Crystal Lily will resume racing in the 2011 W.J. Adams Stakes at Caulfield this Saturday
Formerly known as the JRA Stakes, the 2011 W.J. Adams Stakes has attracted a final field of 14 classy gallopers.
Early favourites for Saturday’s battle include Crystal Lily, Reward For Effort and the John O’Shea-trained filly Solar Charged.
Crystal Lily has suffered a blow for her first-up autumn assignment with a horror barrier 14 draw.
Despite starting on the far outside and her disappointing last start run finishing 11th in the Golden Rose back in August of last year when she pulled up lame, there is still money coming in for the Stratum filly.
After her Golden Rose failure, Crystal Lily was spelled due to soreness in her hock and back.
She is said to have fully recovered ready for her main autumn target of the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) at Caulfield on Blue Diamond Stakes Day, February 26.
Peter Moody’s Reward For Effort has also drawn wide with barrier 12, due to be ridden by Luke Nolen.
Exceed And Excel four-year-old Reward For Effort failed to reach their potential during the spring, twice beaten by boom sprinter Hay List finishing third in the Group 3 McEwen Stakes and seventh in the Group 1 Manikato Stakes last start on September 24.
However, Reward For Effort produced a good winning barrier trial at Cranbourne in late January and is tipped to return to form this season as they head towards the $1 million Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington on March 12.
One runner sure to see plenty of money come in for them is the David Payne-trained Winter King, withdrawn from Saturday’s Group 2 Expressway Stakes at Rosehill in favour of the W.J. Adams.
The stakes winning son of One Cool Cat is second-up for the season after running third to Pinwheel in the Listed Canterbury Classic on January 14 and will jump from barrier 10 with Michael Rodd booked for the ride.
Other noteworthy W.J. Adams Stakes hopefuls that could rise and cause an upset include Darren Weir’s Ballarat galloper Broken (barrier seven) and emerging sprinter Faster Son (barrier five) a winner of six of their seven starts, two good light weight chances with just 53kg.
The 2011 W.J. Adams Stakes will run as Caulfield Race 6 on Saturday, due to jump at 4:10pm (AEDST).
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2011 W.J. Adams Stakes Field, Barriers & Weights
| # | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight (kg) | H. Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EAGLE FALLS | David Hayes | Steven Arnold | 13 | 59 | 107 |
| 2 | REWARD FOR EFFORT | Peter G Moody | Luke Nolen | 12 | 59 | 107 |
| 3 | PLAYWRIGHT (NZ) | Steve Richards | Michael Walker | 1 | 57 | 103 |
| 4 | TIME MATTERS | Darren Weir | Brad Rawiller | 2 | 56 | 101 |
| 5 | CRYSTAL LILY | Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra | Damien Oliver | 14 | 55 | 107 |
| 6 | WINTER KING (NZ) | David Payne | Michael Rodd | 10 | 54.5 | 98 |
| 7 | CANALI | Stephen Brown | Danny Nikolic | 11 | 54 | 96 |
| 8 | SOLAR CHARGED | John O’Shea | Glen Boss | 9 | 53 | 96 |
| 9 | BROKEN | Darren Weir | Ben Melham | 7 | 53 | 92 |
| 10 | FASTER SON | Trevor Bailey | Craig Williams | 5 | 53 | 92 |
| 11 | BOCUSE | Jim Conlan | Dwayne Dunn | 8 | 53 | 88 |
| 12 | SANDUSKY CITY (NZ) | Grant Craven | Adam McCabe (a) | 3 | 53 | 88 |
| 13 | HAPPY GLEN | Robbie Griffiths | Craig Newitt | 4 | 53 | 85 |
| 14 | WORDMASTER | Bennie Benbow | Chris Symons | 6 | 53 | 70 |
Photo courtesy (c) Taron Clarke Photography
