Ciaron Maher‘s last start Group 1 Oakleigh Plate champ Jimmysstar is tipped for more elite level success in Melbourne on Saturday as the starting favourite in 2025 William Reid Stakes betting at The Valley.

Moonee Valley hosts the latest elite level of the Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival on the same day Sydney’s Rosehill track comes to life for Golden Slipper Day.

In the south, a star-studded field of autumn sprinters face off in the Group 1 $1 million William Reid Stakes (1200m) where Per Incanto five-year-old Jimmysstar is tipped to win second-up.

He leads the latest William Reid Stakes odds at Ladbrokes.com.au at $3.30 representing a little more value now after easing out slightly from his opening quote of $2.90 despite drawing well in gate two.

Jimmysstar resumed on Blue Diamond Stakes Day late last month and won the Oakleigh Plate over 1100m at Caulfield by over a length fresh with 54.5kg from wider out.

This weekend he is up the six furlongs for his first run at Moonee Valley.

An eight-time winner from 15 starts, he has winning form up to 1500m so the extra distance now is ideal.

Maher won the William Reid with Loving Gaby back in 2020, while the last horse to complete the Oakleigh Plate/William Reid Stakes double in the same season was Flamberge (2016).

The danger occupying the second line of William Reid Stakes betting online at $5 is the Charlotte Littlefield trained Shooting To Win mare She’s Bulletproof.

An ultra-consistent four-year-old, She’s Bulletproof simply doesn’t know how to run a bad race and has finished outside the money just once from her dozen starts to date.

She has run top two in her latest six outings including a barnstorming 2.75 length Group 3 win over 1200m at Sandown on February 1.

From a Group 3 against the girls to a Group 1 open handicap she took them on in the Oakleigh on a light 52kg weight allocation and finished best in show 1.25 lengths of Jimmysstar.

She’ll be out to turn the tables on Saturday and, while going up notably weight-wise to 56.5kg, she has the benefit of previous winning form at The Valley and Craig Williams retains the ride.

It is an open top half of the markets with a further three William Reid Stakes contenders under double figures for the win including the Jason Warren trained Group 1 The Goodwood winning mare Benedetta ($6) and Schwarz ($8).

Benedetta was strong fresh over the 1000m in the Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning at Flemington before things went amiss for her with a last start 10th in the Newmarket.

She got shuffled back and never made-up ground down the straight and, while she’s never raced at The Valley, she looks like the big improver here over her pet distance (8:4-0-2).

John O’Shea & Tom Charlton‘s Zoustar four-year-old Schwarz meanwhile won the Group 2 Autumn Stakes by two lengths at this track and trip in January with 58.5kg.

He’s looking to return to that commanding form after a disappointing Group 1 CF Orr run at Caulfield last time out when dead last behind Another Wil.

The 59kg at WFA over the 1400m distance proved too much when he faded right out the closing stages, but he’ll be right back in this over the six-furlongs without a long straight to kill his chances late.

The Phillip Stokes trained Stretan Angel ($9.50) is the last of the runners at single figures third-up and bringing in some strong form lines after Group 1 placings in the Black Caviar (2nd) and Newmarket (3rd).

The early William Reid Stakes market mover representing value for the exotics meanwhile is Reserve Bank ($26 into $17) with the untapped Capitalist colt last seen running 2.6 lengths sixth at Flemington in the $1 million Inglis Sprint.

The 2025 3 Point Motors William Reid Stakes is set to run as Moonee Valley Race 9 at 4:55pm (AEDT) on Saturday’s enormous 11-race card.

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