The first Group 1 race of the Victorian Spring Racing Carnival is set to be run at Caulfield, and while it has brought together one of the best editions of the race for many years, it is far from the Grand Final for most of the combatants.
The Memsie Stakes (1400m) on Saturday has brought together a field of 11 runners of which ten are winners at Group 1 level.
Two of those Group 1 winners come from the Ciaron Maher stable and are both resuming, having done their early work in Sydney before being floated south to Cranbourne.
Another Wil won the Group 1 C F Orr Stakes over Saturday’s course and distance first-up in the autumn and has not been sighted since running sixth in the Doncaster Mile at Randwick in April.
Maher’s National Assistant Trainer Jack Turnbull said Another Wil, who recently turned six, had put on weight during his late autumn break and looks in excellent order for his return, but naturally with improvement to come.
“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 done here.”
Another Wil had two trials at Gosford to prepare for his return and a gallop at Cranbourne on Tuesday after arriving at the stable last week.
“His trials would suggest he’s come back in good shape, and we’ve only done one little bit of work with him, but everything that we can see is positive,” Turnbull said.
“My gut feel is late he will be all out in terms of fitness with good improvement to come.
“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.”
Godolphin mare Zardozi will be having her first run for the Maher stable having started her career with James Cummings.
Zardozi commenced her current campaign with Cummings and trialled under his name at Randwick late last month before transferring over to Maher’s care for her latest trial on August 7.
Turnbull said the stable was still getting to know Zardozi, but Turnbull said she was a lovely mare.
“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.”
