The powerful Grant and Alana Williams training partnership will come out with all guns blazing in the $125,000 Listed Belmont Oaks on Saturday … with Ladies Pro (Willie Pike), Esta Mirando (Austin Galati) and Think Pink Daze (Chloe Azzopardi) all taking aim at the Oaks target … but the betting market suggests that might not be enough to shoot down the current race favourite, Like Clockwork who, at $2.60 according to leading Aussie betting sites, edges out Ladies Pro ($3.10) at the top of the betting boards.
These two runners dominate the betting with none of the other runners in the fourteen-strong field coming in at under $10.
The Michael Grantham-trained Like Clockwork finished fourth in the Belmont Guineas last time out and finished a close-up third in the two starts immediately prior to that.
Those three runs, in which Like Clockwork maintained a consistent level of performance, were well designed to give Like Clockwork a measured build-up in distance on the way to the 2000m of the Belmont Oaks … coming, as they did, over 1200m, 1400m and 1600m.
In the Belmont Guineas, Like Clockwork raced well back early … all of eight lengths behind the leader … before cutting the corner and looking set to range into contention. There was plenty of traffic on the inside line though and, approaching the 200m, Like Clockwork became cramped for galloping room … was momentarily cut out … but then got going again and was hitting the line well.
The takeaway from that race was that Like Clockwork was a touch unlucky … not that he would have beaten Hot And High and Prince Of Dala who fought out a tremendous photo finish … and that, the way he finished off suggested he would cope with more ground.
Whether that extends out to another 400m he will get in the Oaks remains to be seen, but the Guineas result did give some encouragement in that regard.
Clint Johnston-Porter will ride Like Clockwork.
Ladies Pro finished 0.17 lengths behind Like Clockwork in the Guineas. While the Team Williams-trained runner did not experience the traffic problems Like Clockwork did, Ladies Pro, courtesy of a very wide run in the home straight, did cover more ground than Like Clockwork and was hitting the line just as hard … again, giving some promise of better things to come in Saturday’s Oaks.
Taken on their respective Guineas runs, as the betting indicates, there could again be very little between them in the Oaks finish.
The other two Williams-trained runners look to be more of a supporting cast than outright winning chances. Esta Mirando ($10) finished fifth in her last start over 1650m without threatening the winner, while Think Pink Daze ($23) finished third in her last start over 1600m … in a result which is worth a second glance, for another reason.
The winner there was Effortlessly, a stable companion to Like Clockwork, who scored a boilover victory at a starting price of $21.
The Michael Grantham-trained chestnut did have the advantage of Cassey Martinan’s 3kg claim there, but her run of form in her last four starts … a maiden win, a second placing, a third placing and then that long-priced win … could indicate that, although the Oaks is a big step up in class, she could well be a horse on the move.
Brad Parnham takes the ride on the $19 chance.
