The City Of Marion Stakes highlights the card at Morphettville and while Adelaide hosts a very important cricket game this week, we hope to find a winner.
It’s hard to beat Phillip Stokes at the moment and he has Éclair Samba running again this week. It is just one of four he had accepted for at the meeting – all of whom were last start winners. Stokes is training at a rate of 29% this season and +34.8% POT which are brilliant numbers!
While most of the rest of this field in Race 5 are well exposed and older horses, this 4yo by Ekraar is starting to learn the caper well.
He found the first couple of runs too short then progressed to win on the Parks track last time in a Rst68 race. This is up once more in grade but the standard of all the horses atop the weights are hardly in imperious form (assuming Initiator runs at Caulfield).
The job was done last time when off an inside gate he sat midfield on the fence then was held up when wanting to move at the 600m. Out at the point of the bend, he did just flatten out and scrambled home by a head but maybe this 1800m is perfect for him.
There could be value in the City Of Marion Stakes in the form of Ventic. This son of Blevic chases a hatrick after winning in Adelaide then taking on that bad track on Ballarat Cup day and scored when leading.
He can handle all tracks and from an inside draw, they can let it all unfold in front of him if they wish given he is a noted on pacer. Obviously they should run along in the big field but at each way odds he’ll do us at the value.
Gossip Guru will have plenty of admirers coming off her last start win over this course and distance. She should be staying alright given she is by Reset out of a mare who has produced Gamblin’ Guru, the winner of the Geelong Classic in October.
But two runs back she was beaten by two of her rivals here, one of whom came from behind her to win. She’s up in weight again despite the claim and happy to think others are about the same level but just as likely to win.
SAY FROM SA:
BANKER: Race 5 #9 Éclair Samba @ $4.00
PLAY OF THE DAY: Race 7 #6 Ventic @ $15.00 (each way)
LAY OF THE DAY: Race 4 #2 Gossip Guru @ $4.60
