If it wasn’t already, the Melbourne Spring Carnival is well and truly underway at Caulfield on Saturday when an impressive field steps out for the 2019 Memsie Stakes.
Given it’s the first Group 1 of the season south of the border, it would have been understandable to see a less-than-heralding group of horses accept, but that is simply not the case. All power to us!
I must sound like a broken record, but there’s a case to be made for several and I’ve had to leave out a few potential spring stars. Find my 2019 Memsie Stakes tips below.
Suggested Bets
- 2 Units on the nose #11 Alizee
- 1 Unit E/W #13 Fundamentalist
- Boxed Trifecta of the selections below
Her market favouritism aside, I find it virtually impossible to tip against Alizee, particularly at 1400m and with a run under the belt. The Godolphin mare has been both outstanding and trustworthy for several seasons now and suggested that she has returned to racing in typically brilliant form this time by winning the Group 2 Missile Stakes three weeks ago; race which Hugh Bowman clearly knew he’d won, as he well and truly eased off her late. I personally do not think that there is a more well-suited Group 1 target for her this time, and I think she’ll just win.
Yep, I think that Godolphin is going to go bang-bang with the quinella. It certainly would not be out of character for the in-form Cummings yard and boy is Hartnell’s second-up form, and his form on the Caulfield 1400m course outstanding. The multiple Group 1 champion has continued his defy the odds and his age recently, and there was a lot to like about the way he attacked the line to finish third behind Mystic Journey at the track and distance a fortnight ago.
Fundamentalist has shown plenty of promise throughout her career and is probably unlucky not to have recorded a Group 1 win already. The Linsday Park-trained mare ran a bee’s you-know-what second in both the Group 1 Surround and Group 1 Randwick Guineas in autumn, and I liked her performance for third in the Listed Regal Roller this time – she’ll enjoy monstrous improvement from that. She should be able to navigate to an excellent position in transit from barrier 4 and would not look out of place in the Memsie Stakes winner’s stall. The $19 on offer at publish is overs.
Cliff’s Edge rarely returns a bad performance and will give them something to catch in the Memsie Stakes. The talented son of Canford Cliffs has found a position on pace in both the Group 3 Bletchingly and Group 2 PB Lawrence here at Caulfield this time in; finishing third and second respectively. He harbours further improvement into his third-up target and can fight out the finish again.