The opening Group 1 of the Victorian Spring Racing Carnival will be run at Caulfield this Saturday, with the Memsie Stakes (1400m) drawing together an elite field of 11 gallopers, ten of them already proven at the highest level. While the race has enormous prestige, many contenders are using it as a springboard to bigger targets later in the carnival.
The Ciaron Maher stable has dual representation, with Another Wil and Zardozi both resuming after preparing in Sydney before shifting to Cranbourne.
Another Wil, a six-year-old son of Street Boss, captured the Group 1 C F Orr Stakes over Saturday’s track and trip earlier this year before running sixth in the Doncaster Mile at Randwick in April.
National assistant trainer Jack Turnbull said the gelding had returned in terrific order after a rare spell that saw him thrive and put on 40 kilograms, a first for the horse.
“He’s bigger than he’s ever been at this point,” Turnbull said.
“He finished up in Sydney last campaign and we spelled him at Bong Bong in a grass paddock during the day and then he was boxed at night.
“He frets a bit, and he’s never done well during a break.
“He put on 40 kilos, which he had never done before. He was in a good rhythm up there and then he was trained up at the beach, so he’s had the best of both worlds before coming down here.”
With two Gosford trials under his belt and a Cranbourne gallop this week, Another Wil is forward enough to resume but still expected to take improvement from the outing.
“My gut feel is late he will be all out in terms of fitness with good improvement to come,” Turnbull said.
“The Memsie is far from being his Grand Final. After the Memsie it will probably be Makybe Diva and then we can go a couple of ways.
“Nothing is locked in, but hopefully he gets 2000 metres, and we can get to the Cox Plate.”
Stable newcomer Zardozi, formerly trained by James Cummings, will also represent Maher. She trialled at Randwick in late July before her transfer and had a subsequent trial at Cranbourne on August 7.
Turnbull said the Oaks winner gave the team a lot to look forward to.
“It’s pretty surreal to be given a horse of her calibre that is ready to go, in the sense she’s an older mare, conditioned, educated and you get to plot a path to the Melbourne Cup, potentially, or a Cox Plate,” Turnbull said.
“It will be interesting where we go with her because her form reads everywhere. She’s stayed two miles, she’s effective at 10 furlongs, she’s won an Oaks.
“We’ll see where we get to with her, but the main thing is we get her back winning.”
Punters eager to get involved in the Memsie Stakes can secure the latest odds and specials across Australia’s top betting sites.
