The 2019 William Reid Stakes is the final Group 1 event of the Melbourne Festival Of Racing and we are set for excellent race at The Valley on Friday night.
Sunlight pressed her claims for the title of the best sprinter in the country with her win in the Newmarket Handicap and she is currently a clear favourite in our William Reid Stakes betting market.
Will Sunlight claim another Group 1 win or will we see a William Reid Stakes upset?
We have analysed the entire field and our 2019 William Reid Stakes tips can be found below.
Fell Swoop
Fell Swoop has been racing consistently without winning this campaign and he was far from disgraced when he finished sixth behind Booker in the Ladbrokes Oakleigh Plate. His record at The Valley is excellent, he hasn’t missing the placings in his three race starts at the venue, and it wouldn’t surprise if he produced a better performance than his odds suggest.
Voodoo Lad
Voodoo Lad has not fired during his Autumn campaign. He was never able to get into the race when he finished fourth in the Rubiton Stakes and he was never able to get into the contest in the Newmarket Handicap. His best form would put him right in this contest, but you couldn’t back him off his last start effort.
Dothraki
Dothraki is an old warrior, but it is almost impossible to back him to win a race if this quality. He wasn’t disgraced in the Newmarket Handicap, but he simply can’t be trusted to win at this level.
Battle Hero
Battle Hero is on the quick back-up after he finished second behind Abell Stakes at The Valley last weekend. This is a big step-up in class and I don’t think that he is up to this level.
Shoals
Shoals is the main danger to Sunlight in the William Reid Stakes. She returned to the races with a second place finish behind Trapeze Artist in the Canterbury Stakes and she handily beaten home horses like Kementari and Pierata. There is no reason that she can’t improve on her first-up performance and some of her highest-rating efforts have come at 1200 metres. She maps to get a dream run in transit with Mark Zahra in the saddle and there is no reason that she can score a fourth Group 1 win.
Update: Shoals has been scratched from the 2019 William Reid Stakes.
Champagne Cuddles
Champagne Cuddles finished midfield in the Newmarket Handicap and she hasn’t really impressed in either of her race starts in Melbourne. The Valley might suit her and she does have tactical versatility, but she would need to find a few lengths of improvement in order to turn-the-tables on Sunlight.
Spright
Spright has become an unpopular horse with punters and her racing pattern does mean that she always needs things to get her way. Her run in the Ladbrokes Oakleigh Plate was good, but she was beaten in the Wenona Girl in Sydney last start and this is a big step-up in class. It would not surprise to see her storming home late, but she is a tough horse to trust from a betting perspective.
Ellicazoom
Ellicazoom ran well without ever really looking like a winning chance in the Ladbrokes Oakleigh Plate. She has never really shown anything to suggest that she is capable of winning at this level.
Written By
Written By might be the x-factor in the William Reid Stakes. He wasn’t beaten far in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes and the form coming out of that race has been strong. I like the fact that he has been freshened-up for this contest and The Valley is a track that should suit. Jordan Childs can take him straight to the front in the early stages of this contest and he will give his rivals something to catch.
Sunlight
There is no doubt that Sunlight is the horse to beat in the William Reid Stakes. She went to another level with her win run the Newmarket Handicap and the way that she was still able to finish the race after settling on a fairly strong field was impressive. The question mark in this contest is the barrier draw. She has grown very awkwardly and things didn’t pan out for her the last time that she was at The Valley for the Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes. She is a deserving favourite, but she definitely doesn’t represent a huge amount of value at her current odds of $2.25.
Embrace Me
An incredibly brave ride from Brett Prebble saw Embrace Me claim an eye-catching win win in the Typhoon Tracy Stakes, but this is a big step-up in class. She does have upside, but I would be surprised if she measured up at this level.