In what could be the biggest weekend of runners in MRH history, we thought we’d do a preview of each upcoming runner across the country from Friday to Sunday. There is a great mix of horses in the below list; 2yo’s having their first start, Series finals, Listed races, 2 MRH horses in the same race (again!) and horses with shares available that are racing this weekend.
Please see below a preview of each upcoming runner this weekend!
Friday
Diversity - Sunshine Coast Race 1 @ 2:04pm - Barrier 6 - Robbie Dolan
It’s great to see this daughter of Anders head to the races for the first time (pending weather conditions) in a 1000m 2yo fillies maiden. She has had 1 trial at Beaudesert leading in, which was the quickest trial of the morning and she was cruising through it, doing it all under her own steam. She comes into barrier 6 with the scratching and gets the 2024 Melbourne Cup-winning jockey, Robbie Dolan, in the saddle, which will give us great insight into how she feels on raceday. It’s a tough race to line up with the majority of the fillies having their first start, however, no matter the result, she will improve with the race experience. Based on her work at the stable with proven 2yo’s like Profoundly and Idyllic Affair, we expect she should be very competitive at this level. The best thing is, there are shares that are still available in this filly!
Our Sassy Lady - Bendigo Race 7 @ 4:00pm - Barrier 14 - Beau Mertens
Our Sassy Lady returns to the races for a BM64 over 1600m, following her slightly disappointing run at Warrnambool last time in. She has drawn barrier 14 here, and the stable have given the indication that she is unlikely to run. However, if a number of scratchings occur in the race, we could see a better barrier on race day. She ran the quickest last 200m of the race last start, in a race that was dominated by horses up on-speed. If she can settle a little closer, we expect that she could be competitive.
Firebolt - Sunshine Coast Race 5 @ 4:34pm - Barrier 7 - Michael Rodd
Firebolt heads to the Sunshine Coast for a BM65 over 1800m. She was disappointing last start in a race where she didn’t have the kindest run in transit. We know that she has better ability than that run. She’s a fighting mare that needs a grinding test, and she comes to this race hard fit, as it is her 8th run for the preparation. That being said, if the rain comes to Sunshine Coast, she will likely be scratched.
Nana’s Wish - Cranbourne Race 6 @ 7:45pm - Barrier 8 - Luke Cartwright
Nana’s Wish is set to shine under lights at Cranbourne in the BM70 Ladbrokes Mile Series Final, worth $75,000, which is a good purse for a race like this. She was only beaten 2.5L first up on a soft 5 with a big weight, which was quite a positive fresh run. Any rain in the Cranbourne area would be a huge positive for this daughter of Belardo, but nonetheless, she’s capable of winning a race like this if the cards fall her way.
Saturday
Charming Nic - Ipswich Race 5 @ 2:19pm - Barrier 2 - Anthony Allen
This lightly raced son of Nicconi is an excitement machine as he lines up in a 3yo BM65 over 1350m on Saturday at Ipswich. He comes here off a very impressive victory at the Sunshine Coast poly, where he raced in front but was keen throughout, yet still finished off with the victory, and wasn’t pushed out to his full extent. This horse is building confidence and maturity with every assignment on the racetrack, and based on his form in Melbourne around The Muffin Man (accepted for a Group 1 in QLD on Saturday), we expect he will be very hard to beat here if he puts it all together.
Glory Daze - Rosehill Race 8 @ 3:05pm - Barrier 2 - Ben Osmond
After the history-making MyRacehorse quinella last week, Glory Daze is backing up into the Listed Lord Mayors Cup over 2000m at Rosehill. He showed last weekend that he excels on rain affected ground, and with Rosehill currently being rated as a Heavy 9, hopefully it doesn’t dry out too much over the next few days. He would’ve gained some much-needed confidence from the victory at Randwick, and Ben Osmond is starting to build a great relationship with the horse. He’s drawn perfectly in barrier 2, and hopefully he can continue on his winning ways in listed grade this weekend.
Wonder Kid - Caulfield Race 7 @ 3:20pm - Barrier 8 - Beau Mertens
Wonder Kid heads back to Caulfield following his victory in a BM78 3 weeks ago. He now steps up to BM84 grade, however, he deserves that opportunity based on his last run. Staying at 2000m is definitely a positive, given that he still wanted to race keenly in his last start. Beau Mertens retains the ride after his masterstroke of sending him to the front, and with minimal speed predicted again on the map, we could potentially see a repeat of 3 weeks ago!
Lauding - Caulfield Race 7 @ 3:20pm - Barrier 12 - Declan Bates
Hoping for a 2nd MyRacehorse quinella in a row, Lauding comes up against Wonder Kid in the BM84 over 2000m. He was disappointing at Flemington last start, being beaten a long way on testing ground, which we know he doesn’t appreciate. His 2 runs this campaign have both been on heavy ground, so with the Caulfield track currently being rated as a Good 4, that will certainly benefit him. With that in mind, hopefully we can see some improvement from him on Saturday.
Starmae - Rosehill Race 10 @ 4:20pm - Barrier 1 - Winona Costin
Starmae contests the lucky last on the program at Rosehill on Saturday, in a BM78 over 1200m. The stable still hold a nomination for her midweek next week, and could potentially bypass this run and head there. If she stays in this field, she comes up against a number of key rivals that she has raced against this preparation. She was disappointing last start in a race where she probably had every possible chance, but, she remains in good order and we will see on Saturday whether she will take her place in this race.
Sunday
Bold Strike - Sandown Race 1 @ 11:50am - Barrier 2 - Jaylah Kennedy
The lucky-last for the weekend, and arguably one of the most exciting horses in the MyRacehorse red. Bold Strike heads to a 3yo BM64 over 1400m at Sandown after his impressive victory at Ararat, earning an extra $100,000 Inglis bonus in the process. He steps up in trip from the 1300m last start, and based on his speed gene being a C:T Long, he will certainly relish any rises in trip. He won with some petrol still in the tank at Ararat, which gives us confidence that he is ready to tackle this grade, and be very competitive in doing so.
Good luck to all owners with runners this weekend. MyRacehorse is currently operating at a 24% winning strike rate this month, so hopefully we can finish May off with a bang!
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