Two quality female gallopers are battling it out for top spot in 2021 William Reid Stakes betting at The Valley this Friday night with the resuming Libertini and Group 1 winning filly September Run tipped as the ones to beat.

Libertini returns to racing at The Valley on Friday night in the 2021 William Reid Stakes. Photo: Steve Hart.

Due to run as Moonee Valley Race 7 at 9:30pm (AEDT), this season’s Group 1 $500,000 William Reid Stakes (1200m) field features 14 sprinters and the markets suggest the Anthony Cummings-trained Libertini can return with a first-up win.

Drawn wide in barrier 13 with Tommy Berry booked for the ride, the four-year-old daughter of I Am Invincible races for the first time since her third to Bivouac in the Group 1 VRC Classic (1200m) down the Flemington straight last November.

She is yet to race at The Valley, but has excellent form over the distance (9:4-0-2) and is also a noted first-up performer (4:2-1-0).

Libertini sits top of the current William Reid Stakes odds at $4.80 at Ladbrokes.com.au and with a bit of luck from the gate, looks a genuine chance to become the seventh favourite since 2007 and the first since Sunlight ($1.70 in 2019) to salute for the punters.

The danger presenting fit third-up and looking to bounce back is the Chris Waller-trained Exceed And Excel filly September Run ($5) also widely-drawn in barrier 12 for her regular jockey Craig Williams.

Winner of the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington last VRC Derby Day, the three-year-old resumed with a second to her star stablemate Nature Strip at that same track when runner-up in the Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m).

Things didn’t go to plan second-up however when September Run finished a flat 10^th in the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) and she is looking to atone her in her first look at The Valley.

Two other runners are currently under double-figures in William Reid Stakes betting with the Phillip Stokes-trained Ancestry ($7) and the in-form Masked Crusader ($9) for Hawkes Racing.

Consistent four-year-old Ancestry is a genuine Moonee Valley specialist having won all three of his starts at the notoriously tight track.

He is five-from-eight over 1200m and two-from-two over the track and distance.

These are imposing statistics, but the son of The Brothers War does need to prove his up to this grade and goes up to 58.5kg for the Group 1.

He was 15^th two back at Caulfield in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) before a last start win by over two lengths in the Listed Abell Stakes (1200m) at The Valley carrying 57kg.

The ‘Wizard of the West’ William Pike partners fellow four-year-old Masked Crusader who is unbeaten over 1200m (3:3-0-0) and will appreciate the Soft track.

Lightly raced having won four of his nine starts, the Toronado gelding runs at Moonee Valley for the first time on Friday evening on the back of a first-up Group 3 Southern Cross Stakes (1200m) win by two lengths and Randwick and the eye-catching Group 1 Canterbury Stakes (1300m) third to Savatiano at the start of the month.

There are a host of double-figure William Reid Stakes chances that shape-up as potential value including last October’s Group 1 Manikato Stakes winner at the track and distance Hey Doc ($14), Swats That ($13) who has all the form around September Run and the rails-drawn co-Oakleigh Plate winner Portland Sky ($12).

Click here for the latest William Reid Stakes 2021 betting odds courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.

2021 William Reid Stakes Field & Barriers

Table Credit: Racing Australia.