Adelaide: Comprehensive preview of every race at Morphettville

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

Risen from Doubt.

NOTE: RACES are assessed for a Heavy 10. All horses are considered starters unless notified by Thursday at 1 PM. (N/R) denotes no rating.

RACE 1

2. SHOWPERO (64) was a drifter on debut, $7.50 to $11, but the market got it wrong with an emphatic 3.1-lens on-pace win to the daughter of Kaphero. The David Jolly trained filly drew 7 of 10 that day, she has 1 of 8 this time; exactly what that means on a heavy 10 is anyones guess but it stands to reason that ‘first use’ means it (the rails draw) remains some advantage. Re the wet, she won of a Soft 7 and her dam is by Show A Heart. 8. VIENNA MISS (58) is first-up here with no weight to speak off — just 52.5kgs in fact after the claim for Emily Finnegan. The winkers go on first time since her one and only run — a good one, 5th of 11 to Neapolitan at M’ville on Mar 12. pedigree wise, she’s bred to swim being by Snitzel out of a Bite The Bullet mare. 1. MANUEL (61) started $1.80 in the Maribyrnong Trial on debut but ran 4th of 9 beaten 2-lens. Had the easy and impressive trial 2nd at Gawler on Jun. 10 for this — hard to read him actually.

RACE 2

4. HOYLAKE (67) has raced himself into form and fitness and seems ready and able to peak tomorrow. The son of the mighty Zabeel has some compelling stats to back up that assertion such as; Track 10s 4w, Dist 6s 4w, T/d same and he’s 4s 2w on heavy. Hoylake is fourth-up now and he has 54kgs compared to the 58, 57.5 and 57 he has carried at his preceding three runs this preparation. 1. EMMOOKI’S DASH (82) is the top-rater in the race in so far as the benchmarks are concerned and it’s no wonder given the horse has won his last two starts. It’s fair to say that he is career best form at present and trainer Scott Whittle has been able to keep his weights to a reasonable level by using Zac Spain and his 3kgs claim at those last two wins at MP and M’ville respectively. Handles all surfaces — why not again? 3. GENERAL CLUSTER (73) beat Hoylake last start to win his second consecutive Bm70 at M’ville. Can easily figure again — hard to knock winning form.

RACE 3

THERE is a fair bit of guesswork going on here — a lot of these first starters haven’t trialled and of course we are dealing with a heavy 10. I ended up with 1. ARMANDO (N/R) trained by the always astute Lloyd Kennewell who has done enough to convince Matthew Neilson to take the ride. Just as well because we are going to need all of said jockey’s skill to navigate us around from barrier 15 (minus any scratchings). The Husson’s seem to get through the slop by and large and the dam’s by Redoute’s Choice which is another little tick. 9. YOUBETCHA (N/R) is by the great So You Think out of a half-sister to the dam of Golden Slipper winner Polar Success. No trials, but I do like that he was a $130,000 yearling (Melbourne Premier) and went to Leon Macdonald. Speaking of the great man, he and Andrew Gluyas have 5. HERO’S HONOR (N/R) lining up here also. The gelding is by the stable's blowout VRC Derby winner Rebel Raider out of a mare who was placed in a WA Oaks. Bred for the classics but two milers can win fresh if they are good enough.

RACE 4

THIS is the second of the 2YO races on the card, this one over the slightly longer trip of 1300m and only two debutants. 4. MY SNIP (58) was the medium of some sustained support when he debuted here at MP in a 1000m race on Jun. 22 firming in from $10 into $7. He didn’t let his each-way backers down either finishing 1/2-lens 3rd to the potentially handy Mica Be The One on a heavy 9 track. Drew 9 of 9 then, has 15 of 15 tomorrow but as I said before, which barriers are good or bad on heavy 10’s you don’t really know until they run a few races. 5. ZUNBAQA (62) is by the wet track supremo More Than Ready out of an EDL mare and is a last start winner at Geelong on the synthetic but with those names above in her pedigree, surely she’s got a chance of being a swimmer. 6. ARTFUL JACK (57) turned in his best run of his three starts so far at M’ville last Saturday when 3.5-lens 4th to Time Out and Bangs who both go quite well. 3. MEGASHOT (59), one of the two on debut, is by Medaglia D’oro out of a half-sister to Shoot Out and trialled quite well at Gawler on Jun. 10. Don’t dismiss him, he looks a nice type.

RACE 5

TALENTED More Than Ready filly 3. COCOA DOLL (68) resumes here off a short break but we should note nonetheless that she is deadly when fresh — both of her wins came when either on debut or first-up. The last time we saw her in action was on Apr. 23 when she ran a very credible 1.4-lens 4th to Don’t Doubt Mama and Stokes stablemate Miss Gunpowder in the Listed Redelva. Cocoa Doll’s only run thus far over the t/d was a nose win but she ran 57.87s, home in 33.7s that day. She has never seen soft or heavy but she is a More Than Ready. Drawn 10 of 10 but I refer to earlier statements; we simply don’t know what effect that will have. 1. VICKI’S BOY (73) has carved out of a terrific record of 7s 4-1-1 and that includes a 1000m win here at his first and only start at the t/d before tomorrow. He has handled soft before — heavy we just can't say but at least he’ll be up there on the speed. 2. LOPE DE CAPIO (66) has the important distinction of being the only one of the 10 runners to have won on a heavy track. That was as recently as Jun. 22, first-up, when the Nathan Tinkler bred 3YO took out a C1 here over the same trip on a heavy 9 with 59.5kgs. is 1 for 1 second-up.

Counter Spin (yellow). Picture: Mark Brake

RACE 6

3. LITTLE AKIE (86) has won 12 races in all from a total of 62 starts and 5 of those wins are at, or around, the 1400m. He may be an 8YO now but his breeder/trainer Brian Mueller has the veteran racing really well right now evidenced by three positive runs this new preparation, two in Bm90’s and the other in a deep open handicap. Significantly, those three runs have been at 1250m here at MP and he’s raced every time like he wants 1400m, certainly no one could argue against that looking at his Jun. 11 outing. Little Akie handles all surfaces, on heavy, his record is 3s 1-0-1. Little Akie is one of three 8YO’s in the race. Coincidentally, he and the other two 1. CONSERVATORIUM (95) and 2. CELLARMASTER (90) were all foaled within 4 days of each other back in 2007. My own pick for runner-up is the Gary Kennewell (Lloyd’s dad) trained Conservatorium despite his last placing behind Daytona Grey on Jun. 25. The son of US$3.5m weanling, star racehorse and sire Royal Academy is third-up here and would be a major player if he can reproduce his first-up run when 3rd in a 1000m Bm90 here. Cellarmaster will play a role so too 5. BRINKLEY BLISS (81) who is 5s 1-1-2 at the t/d and has bar plates off again, race place first time.

RACE 7

GOOD race coming up here with a capacity field and some in-form horses. Indeed, 7 of the 15 entries either won or placed at their most recent start including (my) top three 6. IT’S NO JOKE (67), 1. COUNTER SPIN (77) and 2. DEBEERSONUS (75). Starting at the top, It’s No Joke finished 3rd to Counter Spin in that 1200m Bm82 at M’ville on Jun. 25 beaten 1.8-lens. It’s No Joke hasn’t missed a place in his last 9 starts whereas Counter Spin can be a little hit and miss but I do obviously respect the fact that he beat It’s No Joke by almost 2-lens the last time they met. Weights don’t mean all that much to 500kg beasts but Counter Spin goes up 2kgs, It’s No Joke 1kg on that last clash. As for Debeersonus, he is 6s 2-0-2 at the t/d and was runner-up on his only heavy track start here over 1200m earlier on his career. They are by no means the only three chances, 5. MISS JOOLIA (72) is flying this prep (again).

RACE 8

MAKE no mistake, this is absolutely hands down the race of the day with some really nice sprinters engaged. I am looking forward to the return of the Tony McEvoy trained 5. RISEN FROM DOUBT (76) who has always had something of a boom on him and fair enough too, he did win the Maribyrnong Trial by 2.5-lens on debut and was 3rd in the Silver Slipper, 5th in the Todman and 13th in the Golden Slipper on a heavy 8. That was his only heavy track run and while he failed badly, let’s be fair — it was a Golden Slipper. Most of the NASD breed excel in the wet so let’s give him the benefit of the doubt (pardon the pun) and wait and see what he can do tomorrow first-up bearing in mind he bolted in the Maribyrnong Trial first-up (on debut). 3. MUBAKKIR (83) hit his best stride last start when beating Debeersonus so it’s important to keep and eye on what that horses does in the previous race to get some sense of the strength of the form. No matter what, Mubakkir is a handy conveyance himself with some sterling numbers such as 4s 2-1-0 here and 4s 3w at the trip. Unknown on the slop but handles soft and is a Commands out of a Zabeel mare so that’s a positive. 7. SUPER FUN (74) has raced 4 times this preparation for 3 wins and a 4th. There can be no doubt or query about him on heavy, he won by 2-lens on a heavy 8 here over this trip on Jun. 1. Furthermore, he is 4s 2-1-0 at MP, 4s 3-0-1 at the 1000m and 2 for 2 at the t/d. Not drawn all that well in 12, or is he?

RACE 9

ALLOW me to talk at length about one horse and one horse only because it’s my best bet by some margin on the day and I for one, won’t be backing anything else to trouble it. Not that it’s a moral, but at $15 TAB Fixed, you can’t in all good conscious argue with the price. Here goes; Kesan is a 3YO by Choisir, a helluva reliable sire. His dam, Valdemoro, was runner-up in the VRC Oaks and Vinery Stud Stakes. She is an EDL half-sister to G1 winner and Cox Plate placegetter Highland Reel and her 2nd Dam is the blue hen Circles of Gold. Kesan was bred by John Muir and sold to Richard Jolly at Easter for $340,000 bought on behalf of Neville Morgan of Kermadec and Rangirangdoo fame. I recall watching Kesan trial twice before his debut and remember thinking aloud ‘good horse’. Alas, he ran last on debut here at MP at $4.20 then was 5th of 8 to Vicki’s Boy on the big track. He went to Murray Bridge after that and started the new year with a win before rounding out his first prep with a 4th of 5 back in town at M’ville. You know that he is going to be better second time around and I do believe with his pedigree that he can handle the wet track. Kesan has not trialled and has to go 1300m — the distance doesn’t concern me at all — we just have to see a market move for him to prove his fitness one way or another. If he drifts to any degree, maybe I have it all wrong but I suspect very much so that there will be good money for him. If there is, hurry up and get on. Me? Others — 2. CORRECT CALL (70) and 6. OAMARU OWL (62).