Australian Racing: Camelot to be crowned in Moir Stakes

There's a huge day of racing ahead across the country on Saturday, with Group 1 action in Melbourne and four Group races on the schedule in Sydney.

There are a massive 13 meetings in total, as they race at Belmont, Birdsville, Doomben, Gold Coast, Hastings, Hawkesbury, Junction, Mildura, Moonee Valley, Morphettville, Orange, Randwick and Toowoomba.

Race 9 Moonee Valley

Lady Of Camelot @ 3.20

Race 7 Randwick

Bella Nipotina @ 4.80

Race 6 Birdsville

Lucky Exchange @ 6.50

Camelot to take Group 1 honours

The previously mentioned Group 1 event is the 1000m Charter Keck Cramer Moir Stakes over 1000m at Moonee Valley.

A good 4 track is expected, with Estriella likely to prove popular for the Ciaron Maher stable having won her first three starts last prep.

Those starts included a victory in the 1100m Senet Peter Le Grand Stakes, a Group contest held on a good 3 track at Caulfield in February.

The four-year-old won down the straight at Flemington on her next two starts prior to fading late on when fifth in the 1200m Group 1 Robert Sangster at Morphettville in April.

The daughter of I Am Invincible impressed in a barrier trial at Cranbourne recently and rates highly dropping back in distance.

She has to concede upwards of six kilograms to LADY OF CAMELOT however, with the three-year-old preferred in this contest.

The youngster made five starts as a two-year-old registering her biggest win to date when getting home by a narrow margin in the 1200m Group 1 Golden Slipper at Rosehill in March.

Trained by Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott, the 3.20 pick went on to finish runner-up in the Group 2 Percy Sykes Stakes over the same distance at Randwick.

Both of those efforts came on good 4 tracks and similar underfoot conditions will suit in this contest.

Zac Lloyd takes the ride for the first time here and his mount, who has won from the front and from off the pace in her short career, has a good barrier next to the rail.

The selection remains open to improvement and is taken to follow in the footsteps of She Will Reign (2017) and 2022’s winner Coolangatta as fillies who have won this race at three.

Bella to fly home in Concorde Stakes

While there are three Group 2 contests on the Randwick card, the most valuable race on their card is the $1,000,000 Group 3 Concorde Stakes over 1000m.

The race sees the return of 2022 Everest winner Giga Kick, who won twice at the highest level in 2023, including when taking the 1200m Doomben 10,000 in May of that year.

Clayton Douglas’ gelding has been seen just once since then, however, finishing third in the Group 2 McEwen Stakes over 1000m at Moonee Valley just under a year ago.

The five-year-old has had a couple of barrier trials here ahead of his return to action, but conceding weight to his rivals may prove too much in this contest.

With that in mind, preference here is for this year’s Doomben 10,000 winner BELLA NIPOTINA, with that win one of two Group 1 successes for the mare this year.

The second of her Group 1 triumphs saw her come home a length clear of her 16 rivals when taking out the 1400m Tattersall’s Tiara at Eagle Farm at the end of June.

While the 4.80 pick drops back in distance here, she has shown good form at this distance in the past when beaten less than a length into fourth in the Group 1 Lightning Stakes in February.

The good 4 going forecast is in the selection’s favour and she arrives here on the back of a third in a barrier trial at Warwick Farm last month.

Regular pilot Craig Williams, on board for five of the mare’s last six starts, is set to ride here and he can partner the mare to victory on her seasonal reappearance.

Exchange looks Lucky at Birdsville

The highlight of Birdsville's two-day meeting is the 1600m Birdsville Cup, an open handicap set to take place over 1600m.

William Kropp’s LUCKY EXCHANGE is selected to provide him with a winner, having registered some good efforts this year including when winning twice over further.

The second of those victories saw the gelding come home in front in a 2215m Benchmark 65 handicap on a soft 55 track at Rockhampton in July.

The 6.50 six-year-old proved he is a versatile type with regard to distance when finishing third dropped to 1300m for a Benchmark 65 event at Toowoomba the following month.

The pick jumped at $31 that day and, following a good fourth when racing at Benchmark 70 level over 1625m at the same track subsequently, he is taken to salute under Hannah Phillips.