The Grant & Alana Williams-trained Perfect Reflection has come up trumps drawing ideally in barrier two for Saturday’s Railway Stakes 2016.
Disposition jumps from the outside barrier (16) in Saturday’s capacity 2016 Railway Stakes field in Perth. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
The Railway Stakes barrier draw for the mile classic running at Ascot Racecourse on the weekend was conducted by Perth Racing on Tuesday afternoon.
A big winner who is firming in markets at James Boag’s Railway Stakes (1600m) after drawing one off the rails is More Than Ready four-year-old Perfect Reflection.
The mare boasts an outstanding record of four wins and a third from five starts at the Ascot track where she was last seen winning the Group 2 Lee Steere Stakes (1400m) on November 5.
She is out over a mile for the first time since her failed last in Melbourne’s Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) as a three-year-old in the autumn.
Back at home and back in flying form Perfect Reflection could prove the one to beat as she looks to complete the Lee Steere Stakes – Railway Stakes double without a run in between for the first time since Belle Bizarre (2006) a decade ago.
Perfect Reflection has regular rider William Pike retaining the ride and he shoots for his second win in the race after success aboard the Grant Williams-trained Elite Belle (2014) two years ago.
The last Railway Stakes winner to jump from barrier two meanwhile was Covertly (2005).
The stable has a total of three runners in the Railway Stakes with Perfect Reflection ed by stablemates Disposition and Heart Starter who drew opposite ends of the field in gates 19 and 1 respectively.
Disposition will jump from the outside Railway Stakes barrier (16 of 16) on race day with Glenn Smith partnering the Reset gelding who is out to turn the tables on Perfect Reflection after his second to her in the Lee Steere last start.
The proven Group 1 placegetter both in Perth and Melbourne, who was formerly prepared in Victoria by Lee & Anthony Freedman, is out to be the first Railway champion to overcome the barrier since 1991.
The inside alley meanwhile belongs to Domesday four-year-old Heart Starter who is on the quick back-up after a fourth to Scales Of Justice in last Saturday’s Group 3 R.J. Peters Stakes (1500m).
That race last produced a Railway winner with Gilded Venom (2nd in 2008).
Barrier one meanwhile last produced a champion of the mile classic in 2002 with Old Fashion.
The past three Railway Stakes champions have all jumped from wide gates: Luckygray (12 of 15 in 2013), Elite Belle (12 of 16 in 2014) and Good Project (11 of 14 in 2015).
This year the Chris Waller-trained Good Project returns shooting for back-to-back wins and is drawn gate seven for jockey Hugh Bowman, into six if the first emergency comes out.
The most successful Railway Stakes barrier (since 1983) producing six winners is gate 12.
This Perth Summer Racing Carnival barrier 12 was drawn by the third emergency Showy Chloe.
If the three emergencies all come out the gate will belong to the Lindsay Park-trained He Or She (15).
See below for the full Railway Stakes 2016 barriers before heading to Ladbrokes.com.au to check out the latest markets for the first Group 1 of the summer racing season.
2016 Railway Stakes Barriers
Ascot Racecourse – 19/11/2016
| # | Horse | Barrier | Weight | Rating | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KAWI | 3 | 58.5kg | 112 | Michael Walker | Allan Sharrock |
| 2 | DISPOSITION | 19 | 56kg | 107 | Glenn Smith | Grant & Alana Williams |
| 3 | PORNICHET | 18 | 56kg | 107 | Jarrad Noske | Daniel Morton |
| 4 | HE OR SHE | 15 | 55.5kg | 106 | Craig Williams | D & B Hayes & T Dabernig |
| 5 | GOOD PROJECT | 7 | 55kg | 105 | Hugh Bowman | Chris Waller |
| 6 | PERFECT REFLECTION | 2 | 54.5kg | 104 | William Pike | Grant & Alana Williams |
| 7 | MACKINTOSH | 16 | 54kg | 103 | Damien Oliver | Chris Waller |
| 8 | LITE’N IN MY VEINS | 9 | 53.5kg | 102 | Steven Parnham | Fred Kersley |
| 9 | RAGEESE | 11 | 53.5kg | 102 | Damian Lane | Darren Weir |
| 10 | BALMONT GIRL | 13 | 53kg | 95 | Shaun O’Donnell | Paula Wagg |
| 11 | HEART STARTER | 1 | 53kg | 95 | Chris Parnham | Grant & Alana Williams |
| 12 | IDEAL IMAGE | 17 | 53kg | 92 | Joseph Azzopardi | G Durrant & Jason Miller |
| 13 | NEVERLAND | 10 | 53kg | 92 | Peter Hall | Grant & Alana Williams |
| 14 | SCALES OF JUSTICE | 8 | 53kg | 91 | Douglas Whyte | Lindsey Smith |
| 15 | TICK TICK BLOOM | 4 | 53kg | 91 | Jason Brown | G Durrant & Jason Miller |
| 16 | TRADESMAN | 6 | 53kg | 91 | Troy Turner | Robert & Todd Harvey |
| 17e | ZARANTZ | 5 | 53kg | 94 | Brad Parnham | Simon A. Miller |
| 18e | GREAT SHOT | 14 | 53kg | 88 | Craig Staples | Rhys Radford |
| 19e | SHOWY CHLOE | 12 | 53kg | 80 | Patrick Carbery | Jason Pateman |
