TOORAK HANDICAP
1600m, $500,000, handicap
HISTORY
* First run in 1881 when won by Josephine
* Group One since 1979
* Run over 1700m 1931-35, 1800m 1891, Run at Flemington 1940-43
NOTABLE WINNERS
* The Trump (1937), Royal Gem (1946), Galilee (1966), Tobin Bronze (1967), Gunsynd (1971), All Shot (1972), Leilani (1974), Magari (1982), Cole Diesel (1989), Umrum (1999 & 2000), Alamosa (2008), More Joyous (2010), Solzhenitsyn (2012,13), Trust In A Gust (2014), Tosen Stardom (2017)
TALKING POINTS
* Tosen Stardom last year gave Darren Weir his third win in the past four years. This year he saddles Black Heart Bart, Cliff’s Edge, Land Of Plenty and Lord Langley
* Only three trainers have been successful in the past six years. Darren Weir three times, Robert Heathcote twice and Lindsay Park who have Muraaqeb running this year
* European Godolphin galloper Jungle Cat is aiming to become first since Trust In A Gust in 2014 to win Sir Rupert Clarke-Toorak Handicap double
WHAT THE KEY PLAYERS ARE SAYING:
“He’s back up to 59 kilograms but I think that against those horses he’s very capable of being competitive with them at that weight” – Hartnell’s trainer James Cummings
“I’m confident the barrier beat him last time. He came from gate 13 and just had to press forward and it fired him up for a furlong” – Dollar For Dollar’s trainer Tony McEvoy
“He’s a lightweight chance. There looks like there will be good speed on and he should just camp behind them and then hopefully he just gets a bit of luck” – Radipole’s trainer Mike Moroney
“”I thought he hit a bit of a flat spot in the Epsom around 200 metres out but in the last 100 metres when I could get at him again he really came on. That’s what I really liked, he was doing his best work late and hopefully he can do the same again on Saturday” – Muraaqeb’s jockey Cory Parish
