Group 1 Memsie Stakes Preview Caulfield

The first Group One race of the season is upon us and it promises to be a fascinating affair with a host of quality gallopers engaged.

Seven of the past 10 Memsie Stakes winners have been first-up from a spell (including the past five) which augurs well for the likes of BobanEntirely Platinum, Volkstok’n’barrell, Hi World and Rising Romance.

Showers are forecast in the lead-up to Saturday so we will probably see a downgrade from the current good 3 rating. Hopefully the track is no worse than a soft 5 come the running of the first.

The rail will be out 6m. Last time they raced here (August 15) the rail was out 3m and the track played evenly.

Speed Map & Tempo

Charmed Harmony looks the early leader but he’s right up against it to actually gain a start. Entirely Platinum should be able to cross from barrier 7 with Temple Of Boom likely to follow him across. Hi World should be able to kick up and settle in behind the leader. It looks a real log-jam in behind the first three or four so plenty rests on the shoulders of the jockeys. Can’t see this race being run at a breakneck speed so it might be advantageous to be in the first five or six turning for home.

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Analysis

Hi World wasn’t the most reliable beginner early in his career but he has jumped away cleanly at his last three starts and his trials leading into this have been good. Expect he’ll lob in behind the leaders from the inside alley before peeling off Entirely Platinum’s back in the straight. This is his biggest test to date but all of his first-up runs have been sound and his last performance over this distance was terrific. Looking at his sectionals he’s a horse that can really accelerate quickly from the 400m-200m and he has showed that he’s not one to shy away from a scrap over the concluding stages. Jockey Kerrin McEvoy is three-from-three on the Moody-trained galloper.

Stratum Star is another who maps well after gaining a run at the expense of Fawkner. He drew horribly in the Regal Roller Stakes on resumption but attacked the line with vigour after getting balanced at the 200m. He stepped up to this distance second-up last campaign and finished on the heels of smart gallopers Wandjina and Disposition at Group Three level. He never runs a bad race and won his only start over this route. Melham has started the season in great touch.

Wish he’d drawn a bit closer in but Volkstok’n’barrell might still be able to slot in for cover in the first half of the field without burning too much pressure. He is a seriously talented galloper as his record of six wins from just 10 starts indicates. He is two-from-two over 1400m (in NZ) and is yet to miss a place in six runs on dry tracks. He has no real quirks and has so far shown himself to be a very adaptable type.

He looks a bit short at $4.80 but Boban certainly has the runs on the board when it comes to weight-for-age racing. The Waller-trained veteran is a genuine middle-distance gun who has recaptured form after a really disappointing summer/autumn campaign in Sydney. He has trialed well leading into this (he generally does) and his last first-up performance was a stylish victory in the Group One Doomben 10,000 (1350m) back in May.

Market
Form
Show all runner comments
FlucsWinPlaceBest of BestBest or SPTop FlucBest Tote Place
2120X
1FAWKNER (18)
J: STEVEN ARNOLD
W: 59 KGS
Scratched
307X6 
2HAPPY TRAILS (13)
J: G BOSS
W: 59 KGS
14, 1516
97012 
3BOBAN (5)
J: G SCHOFIELD
W: 59 KGS
5, 4.8
67043 
4TEMPLE OF BOOM (9)
J: M ZAHRA
W: 59 KGS
16, 15
6624X 
5DANDINO (3)
J: J ALLEN
W: 59 KGS
51
08119 
6SMOKIN’ JOEY (11)
J: C PARNHAM
W: 59 KGS
16
8X21X 
7SERTORIUS (14)
J: R MALONEY
W: 59 KGS
21
082X2 
8WEARY (16)
J: C NEWITT
W: 59 KGS
9.5, 99.58
2123X 
9PRINCE OF PENZANCE (17)
J: M PAYNE
W: 59 KGS
67, 7181
2460X 
10ENTIRELY PLATINUM (7)
J: DWAYNE DUNN
W: 59 KGS
12, 1110
3213X 
11VOLKSTOK’N’BARRELL(12)
J: B SHINN
W: 58.5 KGS
7.5, 8
18411 
12MAGICOOL (6)
J: J WINKS
W: 58.5 KGS
31, 26
90X38 
13PETROLOGY (2)
J: V DURIC
W: 58.5 KGS
16, 1719
2111X 
14HI WORLD (1)
J: K MCEVOY
W: 58.5 KGS
9.5, 98
347X1 
15SETINUM (20)
J: J NOONAN
W: 58.5 KGS
51, 41
X122X 
16RISING ROMANCE (10)
J: M RODD
W: 57 KGS
12, 11
332X7 
17STRATUM STAR (8)
J: B MELHAM
W: 58.5 KGS
12, 119.59
4112X 
18TREVIERES (4)
J: S BASTER
W: 59 KGS
51, 41
4X7X0 
19PRESSING (19)
W: 58.5 KGS
51, 41
23111 
20CHARMED HARMONY (15)
W: 59 KGS
14

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