The David & Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig-trained Group 1 winning mare Rising Romance is the clear early favourite in 2016 Stocks Stakes betting for this Friday night’s showdown at Moonee Valley.
Rising Romance (centre) is clear favourite to win Friday evening’s 2016 W.H. Stocks Stakes at Moonee Valley Racecourse. Photo: Steve Hart.
Running as the sixth race on the A.J. Moir Stakes Night program with a jump time of 9:00pm (AEST), the $200,000 Group 2 W.H. Stocks Stakes (1600m) features a final field of 11 mares.
Heading the line-up for the weight-for-age mile showdown and drawn a treat in barrier four is the Lindsay Park-trained Rising Romance, best known for her 2014 ATC Oaks win in Sydney over the mile and a half as a three-year-old.
She has won just the one race since, but her class form in Group 1 company and multiple elite level placings over the past two years have her sitting top of the Stocks Stakes odds through Ladbrokes.com.au at $2.80.
Two back the six-year-old daughter of Ekraar ran second to Black Heart Bart at Caulfield in the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) first-up and on Friday she is out to improve on a seventh to Palentino at Flemington in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m).
Dropping down in class Rising Romance has a strong weight-for-age record she can add to here from the good draw with Damian Lane in the saddle and record a rare win.
Occupying the second line of betting at $4.20 is Miss Rose De Lago who struggled to stay in touch at the track last time out on September 3 from the outside alley (14 of 14) in the Group 2 Dato’ Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m).
The six-year-old Danny O’Brien-trained daughter of Encosta De Lago finished dead last, but with a better gate (nine) this weekend against her own kind, she can atone.
Before the Dato’ failure Miss Rose De Lago won the Group 2 P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m) and that strong form is what connections are hoping she and ace hoop Damien Oliver can return to in the Stocks Stakes.
Hot on her heels at $4.40 and firming is the early Stocks Stakes market mover Don’t Doubt Mamma (in from $5.50) jumping one wider than the favourite in barrier five.
In-form jockey Dwayne Dunn continues his association with Tony McEvoy’s Not A Single Doubt four-year-old who comes off a narrow Flemington win from September 10 in the Group 2 Let’s Elope Stakes (1400m).
She is up in distance on Friday night over a mile for the first time since November last year when she finished a brave third to Mahuta in the Group 2 Sandown Guineas (1600m) with Dunn in the saddle.
At double-figures the best of the value Stocks Stakes bets this weekend include Jessy Belle ($11) who is also accepted for a Flemington run on Sunday in the Group 2 Blazer Stakes (1400m) and the Robert Smerdon-trained Iggimacool ($15) who is a three-time winner from five mile runs to date.
See below for the full W.H. Stocks Stakes 2016 betting markets, fixed win prices provided by Ladbrokes.com.au – the home of Odds Boost (T&Cs apply).
