There are eight meetings set to take place on Friday with Moonee Valley’s eight-race card the highlight.
Positivity @ 5.50
Run Harry Run @ 5.00
Longer Route @ 4.20
The feature race at The Valley is the penultimate race on the card, the Group 2 Moonee Valley Gold Cup.
Francesco Guardi is expected to start favourite, having registered some decent efforts in defeat this prep.
Those efforts include a four-length seventh in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes over 2000m at Flemington earlier this month.
That form looks strong, with the fourth home Duke De Sessa going on to take the Group 1 Caulfield Cup last weekend, getting the better of Turnbull second Buckaroo in the process.
The seven-year-old should have no issues with the extra distance here, having registered an impressive victory in this race two years ago.
That triumph did come on a wet track however and, with a good 4 surface expected for this event, POSITIVITY is preferred for the Andrew Forsman stable.
The four-year-old recorded a Group 3 win over this distance when taking out the SA Fillies Classic at Morphettville back in May.
Positivity was spelled following that triumph, returning to action with a second over a 1700m distance that is short of her best, when racing in Listed company at Caulfield at the end of August.
The filly returned to winning ways when getting home by a narrow margin in the MRC Foundation Cup, a Group 3 event held over 2000m at Caulfield last month.
A change of tactics saw Positivity race keenly when ridden cold in The Lexus Bart Cummings, a 2520m Group 3 event at Flemington earlier this month.
Jye McNeil takes the ride for the first time and, returning to a sound surface, his mount is selected to salute off a low weight.
The previous race on the Moonee Valley card is the 1500m Vobis Gold Star, a set weights event which has attracted a field of 10 runners.
Running By is expected to have her supporters for the Ciaron Maher team, having registered a couple of Group 3 placings last prep.
Those placed efforts include a half-length defeat in the Matron Stakes over 1600m on a good 3 surface at Flemington in March.
This five-year-old resumed with a narrow win over 1400m in a Caulfield Benchmark 84 handicap and she drops in grade, following a ninth in the Group 2 Let’s Elope Stakes at Flemington last month.
The daughter of Impending has been freshened since that effort and she rates highly with a tongue tie returning for this race.
However, in form hoop Blake Shinn’s mount RUN HARRY RUN is preferred on this occasion, with the pick having shown up well in two starts this prep.
The first of those saw the four-year-old beaten less than two-and-a-half-lengths when third in the Listed Testa Rossa Stakes over 1400m at Caulfield last month.
Run Harry Run went on to finish a good fourth in the 1400m Weekend Hussler, a Listed handicap over the same course and distance just under two weeks ago.
Trained by Michael Moroney & Glenn Thompson, the pick is expected to have underfoot conditions to suit and he looks capable of registering a win from barrier 10.
They are also set to race at Gawler in South Australia with the 1500m Gawler Cup, the penultimate race on an eight-race program the feature.
Mick Huxtable’s LONGER ROUTE has shown good form this prep, including when winning twice at metro level.
The second of those victories came on the Parks course at Morphettville with the gelding saluting by over a length in a 1550m Benchmark 64 handicap on his penultimate start.
Longer Route raced on a soft 5 track that day and, while similar underfoot conditions are expected here, any quickening of the going would be no issue.
Rochelle Milnes’ mount arrives here on the back of a good second when contesting a 1600m Restricted 66 handicap at Morphettville earlier this month.
A wide barrier isn’t ideal here, however, Longer Route gets in off a nice racing weight and looks capable of recording his fourth win of the year.