Nine-time Melbourne premiership winning jockey Craig Williams has described his Newmarket Handicap mount September Run a jet ahead of partnering the filly in the time-honoured sprint over the straight 1200m course at Flemington.
Williams has been aboard September Run, trained by Chris Waller, in her four starts on the straight track at Flemington, for three wins and a last start second in the Group 1 Lightning Stakes (1000m) on February 13.
The Newmarket Handicap will be September Run’s second attempt at Group 1 glory having won the Coolmore Stud Stakes in the spring.
TAB has September Run their $2.10 favourite from Swats That ($7) and Sirius Suspect ($8).
Williams partnered September Run in a 800m jumpout at Flemington on Friday and could not contain his delight in the way the filly went about her work.
“You always hope they hold their form, but she seems to have come on,” Williams said.
“Steven Arnold rides her in most of her work and I spoke to him after the feeling she gave me in the jump-out, and he says she’s definitely come on, and he’s a great judge.
“She had a lot of built-up energy in her jump-out and we’re looking forward to using that in the Newmarket.”
Weights for the Newmarket are likely to be raised with topweights Nature Strip and Bivouac, both on 58.5kg, unlikely to start.
September Run’s weight will rise to 54kg, which is 3.5kg more than what fellow three-year-old filly Sunlight carried in 2019.
Like September Run, Sunlight won the Coolmore Stud Stakes the previous spring and was placed in the Lightning Stakes in the lead-up.
“If you look at it against weight-for-age she is badly treated, but she will be the highest-rated horse in the race with 3kg less than the topweight,” Williams said.
Written by Craig Brennan
