Devoted is expected to improve in his second race of the season. The son of Xtravagant finished strongly at Flemington recently, coming within half a length of Gentleman Roy. With a lighter 55kg under jockey Daniel Stackhouse, he’s well-positioned to finish strong and be tough to beat.
I’m backing Gatsby’s after his trial win on his home track a couple of weeks ago. The Snitzel colt had a smooth ride just off the pace before James McDonald pushed him ahead 50m from the finish, securing a strong win. Chris Waller’s three-year-old showed promise with a debut win at Canterbury in February and performed well in the Pago Pago Stakes. The fact that J-Mac is riding him again is important, and if they can find cover early from the wide gate and save energy for the finish, they’ll be hard to beat.
Monarchs Brae has been performing well under Chris Waller. The six-year-old Irish horse won at Canterbury two races ago and recently finished second over 2000m on a dry track. With three wins over 1900m, he’s a strong contender, especially with expected firm ground.
Pinstriped is returning for another attempt at the P.B. Lawrence after finishing second to Mr Brightside last year. Although the 1400m distance isn’t his ideal, he has room for improvement after a disappointing run in the All-Star Mile. He performed well in bigger races last year and has shown promise in recent jumpouts. His class alone should keep him competitive for most of the race.