A capacity Myer Classic 2017 field has been announced for the mile race for fillies and mares on VRC Derby Day this Saturday and early betting has the sole filly in the line-up Shoals narrow favourite ahead of Global Glamour.
The only filly in the race Shoals has last year’s winning hoop Dean Yendall riding in the 2017 Myer Classic field on Saturday. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
Due to run as Flemington Race 6 at 3:05pm (AEDT) as part of an all-Group race program for the Melbourne Cup Carnival opener, this year’s Group 1 $500,000 Myer Classic (1600m) attracted a full 16 starters plus four emergencies.
There is only one filly taking on the older mares in the weight-for-age clash this year with Anthony Freedman saddling-up the in-form Shoals from barrier 11, into nine with emergencies out.
Lightweight hoop Dean Yendall won the race on I Am A Star in 2016, the first win by a filly in over 20 years, and returns looking to go back-to-back on the youngsters this spring.
Fastnet Rock filly Shoals raced over the mile for the first time on October 14 finishing second behind Aloisia in the Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) carrying 55.5kg.
She drops 5.5kg for the Myer Classic over the same distance at Flemington, a track she won a Group 3 race at during the autumn.
I Am A Star was runner-up in the 2016 Thousand Guineas before her Myer Classic win, but she had an extra run in between when third in the Group 2 Moonee Valley Fillies Classic (1600m) the weekend before.
Shoals currently pays $5 and is firming in Myer Classic odds at Ladbrokes.com.au looking to further frank the Thousand Guineas form this year after the winner Aloisia smashed the boys in the Moonee Valley Vase last Saturday.
The close second elect in Myer Classic betting this season at $5.50 is the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Global Glamour.
Jumping from barrier three, the dual Group 1 winning daughter of Star Witness comes off her successful four-year-old debut when overcoming gate 13 of 14 at Caulfield on Cup Day to take out the Group 2 Tristarc Stakes (1400m).
Co-trainer Waterhouse won the Myer Classic in 2005 with Lotteria, who also jumped from barrier three as the $4 favourite, and she returns in 2017 with a livewire chance.
The Tristarc Stakes form has held-up a number of times in recent editions including in 2013 when Red Tracer did the double Global Glamour chases this weekend.
Global Glamour is ed in the field by stablemate Prompt Response ($16), the Beneteau four-year-old last seen running third in the Group 3 Ladies Day Vase (1600m).
Despite the bumper size of the field there is only one other runner under $10 in the Myer Classic 2017 odds with Foxplay at $7 to improve on her lead-up seventh in the Tristarc Stakes.
Trainer Chris Waller won the race in 2013 with the aforementioned Red Tracer and saddles-up both Foxplay and French Emotion ($34) in the field this season.
Kerrin McEvoy retains the ride on Foxwedge four-year-old Foxplay, the grey looking to return to winning form for the first time since her Group 1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) success in Sydney back in April.
Her seventh in the Tristarc Stakes was better than it reads, Foxplay beaten under two lengths, and it is the same lead-up result Appearance (2012) improved on to take out the Myer Classic at a blowout price of 40/1 five years ago.
Other notable hopes include the defending champion I Am A Star ($17) drawn the rails, Group 1 William Reid Stakes winner Silent Sedition ($11) looking to peak third-up and the Tony McEvoy-trained Tristarc Stakes runner-up Cool ion ($20).
See below for the full Myer Classic 2017 Field, Barriers & Odds with betting now open on all the Derby Day races at Ladbrokes.com.au.
