Smart three year old Ready For Victory has drawn a midfield barrier in the Group 2 $200,000 Danehill Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on Saturday.
Damien Oliver will be having his first race ride on Ready For Victory in the Danehill Stakes at Flemington. Photo by Adrienne Bicknell.
Ready For Victory has raced down the Flemington straight before, scoring on debut over 1000m in the Listed $120,000 Festival Of Racing 1000 on March 7 and is coming off a last start second to Gold Symphony in the Group 3 $150,000 H.D.F. McNeil Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on August 29.
The Mick Price trained Ready For Victory draw gate six in the twelve horses field and new rider Damien Oliver will slot in just behind the pace in the first half of the race before looking for the way clear at the 300m.
Price had the option of taking Ready For Victory to Sydney on Saturday to clash again with Gold Symphony in the Group 1 $1m De Bortoli Wines Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill but opted to stay in Melbourne for his build up to the Group 1 $1m BECK Caulfield Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield on October 10.
“Sun International (Owners) had a bit of a query on the Golden Rose, taking the horse up there running in the 1400 and then bringing him back,” Price told racing.com.
“The question was, would it impact on him in a preparation sense and I couldn’t really guarantee that it wasn’t going to impact on him.
“So they wanted to take the safer option and run him down the straight, which is fine. So we’ll run him there and then probably run him in the Prelude and the Caulfield Guineas.”
Ready For Victory is currently on the second line of betting at $5 for the Caulfield Guineas at Ladbrokes.com.au with the Chris Waller trained Press Statement at the head of the market order at $4.60.
Saturday’s results will determine who stays at the top of the Caulfield Guineas market order with Press Statement going around as one of the favourites in the Golden Rose Stakes.
The Team Hawkes trained Headwater is also an acceptor for the Danehill Stakes and has come up with barrier eleven with top Melbourne jockey Dwayne Dunn to ride.
Headwater will race with the winkers on for the first time following his first up seventh to Japonisme in the Group 3 $125,000 Smithfield RSL Club San Domenico Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill on August 15.
Tom Hughes’ talented colt Black Vanquish has drawn the rails with Mark Zahra to ride and is no stranger to the Flemington straight 1200m with a win over the same course and diatance two starts back in a two year old Handicap on April 11.
Black Vanquish scored at his next start as well in the Listed $120,000 Thoroughbred Club Cup (1200m) at Caulfield on May 2 before heading for a short break.
Mornington trainers Lyn Tolson and Leonie Proctor prepared Well Sprung to score an upset win in the Listed $120,000 Essendon Nissan McKenzie Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on August 22 and winning rider Michael Walker has retained the ride on Saturday and will jump from gate ten.
Well Spring beat Danuki (barrier 9) by a length and a quarter in the McKenzie Stakes and the pair will class again in the Danehill Stakes with Chris Parnham gaining the ride on the Clinton McDonald trained colt who will be wearing the blinkers of the first time.
