Adelaide: A comprehensive preview of every race at Morphettville

A COMPREHENSIVE preview of every race for Saturday’s meeting at Morphettville with Shayne O’Cass.

Morphettville races. Picture: Simon Cross

NOTE RACES are assessed for a Heavy 8. All horses are considered starters unless notified by Thursday 1 PM. (N/R) denotes no rating.

RACE 1

THIS is South Australia’s first 2YO race of the new season and interesting not least because of the fact that all but two of the seven come through the same trial. That trial was a Balaklava 900m trial on the heavy 8 that saw 7. TIME AWAITS (59) win by 6-lens. The Tony McEvoy trained filly is by one of his favourite sires in Nicconi out of a Danzero mare named Bon Ton that he trained to placed twice, one of them here at Morphettville. The fact that she sailed through the slush at Balaklava suggests that the wet won’t be an issue for her. 5. LOVE POET (59) ran a 2nd to Time Awaits in the trial and was close at the 300m but way off at the end of course. This chestnut filly has an interesting backstory, she was sold as a weanling for $3500 then made $20,000 as a yearling which is some pretty clever pinhooking. 1. MULK (59) has differing form-lines in that he and 2. PASEETO 959) are the only two that didn’t get hammered in that Balaklava heat. Mulk is a Hayes/Hayes and Dabernig con of Sepoy who hated the wet out of a mare named Riptide who loved it.

RACE 2

5. FAIRY NYMPH (62) trialled like a bomb before her not unexpected first-up win at Murray Bridge on the Firm 1 track over 904m. That was on Aug. 24 and trainer Lloyd Kennewell has kept her up to speed via that 1000m heat at Balaklava on Sep. 19 where the daughter of Equiano was very good running 1.3-lens to her obvious main rival 4. POSH JOURNEY (63) who certainly sent out the right signals. Me? I thought Kennewell’s filly was better but that’s only an opinion. Posh Journey’s only win so far came when first-up like she is tomorrow. 1. MR MARKOU (63) split Posh Journey and Posh Victory in that heat at Balaklava finishing a mere 0.2-lens from the winner. The Tony McEvoy trained son of Stryker is 6s 1-0-3 and two of those placings came in the MM Classic here and the Mornington Sires so he has a decided class edge over all of his rivals. He is also 2s 1-0-1 at the t/d and the win came on debut — he’s first-up tomorrow also.

RACE 3

5. HONEY STEELS GOLD (74) is going for four straight wins this weekend and there is no discernible reason why he won’t do it. How remarkable is it that two of those three wins were over the hurdles at two miles! I tipped against him on the flat last start but misjudged it badly because he was backed from $2.30 into $1.75 and won of course beating 1. FLYING CASINO (81) and the one I liked that day Mr Andre. He is so obviously fit as any horse can be and he stays all day and has a fabulous record on soft and heavy ground. Flying Casino really appreciated the step from 1900m to 2500m last start being and is 5s 1-1-1 at the t/d. Can figure again. 8. NOT SO LADY LIKE (64) is something of an unknown in that she is so lightly raced being just 5s 2-1-0. She has won back to back races at Gawler in a maiden and a C1 over 17ssm and 2122m respectively — that last win by 4.5-lens. In terms of the mile and a half, she is by Shocking so all sweet there and she’s 2s 1-1-0 on heavy and 1 from 3 on soft. Up in class — a lot — but drops from 55kgs to 51kgs with the Poon to ride.

RACE 4

HERE’S a really interesting horse — 1. BARSHONTI (N/R). He is a 3YO on debut trained by John Hyam who bought him for $55,000 at the Adelaide Magic Millions Yearling sale in 2015. His dad is Gio Ponti who stood at Arrowfield for a very short time, his dam Barsha is a stakes-placed Redoute’s Choice from the same family as another Arrowfield resident stallion Charge Forward. He won a 1000m heavy 8 trial at Balaklava in marvellous style — watching it, you couldn’t imagine that he actually won it by a half-length given he had so much to do as close to the end as half way up the straight. It was a big win. Drawn 3 and obviously has a bit of talent. Monitor market moves with him. You can bet money that the big wigs at Arrowfield with be tuned in big time to this race and how ironic it would be should Barshonti beat 6. ARLEIGH (N/R) given that she is owned and bred and races in the Arrowfield colours. A daughter of Smart Missile, this Phillip Stokes trained filly is 4s 0-1-3; I can’t believe she hasn’t broken through yet but she has hardly been disgraced placing at all four runs — all on wet ground, all at Gawler. 4. WAGING WAR (N/R) is by Rebel Raider who won the VRC Derby at 100/1 for Leon Macdonald and Clare Lindop, who along with Andrew Gluyas, are the same team behind this Harry Perks bred filly who has been a real eye-catcher in her only two runs, one over this t/d at the end of her first prep on Jun. 4.

RACE 5

11. TIME WALKER (62) is a particularly well bred horse being by High Chaparral out of Laebeel who was a beaten a nose by Sky Heights in the 1999 Caulfield Cup where Zabeel actually sired the trifecta — wow. Time Walker has had a few issues in his time hence the only 8s 1-1-2 being 5YO now. He has raced in a SA Derby (ran 11th) but he was 4th in the Chairman’s before that. He had one run in NSW after the Derby for John Thompson, that was on Nov. 7 in 2015, he’s back in SA now with Stokes and resumed off the long break with a very encouraging 2nd here in a 1250m on the Heavy 8. His only win so far was when second-up. 4. BOYS GETAROUND HIM (72) is third-up here off runs at 1050m and 1250m and gets to the trip he wants now being 13s 4-4-0 at or around the 1550m. He is okay on soft, less son heavy perhaps but we’ll see how (the track) ends up on the day. Hard to know this far out — prepare for an army of scratchings. 6. METRO COWBOY (70) was well supported to win that 1400m Bm70 here 7-days ago. Lightly-raced, good record, in form, fit and has some good numbers at the track and the trip.

RACE 6

4. BRIMARVI PRINCE (90) has been Mr Consistency throughout his long career. The aptly named son of Lion Heart has raced 38 times for 8 wins and 14 placings. He is 13s 4-1-2 at MP, 15s 6-1-2 at the trip and 10s 4-1-2 at the t/d. That’s great stuff and he is also 1s 1w on heavy and has gate 5. All in all, he is very hard to go past, I for one would be shocked if he wasn’t in the finish. 6. I AM GYPSY (91) has gate 1 which I reckon has to help if she jumps clean of course. This daughter of the Goodwood runner-up (to Takeover Target) I Am Invincible has some query alongside her name re soft and heavy but she is a classy mare who has mixed and matched in better races than this, in fact she is G3 second in Irwin and runner-up also in the Listed Manihi beaten 0.2-lens and 0.1-lens respectively. 9. USAIN DANE (77) has the 2kgs off for Emily Finnegan. The Phillip Stokes trained sprinter has benne caryring some pretty big weights at his last two and ran rather well. Harder here naturally enough but remains a serious contender.

RACE 7

SATURDAY is the day for 1. DOUBLE POCKETS (72) — if he runs, he might go to Strath on Sunday I am not sure. He has gate 14 of 14 here so there is every chance he stays away. It’s 18 runs now since he last won a race but his get back/ run on pattern has always been a hindrance to his win ratio. On top of that, he has often raced in Bm80’s or above, thankfully he has come back to 70 class for this and his last run which was pretty good at the $18. If he’s not here it’s 2. COUNTER PULSE (69) who has fared much better in the barrier stakes with 2. The Macdonald/Gluyas/ Lindop gelding has blinkers off first time and is 4s 3w at MP. He is third-up here but I don’t think it is unfair to him to say that he has to lift on those two runs back. 6. TRUENO (64) may not run if it’s too wet but if he is here, he’s in the mix.

RACE 8

2. FINE APPROACH (73) is one of those examples of numbers telling the story better than words. Here goes; Track 7s 2-1-2, Dist 19s 6-1-5, T/d 6s 2-1-2. I guess the only ‘bad’ number is that she is 0s 0-0-0 on heavy and 1 win from 8 starts on slow as opposed to 5 wins from 19 on firm tracks. If it’s too wet she stay home so we won’t have to worry. 1. MOSSBEAT (77) is the top rater in the race and by 4 points which may seem strange given she has only won 1 out of 26 — amazing! Don’t mistake her for a mere Class 1 mare however, she has placed 10 times and has run in 1 G2, 5 G3’s and a Listed race. Her best return were a 3rd in the G3 Summoned and a 3rd in the Rosemont. Super run first-up on the big track here — huge chance! 5. SNAKE CHARMER (69) has to lift a bit to win but not by much and it’s not beyond her capabilities to do it. She is third-up now off a pretty substantial break and may be ready to put her best hood forward.