The Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Prompt Response is nominated for a return to racing under the lights at Moonee Valley Racecourse in this Friday night’s Scarborough Stakes 2016.
A black-type winner at the track Merriest is among the headline 2016 Scarborough Stakes nominated fillies for Friday night. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
Formerly ed as the MVRC Champagne Stakes, this season’s $150,000 Group 3 Scarborough Stakes (1200m) has attracted a bumper 19 three-year-old fillies at nomination stage.
Heading the Scarborough Stakes ballot is Beneteau filly Prompt Response who hasn’t raced since a win at Newcastle by a runaway 4.5 lengths back on April 21.
Prior to that she thrice raced in Group company including her second behind Missrock in Sydney’s Group 3 Percy Sykes Stakes (1200m) during ‘The Championships’.
Prompt Response has trialled twice leading up to her three-year-old debut including a 900m Rosehill hit-out win in mid-August over Awoke.
Waterhouse & Bott have also nominated for Real Saga filly Sylpheed whose last run was on May 7 in Adelaide’s Listed Queen Adelaide Stakes (1050m).
She has had a more recent Sydney trial success, winning over 743m at Randwick on September 5.
The highest-rated of the Scarborough Stakes nominees is the Danny O’Brien-trained Merriest, the daughter of Denman coming off a win at the track on September 3 in the Listed Atlantic Jewel Stakes (1200m) as a $15 shot.
Also coming off a win and entered for Friday’s fixture is the Robert Smerdon-trained Sebring filly Motown Lil who enjoyed a 1000m victory at Mornington on September 8 as the odds-on favourite.
Smerdon also has lightly-raced Hinchinbrook filly Alaskan Sun in the mix, the well-bred youngster having had just the one run to date winning at Ballarat on debut back in early February.
Peter & Paul Snowden are represented in the Scarborough Stakes entries by Poet’s Voice filly My Country who comes off a third at Flemington from September 10.
She linked up in the Listed Cap D’Antibes Stakes (1100m) from barrier 13 of 18 and caught the eye crossing only a quarter-length away third in a blanket finish behind Kentucky Miss.
Lindsay Park have a trio of nominees led by Street Boss filly Tris, a Group 3 winner at Morphettville in the Breeders Stakes back in mid-April.
The other David and Ben Hayes & Tom Dabernig-trained fillies nominated for the Group 3 this weekend are Athena Lass and Heart The Chant.
Of those two, Snitzel filly Athena Lass is the best tried having won at Moonee Valley on debut in mid-July before a third in the Group 3 Quezette Stakes (1100m) in August and her last start Atlantic Jewel Stakes fourth.
Other noteworthy nominees include the Robbie Griffiths-trained Not A Single Doubt filly Selenia who is a black-type winner at Flemington from the autumn, the returning Group 2 Sweet Embrace Stakes runner-up In The Vanguard and the Darren Weir-trained improver In Contempt.
See below for the full Scarborough Stakes 2016 nominations, the field and barriers out on Wednesday followed by betting at Ladbrokes.com.au.
2016 Scarborough Stakes Nominations
Moonee Valley Racecourse – 23/09/2016
| # | Form (Last 10) | Horse | Sex | Age | Trainer | Ballot | Weight | H. Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2x421x | PROMPT RESPONSE | F | 3 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | 1 | 56kg | 70 |
| 2 | 1108×250 | SWORD OF LIGHT | F | 3 | Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra | 2 | 56kg | 73 |
| 3 | 16×81 | MERRIEST | F | 3 | Danny O’Brien | 3 | 56kg | 77 |
| 4 | 12x11x3 | MY COUNTRY | F | 3 | Peter & Paul Snowden | 4 | 56kg | 75 |
| 5 | 60x4116x2 | TRIS | F | 3 | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 5 | 56kg | 70 |
| 6 | 4414×60 | SELENIA | F | 3 | Robbie Griffiths | 6 | 56kg | 71 |
| 7 | 3x135x2115 | HAPPY EVENT | F | 3 | John Zielke | 7 | 56kg | 74 |
| 8 | 12x | IN THE VANGUARD | F | 3 | John Sargent | 8 | 56kg | 75 |
| 9 | 177×8 | WANT TO ROCK | F | 3 | Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra | 9 | 56kg | 67 |
| 10 | 45x22x3631 | MOTOWN LIL | F | 3 | Robert Smerdon | 10 | 56kg | 66 |
| 11 | 0134×10 | GRETNA | F | 3 | Chris Waller | 11 | 56kg | 69 |
| 12 | 134 | ATHENA LASS | F | 3 | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 12 | 56kg | 67 |
| 13 | 132x | SYLPHEED | F | 3 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | 13 | 56kg | 68 |
| 14 | 1x | HEAR THE CHANT | F | 3 | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | 14 | 56kg | 66 |
| 15 | 9x21x | STOP MAKING SENSE | F | 3 | Ciaron Maher | 15 | 56kg | 63 |
| 16 | 21 | IN CONTEMPT | F | 3 | Darren Weir | 16 | 56kg | 63 |
| 17 | 1×72 | MOONLOVER | F | 3 | Matt Laurie | 17 | 56kg | 63 |
| 18 | 41 | SNITTY KITTY | F | 3 | Henry Dwyer | 18 | 56kg | 62 |
| 19 | 1x | ALASKAN SUN | F | 3 | Robert Smerdon | 19 | 56kg | 63 |
