An inside barrier for Gatting will help compensate his top weight of 58kg in the 2019 Group 1 $1m Kirin Railway Stakes (1600m) at Ascot in Perth on Saturday.

Gatting, above, has drawn in close in the 2019 Railway Stakes at Ascot in Perth. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.

Gatting, above, has drawn in close in the 2019 Railway Stakes at Ascot in Perth. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.

Gatting drew barrier five in the final field of sixteen for the Railway Stakes and the his jockey Mitchell Pateman is confident he can give the six year old every chance from that gate.

“It makes my job a bit easier,” Pateman told The West Australian.

“On form he’s probably proven to be the best horse in the race, but he’s got to carry the best horse’s weight of 58kg.”

The Darren Mcauliffe trained gelding showed his class during the 2019 Melbourne Spring Carnival with an upset win at $101 in the Group 1 $750,000 PFD Food Services Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on September 14.

Gatting will be lining up for his second attempt at winning the Railway Stakes after being runner up to Galaxy Star twelve months ago with Damian Lane in the saddle and is marked as a $12 chance at Ladbrokes.com.au to go one better this year.

The Makybe Diva Stakes winner returned to his home state of Western Australia after two unplaced runs at Caulfield in the Group 1 $750,000 Underwood Stakes (1800m) and in the Group 1 $1m Ladbrokes Stakes (2000m) and was back on track for the Railway Stakes with a second to Star Exhibit in the Group 2 $250,000 Lee Steere Stakes (1400m) at Ascot in Perth on November 9.

Gatting’s stablemate The Velvet King remains the $6.50 Railway Stakes favourite at Ladbrokes.com.au after drawing barrier six while the Chris Gangemi trained Samizdat has firmed in $1 to $7 after drawing nicely at gate three.

Damien Oliver will have to find all of his magical skills after his mount Achernar Star drew the outside gate in the sixteen horse field and the Simon Miller trained gelding remains a $10 chance.

Betting for the 2019 Railway Stakes at Ladbrokes.com.au: $6.50 The Velvet King, $7 Tellem We’re Comin, Samizdat, $8 Regal Power, $9 Best Of Days, Reykjavik, $10 Achernar Star, $12 Gatting, $14 Star Exhibit, $15 Perfect Jewel, $17 Variation, $26 Monolo Blahniq, $31 Mizlecki, Cockney Crew, $34 Tamasa, $41 Platoon.

Final field and barrier draw for the 2019 Railway Stakes (1600m)

No Last 10 Horse Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight Hcp Rating
1 x512251502 GATTING Darren Mcauliffe Mitchell Pateman 5 58kg 112
2 x5Nx738035 BEST OF DAYS (GB) James Cummings Brad Rawiller 11 57kg
3 77051145×1 STAR EXHIBIT Adam Durrant Peter Hall 4 56.5kg 109
4 09x211x524 ACHERNAR STAR Simon A Miller Damien Oliver 16 55.5kg 107
5 1653138×71 REYKJAVIK Lindsey Smith Dean Yendall 12 53kg
6 x21412x213 THE VELVET KING Darren Mcauliffe Chris Parnham 6 53kg 102
7 13x723x411 TELLEM WE’RE COMIN Grant & Alana Williams Brenton Avdulla 9 53kg 99
8 34x523x272 VARIATION Stephen Miller Brad Parnham 8 53kg
9 4187445×55 MIZLECKI Fred Kersley Ms Jerry Noske 2 53kg 94
10 x684830x93 PERFECT JEWEL Adam Durrant Ms Jade McNaught (a) 7 53kg 92
11 72240×9245 MANOLO BLAHNIQ (NZ) Tony Noonan Joseph Azzopardi 10 53kg
12 32321211×2 REGAL POWER Grant & Alana Williams William Pike 15 53kg 94
13 x13x11x651 SAMIZDAT Chris Gangemi Jarrad Noske 3 53kg 91
14 x71422x121 COCKNEY CREW Kieran McDonagh Troy Turner 14 53kg 87
15 x05138x112 PLATOON Neville Parnham Steven Parnham 13 53kg 82
16 22111×5453 TAMASA Lindsey Smith Peter Knuckey 1 53kg 82

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.