Form expert Daniel O’Sullivan has Stratum Star on top of his 2015 Memsie Stakes tips and he believes that the talented four-year-old represents great value in betting markets for the Group 1 event that will be held at Caulfield on Saturday.
Stratum Star has the chance to record a maiden win at Group 1 level in the 2015 Memsie Stakes at Caulfield this weekend. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Stratum Star was unable to record a race win during the 2015 Melbourne Festival Of Racing, but he finished third behind Wandjina in both the Group 3 CS Hayes Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on February 21 and the Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) at the same venue on March 7 before he was sent to the spelling paddock after he finished a very close second in the Group 2 Alister Clark Stakes (2040m) at Moonee Valley on March 20.
The Stratum entire returned to the races with a fast-finishing seventh in the Listed Regal Roller Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on August 15 and O’Sullivan told RSN that the Group 1 placegetter ticks plenty of boxes in the Memsie Stakes this weekend.
“His first-up run was very good, he got a long way back in a moderately run race and his closing splits were very, very good,” O’Sullivan said.
“Second-up last time he took a big step forward in his figures and both his second and third runs last time were in hot three-year-old races that were the hottest three-year-old form going around.
“On those numbers he is a very probable winner of this race and from that barrier he should be able to cross to a midfield position and be well positioned to peel out in the straight if that is the preferred going.
“He just smells like he has really been set for this race with that one run under his belt and he is going to have a slight fitness edge over many of the others.
“From that three-year-old there are some really hot figures there and there are no doubts that he has the quality to win this.”
Boban is currently on top of the betting markets for the Group 1 event at Memsie Stakes odds of $4.80 with Ladbrokes, but O’Sullivan revealed that he is happy to oppose the four-time Group 1 winner at his current quote, especially if the wet weather continues to hit Caulfield in the lead-up to the race.
“I really don’t like Boban,” O’Sullivan said.
“With the rain and the soft six, he is really a horse that is most effective on firm ground and at the price I couldn’t come into him on the track conditions.”
Boban remains a clear favourite in 2015 Memsie Stakes betting markets from Volkstok’n’barrell ($8), Stratum Star ($9), Weary ($9.50) and Entirely Platinum ($10).
