The Victorian Spring Racing Carnival kicks off its Group 1 calendar on Saturday with the running of the Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield, attracting one of the strongest fields in recent years. Despite its status, the race is not the ultimate goal for most of the leading contenders.
The field of 11 boasts ten individual Group 1 winners, including two representatives from the Ciaron Maher stable, both resuming after their early preparations in Sydney before relocating to Cranbourne.
Among them is Another Wil, who captured the Group 1 C F Orr Stakes over the same course and distance earlier this year before finishing sixth in the Doncaster Mile at Randwick in April.
Maher’s National Assistant Trainer, Jack Turnbull, said the six-year-old had returned from his break in excellent order, carrying more condition than ever before but with natural 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 down here.”
Another Wil tuned up with two trials at Gosford and a gallop at Cranbourne this 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.”
Joining him is Godolphin mare Zardozi, who makes her first start for Maher after previously being trained by James Cummings. She trialled for Cummings in late July before transferring across, with her latest trial coming under Maher’s banner on August 7.
Turnbull said they were still learning about the Oaks-winning mare but were excited by the opportunities ahead.
“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 back Another Wil or Zardozi in the Memsie Stakes can compare markets across leading betting sites.
