caulfield Racecourse on Saturday including the Group 1 $500,000 Toorak Handicap (1600m) that attracted 29 entries at nomination stage on Monday.
Among those, four are internationals looking to kick off their Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival bids.
Mullins has his Raven’s Pass gelding Riven Light in the mix who is a $101 shot to defeat Winx in the Group 1 $3 million Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) at the end of the month.
A winner of six of his 18 career starts, Riven Light has won his latest two runs including a black-type over 1810m on September 13 at Listowel in Ireland under a hefty 61kg.
There are also three British-trained gallopers among the Toorak Handicap nominations for 2017 with: Folkswood for Charlie Appleby, the Hugo Palmer-trained Mask Of Time and Fastnet Tempest prepared by William Haggas at Newmarket.
OTI Racing however are likely to skip Saturday’s Group 1 with Fastnet Temptest in favour an easier assignment in the Weekend Hussler Stakes over 1400m.
Reigning Toorak Handicap winner He’s Our Rokkii is in the mix to defend his title and go back-to-back in the race for the first time since Solzhenitsyn (2012-13).
He’s Our Rokkii won the race during a hot run of form last season, but hasn’t won a race since and was last seen finishing dead last (eighth) behind Bonneval in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) on October 1.
Along with He’s Our Rokkii the Lindsay Park stable have nominated for six other horses including veteran 10-year-old Jacquinot Bay, last start Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes fourth placed Sovereign Nation and four-year-old Snitzon.
Snitzon comes off a third behind Happy Clapper in the Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) in Sydney as a $21 roughie and also finished third as a three-year-old back in March in the Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) over the distance at Flemington.
Chris Waller enjoyed a career high with Winx winning her Flemington debut last Saturday and chases his first Toorak Handicap success this spring nominating for four nice types.
The Waller contingent features Group 1 placed Comin’ Through out to improve on an Epsom Handicap sixth, his dual Oaks winner Egg Tart who missed out on an Epsom run due to eye irritation, fellow four-year-old mare Omei Sword and perennial runner-up Tom Melbourne.
Omei Sword was last seen running third in the Group 2 Golden Pendant (1400m) at Rosehill on September 23, the form of which was franked last weekend with the winning Ron Quinton-trained quinella of Daysee Doom and Dixie Blossoms running top two again in reverse order in the Angst Stakes.
Tom Melbourne meanwhile is out to finally break through with a spring win after four straight second place efforts, the latest behind Happy Clapper in the Epsom Handicap.
Other key Toorak Handicap nominees include Shane Nichols’ last start Group 2 Stocks Stakes winner I Am A Star, the Anthony Freedman-trained Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes runner-up Mr Sneaky and third placegetter in the same lead-up So Si Bon for Cranbourne’s Robbie Laing.
See below for the full Toorak Handicap 2017 nominations, the final field and updated odds from Ladbrokes.com.au set for release on Wednesday.
2017 Toorak Handicap Nominations
Caulfield Racecourse – 14/10/2017
# | Form (Last 10) | Horse | Sex | Age | Trainer | Hcp. Rating |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 4×41111515 | BALF’S CHOICE | G | 5 | Ryan Balfour | 92 |
2 | 1x5338x116 | COMIN’ THROUGH | H | 4 | Chris Waller | 101 |
3 | 31x11111x2 | EGG TART | M | 4 | Chris Waller | 105 |
4 | 214×311900 | FASTNET TEMPEST (IRE) | G | 5 | William Haggas | 90 |
5 | 471x67x202 | FLYING JESS | M | 4 | John Moloney | 96 |
6 | 32x212235x | FOLKSWOOD (GB) | G | 5 | Charlie Appleby | 105 |
7 | 073397×000 | GREAT ESTEEM | G | 7 | Stuart Webb | 93 |
8 | 590x160x60 | HE OR SHE | G | 7 | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 103 |
9 | 0x8747x468 | HE’S OUR ROKKII (NZ) | G | 5 | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 105 |
10 | 71183×4771 | I AM A STAR (NZ) | M | 4 | Shane Nichols | 107 |
11 | 8940534433 | JACQUINOT BAY | G | 10 | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 92 |
12 | x37x525272 | KASPERSKY (IRE) | H | 7 | Jane Chapple-Hyam | 106 |
13 | 791x705x60 | LUCKY HUSSLER | G | 8 | Darren Weir | 110 |
14 | 4x3131456x | MASK OF TIME (IRE) | H | 4 | Hugo Palmer | 91 |
15 | 413311×122 | MR SNEAKY | G | 4 | Anthony Freedman | 99 |
16 | x12x27x563 | OMEI SWORD | M | 4 | Chris Waller | 102 |
17 | x683219838 | PETROLOGY | G | 6 | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 93 |
18 | 4x4197x887 | RAW IMPULSE (GB) | H | 6 | Darren Weir | 93 |
19 | 5×91375113 | RHYTHM TO SPARE (NZ) | G | 8 | Michael Moroney | 103 |
20 | 8442×31511 | RIVEN LIGHT (IRE) | G | 6 | William Mullins | 100 |
21 | 282x060x00 | SEABURGE | H | 4 | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 104 |
22 | 14173×5463 | SNITZSON | H | 4 | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 98 |
23 | 4030×22833 | SO SI BON | H | 4 | Robbie Laing | 97 |
24 | 3276×15314 | SOVEREIGN NATION | G | 5 | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 97 |
25 | 41212×2215 | THEANSWERMYFRIEND | G | 4 | Robert Smerdon | 96 |
26 | x6905x2222 | TOM MELBOURNE (IRE) | G | 7 | Chris Waller | 104 |
27 | 9x4x22x536 | TOSEN STARDOM (JPN) | H | 7 | Darren Weir | 109 |
28 | 18x3010x36 | TURNITAROUND | G | 7 | Matthew Williams | 103 |
29 | 53510×6822 | WYNDSPELLE (NZ) | H | 4 | Michael Kent | 92 |