We’ve found a few to watch over the weekend that have been unlucky of late. We were spot on last time with Tom Kitten and Commemorative and we’re hoping that with a bit of luck, we’ve got it right again.
We’ll start with Benedetta, who takes her place in the William Reid tomorrow. She was very good first up in the Black Caviar Lightning, in the inferior part of the track it was a top effort to finish third but last start, in the Newmarket Handicap, it was just a horror show.
Taken back to last, presumably to give her a chance to try and work her way to the outside, she then found plenty of dead ends and was lucky to stay on her feet. A class mare, she’s already a Group One winner and she looks well suited here under the weight for age conditions.
Daniel Stackhouse has a great affinity with the daughter of Hellbent, he goes back aboard and the draw looks ideal for her.
Cilacap will line up in the Alexandra Stakes tomorrow and I think she’s great value. Placed on debut, the Written Tycoon filly then put together three wins in succession before stepping out in the Group Two Kewney Stakes last time, where she was never in the hunt.
From the outside gate, she was taken right back and then found traffic in the straight before picking up again and hitting the line nicely. From gate two, she can settle up on speed and she’ll relish a bit of give in the track.
Mare Of Mt Buller is one that I was keen to follow after her first up run and I think she’ll be winning on Saturday. The Dundeel mare was a touch unlucky when resuming over the mile at Randwick and last start over that same track and distance in the Aspiration, she stormed home into second after settling at the tail of the field.
She was the runner up in The Roses during the Brisbane Winter and she did finish off strongly over 2000m here last preparation, she’s proven herself over the trip. She gets in nicely on 54kgs and barrier seven can see her settle within striking distance.
Athabascan is a hard one to catch but there’s no doubting he would have made a race of it last start if he saw clear air. The former French galloper was solid when resuming in the Parramatta Cup but it was tough viewing if you were on him last time in the Randwick City Stakes. Held up in behind runners from the 300m, he went to the line untested.
He steps out in the Mannion Cup tomorrow at Rosehill and while I think the favourite will be hard to run down, this out-and-out stayer will enjoy the rise to 2400m and I won’t be surprised to see powering home late under Tommy Berry.
Glowlight has only won the one race from seventeen starts so it’s hard to back her with any confidence but at $34 (at time of publish), I think she’s a great each way chance. The Nicconi mare is never far away and has filled the placings on eleven occasions but she’s often the hard luck story due to her racing pattern.
Resuming over 1200m at the Sunshine Coast she was taken back to last off the wide gate, and ridden for luck, she found herself held up until the 150m where she charged late into second. She wouldn’t have beaten the winner but the margin should have been a lot less. She strips fitter, the rise to 1400m will suit and she gets a senior rider back aboard.