An eight-horse field will step out in Saturday’s Group 2 Expressway Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens and there has already been plenty of interest for several runners in our market. Multiple Group 1 winner Global Glamour failed to justify her favouritism at the Magic Millions meet in early January, but she has been handed a 4kg drop in weights for her run in the Expressway Stakes and has firmed into $3 favouritism. Global Glamour stamped herself as a filly to follow through the 2016 edition of the Spring Carnival, highlighted by her consecutive and dominant wins in the Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m) and Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m). The Star Witness mare was kept to light duties last spring and while winning the Group 2 Tristarc Stakes (1400m) first-up, was sent to the paddock after fading to finish ninth in the Group 1 Myer Classic (1600m). Global Glamour is sure to have taken plenty of natural improvement from her sixth-place finish in the Magic Millions Fillies & Mares (1300m) and will take up the running from barrier 3. The Jason Coyle-trained Memes will carry winning form into the Expressway Stakes and while she has already attracted some interest, still represents terrific value to punters at each-way odds of $7/$2.10. Memes has been a strong and consistent performer throughout her entire racing career so far; posting six wins and a further eight minors across only seventeen starts. The daughter of Time Thief undoubtedly found her best form to date last time in however, which heralded five wins and two placings through eight appearances. Having trialled well leading into her first-up target this time, Memes enjoyed an ideal run in transit in the Summer Sprint (1000m) at Randwick a fortnight before producing a smart turn of foot to score a length win over Boss Lane. She has drawn ideally into the Expressway Stakes field in barrier 4 and has a fitness edge over several of her rivals here. Interestingly, five three-year-olds will step out in this year’s small Expressway Stakes field and treated well at the weights, under the conditions of the race. One of those horses is Goodfella, who has shown above-average ability throughout his reasonably short racing tenure and is a live chance of securing his biggest win to date in the Expressway Stakes 2017. The Snitzel colt clearly required a run when he failed to beat a single runner home in the Listed Heritage Stakes (1100m) first-up in spring, but responded with consecutive wins in the Brmm BM78 (1400m) and Listed Brian Crowley Stakes (1200m). Though he was clearly outclassed when he finished mid-pack in the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) on Derby Day, Goodfella performed well upon arriving north of the border for a summer campaign; running third in the Group 3 Vo Rogue Plate (1350m) and second behind Pierata in the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas (1400m) most notably. Stable mate Addictive Nature ($3.40) is a proven first-up performer and is capable of giving this race a shake, while Trapeze Artist ($4.40) and Ace High ($21) will both improve with racing.
