All Star Mile 2020: Adam Trinder plots Mystic Journey’s course to go back-to-back in coveted mile
Tasmanian trainer Adam Trinder will keep Mystic Journey’s options open in a quest to deliver back-to-back All Star Miles with the top flight mare.
Group 1 trainer Adam Trinder will keep Mystic Journey’s options open in a quest for back-to-back $5m All Star Miles.
The boom four-year-old mare will contest the Sky Stakes at Launceston on January 27 and Thomas Lyon Stakes on Launceston Cup Day in February, before plans are set in stone for the March 14 All Star Mile at Caulfield.
Stream over 50 sports Live & On-Demand with KAYO SPORTS on your TV, computer, mobile or tablet. Just $25/month, no lock-in contract. Get your 14-day free trial and start streaming instantly >
Mystic Journey is already back in work less than six weeks after running fifth in the Cox Plate.
The $3.7 million earner pocketed the Thomas Lyon this year before icing a blistering three-year-old campaign with the Australian Guineas and All Star Mile double.
“We’ll have a look how she goes through, whether she runs in a Futurity or Blamey if the timing’s right,” Trinder said.
“She obviously won the Guineas third-up (this year), so it’s a template that’s worked quite well.”
Trinder said the drop in trip to the world’s richest mile suited Mystic Journey better despite gutsy efforts at 2000m in the spring, when fifth in both the Turnbull Stakes and Cox Plate.
“I just feel she finds herself a little bit close (to her limit) over the 2000m at that elite class and probably just left wanting a little bit,” Trinder said.
“She can be four or five pairs back and build (into the race), I think it works a little bit better for her.”
Mystic Journey firmed from $11 to $8 with TAB to be equal favourite for the All Star Mile alongside Kolding ($8) and New Zealand superstar Melody Belle ($8).
Nominations for the All Star Mile close on January 9, with voting to decide the top-10 runners starting on January 16.
Racing Victoria will complete the expanded 15-horse field with up to five wildcards — to be confirmed by March 2.
The winners of the Group 1 Futurity Stakes and Group 2 Blamey Stakes will be guaranteed slots in the All Star Mile as “win and you’re in” features.
New Zealand residents will be eligible to vote in Racing Victoria’s four-week poll — a boost for Kiwi superstar Melody Belle and Te Akau Shark.
“We couldn’t get her into the All Star Mile off the vote last year,” Trinder said.
“She had to win her way in, which if we have to do again we’ll have to do again, but we’d be disappointed if she didn’t command a lot of votes through the attention she’s received.”
Racing Victoria introduced new minimum performance criteria this year in a bid to assemble the best of the best milers.
MORE NEWS
RED FLAGS: WEIR’S BETTING ACTIVITY IN SPOTLIGHT
MELBOURNE CUP: O’BRIEN VOWS TO REPEAT PATH IN DEFENCE
Chief handicapper Greg Carpenter welcomed the nominations.
“It will be intriguing to see the tactics adopted this time by trainers and owners,” Carpenter said.
“Whether they nominate several horses from their stables or take a more targeted approach.”
RUNNING A STRONG 1600m WOULD BEGOOD QUESTION
Warrnambool trainer Daniel Bowman says freewheeling Caulfield specialist and Group 1 winner Begood Toya Mother might be too “fierce” to win the All-Star Mile.
Despite his reservations, Bowman still plans to nominate the gelding, a winner of eight of 13 starts — including three of his past four at Caulfield — for the $5 million feature.
Begood Toya Mother will aim at weight-for-age 1400m Group 1 races the C.F. Orr Stakes and Futurity Stakes.
“If he can’t win at 1400m — his pet distance — he’s not going to be able to win at the mile,” Bowman said.
“If he can win one of the two Group 1 lead-ups, then we might roll the dice.”
Begood Toya Mother proved too slick for his rivals in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes after striking trouble in the Memsie Stakes.
“He’s probably just a bit fierce (for the All-Star Mile),” Bowman said.
“Horses that break 1.22 at 1400m generally don’t stretch to the mile.”
MONEY FOR JOURNEY REPEAT
Early money for Mystic Journey has resulted in the inaugural All-Star Mile winner now becoming an $8 equal favourite at TAB with Melody Belle for the 2020 All-Star Mile to be run at Caulfield on March 14.
Mystic Journey completed an amazing three-year-old season when she followed her Australian Guineas win at Flemington on March 2 with a dominant display in the first running of the world’s richest mile race at Flemington two weeks later.
The Adam Trinder-trained mare last ran in the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley on October 26 where she finished fifth, but she has already firmed from $11 to $8 at TAB to win successive All-Star Miles.
TAB AUTUMN ODDS PRE NOMINATIONS
AUSTRALIAN GUINEAS
Flemington, February 29
$8 Alligator Blood, Catalyst, Dalasan and Super Seth
$11 Castelvecchio and Kubrick
$15 Groundswell, Miami Bound, Pancho and Warning
$26+ Others
NEWMARKET HANDICAP
flemington, March 7
$8 Bivouac, Exceedance and Nature Strip
$11 Yes Yes Yes
$15 Cosmic Force, Libertini, Loving Gaby, Osborne Bulls, Pierata, Santa Ana Lane, Sunlight and Trekking
$26+ Others
AUSTRALIAN CUP
Flemington, March 7
$8 Melody Belle
$11 Arcadia Queen, Avilius, Castelvecchio, Mystic Journey and Te Akau Shark
$15 Finche, Harbour Views, Shared Ambition and Vow And Declare
$26+ Others
ALL-STAR MILE
Flemington, March 14
$8 Melody Belle, Mystic Journey
$11 Kolding, Te Akau Shark
$15 Alligator Blood, Arcadia Queen, Catalyst and Super Seth
$26+ Others
MILE OF POTENTIAL IN DALASAN
Star colt Dalasan will look to follow Mystic Journey’s All-Star Mile path through the Australian Guineas.
Trainer Leon Macdonald is confident the erratic three-year-old will measure up in the world’s richest mile.
“He’ll be nominated for it,” Macdonald said.
“I’m sure the (top) three-year-olds measure up.”
Dalasan raced greenly in the Guineas Prelude and Group 1 Caulfield Guineas, but book-ended his spring with wins in the Group 2 Danehill Stakes and Group 3 Carbine Club Stakes — both at Flemington.
The chestnut colt, rated at $26 with TAB for the All-Star Mile, returned to Macdonald and Andrew Gluyas’ yard on Monday after a short break.
He will resume at Flemington over 1200m in February before a crack at the Group 3 C.S. Hayes Stakes (1400m).
“He’s done very well,” Macdonald said. “You’d like to give him a little longer, but it’s impossible to do.
“The biggest problem is the gap from spring to autumn (is too short).”
Cox Plate runner-up, the Arrowfield Stud-owned Castelvecchio, is likely to bypass the All-Star Mile in the chase for stallion-making Guineas and Derby prizes.
Caulfield Guineas quinella Super Seth ($15) and Alligator Blood ($15) are the top-rated three-year-olds in the All-Star Mile pre-nominations market.
Originally published as All Star Mile 2020: Adam Trinder plots Mystic Journey’s course to go back-to-back in coveted mile
Tavi arrives in Time to claim Summer Cup
A perfectly timed ride by Jay Ford has seen the Kris Lees-trained Tavi Time grab victory right on the line in the Group 3 Summer Cup before a bumper crowd at Randwick.
Murwillumbah previews: Dunn chasing another huge haul
Matthew Dunn brought up his 200th Murwillumbah winner at the venue 14 days ago and with a big team engaged across the meeting, he is chance to set a new personal best.
Mott seals treble aboard Ashford Street In Christmas Stakes
Grand warhorse Ashford Street sealed a riding treble for Jamie Mott with victory in the Christmas Stakes at Caulfield Heath on Boxing Day.