Australian Racing: Flying Ace can rocket to Moonee Valley victory

There are a number of meetings scheduled to take place on Friday, including at Moonee Valley.

Race 6 Kensington

Liberty State @ 2.80

Race 5 Moonee Valley

Flying Ace @ 9.00

Race 7 Mudgee

Ravello @ 2.10

State for Kensington success

The penultimate race at Kensington is a 1400 Benchmark 72 handicap event set to take place on a soft 5 surface.

Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald are represented by Fiddlers Green here, with their gelding having impressed when resuming at Hawkesbury last month.

This four-year-old came home five-and-a-half-lengths clear of his rivals when racing on a good 4 track over 1400m on that occasion.

The son of Merchant Navy contested a Benchmark 68 handicap that day and, having finished strongly on that occasion, he rates highly stepping up in grade.

Zac Waddick takes a valuable three-kilograms off his back, however, preference is for Jay Ford’s mount LIBERTY STATE.

The mare won twice on the forecast soft going last prep, including by five lengths when jumping as a $1.40 favourite for a 1400m Benchmark 64 handicap at Ballarat in early April.

The five-year-old was spelled following a below par eighth when favourite for a 1400m Benchmark 70 handicap at Flemington later that month.

Liberty State demonstrated improvement in her second barrier trial back, winning over 900m at Rosehill and she came close to recording a first up success at Canterbury just under three weeks ago.

Trained by Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes, she is expected to appreciate the return to this distance having raced over 1250m in the previously mentioned Canterbury contest.

While barrier nine isn’t ideal, Liberty State remains open to improvement and is selected to record her third career win.

Ace to fly at The Valley

The fifth race at Moonee Valley is a 955m Benchmark 64 handicap event.

Keane Enuff is expected to feature prominently in the market, following a number of placed efforts this prep.

Those placed efforts include a defeat by just over a length when third in a similar race to this over course and distance last month.

The gelding had previously registered a good second when contesting a six runner 1000m Restricted 64 handicap at Bendigo.

Barrier nine isn’t ideal here however and FLYING ACE is the pick on this occasion.

Trained by Robbie Laing, the five-year-old won over 1200m when racing on the synthetic track at Pakenham in July.

Three consecutive second place finishes followed prior to ending his last prep, with a fifth in a 1500m Benchmark 64 handicap held on the Lakeside track at Sandown in August.

While the son of Flying Artie has shown his best form over further, he is effective over shorter distances, including when third over 1000m on the synthetic track at Pakenham earlier this year.

Flying Ace is expected to have improved for his near three-length defeat when sixth in a similar race to this held over track and trip two weeks ago.

Barrier three is a positive for Declan Bates’ mount here and he is taken to deliver a second up success.

Ravello for Cup glory

The seventh race of the day at Mudgee is the feature race, the 1400m Mudgee Cup.

A soft 6 track is expected for the race with RAVELLO taken to deliver a Cup victory, having demonstrated good form in three starts this prep.

The four-year-old resumed with a victory by just under half-a-length when contesting a 1300m Benchmark 78 handicap at Warwick Farm in September.

Ravello went on to lose out by a narrow margin when placing second in the 1600m Coonamble Gold Cup the following month.

While Ravello was unable to finish in the first three, he acquitted himself well when seventh in Randwick’s 1600m Little Dance early last month.

The gelding has been freshened since that effort and, dropping back in distance, looks up to recording his second win of the season.