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It will take a significant form turnaround from Mister Milton if the trend of four-year-old's winning the G2 Memsie Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday is to be extended to a sixth successive year.
Photo by Racing and Sports
The only four-year-old in the 2012 renewal of the Memsie, Mister Milton is out to continue the wining sequence for the age group that began with Miss Finland in 2007.
She has been followed by four-year-old Memsie winners Weekend Hussler, Mic Mac, So You Think and King's Rose.
The odds are stacked against the Norman Waymouth-trained Mister Milton as he will have to overcome a trend of another kind as the last 17 winners of the Memsie Stakes have started at single figure odds.
Such a record says it is a punter's race and most will be working their bets on Saturday around Luckygray and Heart Of Dreams, fourth and fifth in the P.B. Lawrence Stakes at Caulfield on August 18, the classy NSW-trained G1 winner Sincero, and last year's spring stars Rekindled Interest and Green Moon.
The later three vare all starting their spring campaigns in the Memsie, the second leg of the 2012 New Zealand Bloodstock Spring WFA Championship comprising four races across the spring carnival at Caulfield.
The horse that can accumulate the most points across the series – the P.B. Lawrence won by Second Effort, the Memsie, the Underwood Stakes on September 22 and the Caulfield Stakes on October 13 – will secure ia $25,000 trophy for its owners.
Saturday's meeting marks 2012 National Jockeys Celebration Day, an important acknowledgement of the often unsung heroes of horse racing.
Former promising jumps jockey Leigh Woodgate, who holds a unique place in Victorian racing history as the only woman to win Mansfield's Great Mountain Race, will be welcomed at Caulfield as the official National Jockeys Celebration Day Ambassador.
A model of courage and determination, Ms Woodgate has spent the last 18 years rebuilding her shattered body following a horrific fall at Hamilton in 1994 which left her in a coma for 17 days and hospitalised for six months.
Former jockey Lonagan Milham will join Ms Woodgate in an ambassadorial role at Caulfield, although his contribution will be one of a different kind.
Milham, who nearly died in a fall at Hanging Rock in 2003 and is still unable to work but has been appointed an honorary stipendiary steward for the day by Racing Victoria.
“Lonagan is still a regular at the track so we thought it would be appropriate and really add to the flavour of the day to have him assist the stewards in our duties,” said RV chief steward Terry Bailey.