The Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival continues to take shape this Saturday at Caulfield!
Several key lead up races will be run and won, including the Group 2 P.B. Lawrence Stakes over 1400m.
The $300,000 feature has paved the way for several future Underwood Stakes and Caulfield Stakes winners in the past, while the Vain Stakes and the Quezette Stakes offer a glimpse at a handful of key three-year-olds.
Nine races make up the program, and we’ve provided a tip for each below!
Mighty is third-up for Peter Moody now and looks as though she might appreciate the slight rise to 1100m.
The Spirit Of Boom mare was strong through the line when winning first-up at Sandown, before going on to tackle the Listed Lightning Stakes at Morphettville where she charged late to finish fourth behind Lingani.
The low gate gives Will Price plenty to work with and she should be just about at peak fitness with a bit of improvement still to come.
Devoted looks ready to win second-up for Lindsay Park.
This boy really caught the eye when hitting full stride at the 100m mark fresh at Flemington a couple of weeks ago, putting some late pressure on the leading Gentleman Roy over shorter.
Two of his five career wins have come at this stage of his prep and he gets in nicely at the weights carrying just 55kg under Daniel Stackhouse.
He typically handles wet or dry tracks, and if he can get back early and save something for the finish again, he’ll be right in the mix.
Lovazou did it stylishly last month over the same trip, peeling three-wide and letting down with an impressive run to draw 1.75 lengths clear.
We’ve seen that form franked with the runner-up Waimarie go on and win her next two, while she’s been given a similar break of close to four weeks between starts.
Another soft gate strengthens her claims, and with a hat-trick in her sights, I can’t find any reason why she won’t go on with the job.
Piastri has drawn awfully in barrier 16, but it’s very difficult to knock the form he’s produced so far this prep.
Ciaron Maher’s gelding made it two wins from three starts this time in work, bolting in to score by well clear of two lengths over the track and distance a few weeks ago.
The son of Choisir wasn’t drawn quite as wide that day, but he was forced to make up big ground off a three-wide position at the top of the straight.
How he handles racing on top of the ground is the other question, but with seemingly plenty left to give, he’ll be one of the hardest to beat.
Wonder Boy could go on to become anything for Jerome Hunter.
We got a taste of what this boy is all about when winning on debut at Flemington back in June, the son of Cosmic Force driving down the middle to win by the narrowest of margins right on the line.
He’s since had two jumpouts to get him ready for this first-up assignment, the latest around the likes of Giga Kick.
This is harder again with some smart types engaged, but with late speed to burn and the inside gate to his advantage, he’s a nice value play.
Drifting is back from a spell for Team Snowden looking to pick up where she left off during the autumn.
The three-year-old daughter of Zousain missed the money just once across her four-start maiden prep, winning well on debut at Hawkesbury before going on to claim the Group 3 Magic Night Stakes quite impressively in Sydney.
She wrapped up her prep finishing midfield in the Percy Sykes, the four-week gap between runs showing when weakening towards the finish.
Her two lead-in trials have been very sharp though, and she’ll clearly handle 1100m first-up.
With form around the likes of Bold Bastille, she rates one of the toughest to hold out from a perfect gate.
The Peter Moody polish looks to have worked wonders for Maotai.
The son of Not A Single Doubt was prone to a few mistakes under the care of Annabel Neasham previously, but he quickly made punters forget all about them when winning by close to two lengths on return at Headquarters a couple of weeks ago.
The way he found the line down the centre of the straight suggested there’s plenty more to come, and I like the fact Luke Nolen pulled up close to the line to save something in the tank.
His second-up form has been mixed, and this is obviously tougher again up to Stakes level, but if he produces that same late speed, he’s hard to go past.
Happy to be with Pinstriped here first-up after running second to Mr Brightside in this same race last year.
Racing over 1400m is short of his best, but the son of Street Boss went on to run some nice races later in the spring, notably taking out the Feehan Stakes at The Valley in early September and then finishing midfield in the Toorak Handicap.
We’ve seen him only once this year in the All-Star Mile where he blew the start and was found to have a slow recovery rate post-race, so I’m happy to forgive that effort.
Proven first-up and off some decent jumpouts leading in, his class should take him a long way.
Elouyou was down to race at Rosehill but was quickly scratched on Wednesday in favour of this.
He’ll need to earn his spot as the first emergency, but with three wins and five placings to his name from eight starts, he shapes as one of the hardest to beat.
The son of So You Think has been given a good gap between runs after prevailing by close to two lengths on a bottomless track at Rosehill in late June, and he draws to do no work from barrier four with Damian Lane back in the saddle.
Loves 1400m, should find the firmer track to suit and just needs to hold his form to go on with it.