Sir John Monash Stakes Caulfield Tips Preview

Sir John Monash Stakes: tips and preview

SIR JOHN MONASH STAKES - 1100m, Caulfield R8

The Monash Stakes at Caulfield is the feature race around Australia on Saturday. It’s assembled a strong field for an off-season Group 3 sprint, and you can make a decent case for every runner.

Ingratiating is the early favourite coming off an eight month spell, and the Godolphin entire does appear to do his best work at this track, having a couple of wins here as well as running second in a Blue Diamond and Schillaci Stakes. While he wasn’t up to races like The Everest, The Hunter and Oakleigh Plate last year, this is more his level and the WFA format is suitable. He also tends to be at his best first-up.

Malkovich is covering more ground than the Leyland Brothers this prep, having gone from Hawkesbury to Scone to Eagle Farm and now down to Caulfield. 1100m with the cut out of the track is his preferred go, and he’ll get that here. Last time he had that, he won.

Sigh and General Beau fought out the finish against each other last time, with Zac De Boss holding on for third, but the Caulfield 1100m is a different experience to the Flemington straight.

General Beau likes it here, and meets the other two 4-6kg’s better from that last clash. The wider barrier might be in his favour here with a likely hot speed, as he has performed well when swooping in the past, and let’s not forget he is Group 1 placed when racing in that pattern. Sigh is clearly the most untapped runner in the race, and keeps raising her level, so all eyes are watching in what is her stiffest test to date.

Katsu and Sweet Ride are the two three-year-old’s in the field, utilizing that last month of weight relief before turning four on the 1^st of August.

Katsu has been racing impressively through the off-season, with two wins and a couple of handy placings by either leading or camping up on the speed. His last eight runs have been at 1000m and he hasn’t seen 1100m since failing on debut early last year.

Sweet Ride was a nice two- and three-year-old, with a couple of decent wins and good placings at Listed and Group level. His best effort was beaten two lengths in the Run to the Rose behind In Secret, which would be more than adequate here, and while he hasn’t raced since October last year, Annabel Neasham has given him three trials in preparation for this.

Mileva and Bless Her ran the quinella in this race last year, and both strike the race in similar circumstances this time around.

Mileva is first-up again after a three run summer campaign where she raced in great heart as she always does. She is always competitive in this grade of race, and has proven it time and again over the last two years.

Bless Her is off a freshen-up, and has been honest without really threatening in her autumn and winter runs – which was how she was going last year when almost snatching this race at odds.

The other four runners are all at rougher odds, but still have some claims.

Flying Mascot is the classiest of these, even though she didn’t come up last spring. Prior to that she had been a model of consistency in better races than this, but trainer Tom Dabernig thinks a long spell has done her the world of good, even if she will need this run to bring her on.

Esta La Roca tackles 1100m for only the second time in her career after racing almost exclusively at 900-1000m, and she’d need a soft uncontested lead (which she won’t get) to win here. Regardsmaree is a good horse on his day, but is more of a 1200-1400m type and usually takes a run to find his form. Rattle And Bang is eligible for easier races, but did run a handy third to Jigsaw here back in November, and a reproduction of that would see him in the game somewhere.

Malkovich, Katsu, Rattle And Bang and Esta La Roca either like to lead or be right up on the premises, while Zac De Boss, Sweet Ride and Mileva are a bit more versatile but don’t mind being in the thick of it either. And with half the field first-up, fitness levels and trainers instructions will also be a factor in determining how hard certain horses might go.

Ingratiating shapes as the horse to get the right midfield run, and has the class and profile to be the strongest winning chance. General Beau may be the one best placed to reel him in if he can get some cover from a wide gate.

Selections: 1.Ingratiating 2.General Beau 3.Sigh 4.Sweet Ride