Alligator Blood looks the miler to beat when a field of the season’s best 1600m gallopers take to The Valley track on Saturday for the fifth edition of the $5 million The All-Star Mile.

Alligator Blood is the horse to beat in Saturday’s 2023 The All-Star Mile field at The Valley. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

The Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Queensland expat received the highest number of public votes for the 2023 All-Star Mile field and is out to reward his faithful followers this weekend.

The Gator presents fit second-up after a strong win fresh in the Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Sandown on Blue Diamond Stakes Day.

He will appreciate the extra furlong second-up and sits top of All-Star Mile betting at Ladbrokes to atone for his unplaced 10th back in the 2020 edition of the hugely popular buy-in event.

Alligator Blood looked good putting in a quick piece of work at Moonee Valley early on Tuesday morning and that only boosted the confidence of connections ahead of Saturday’s feature race.

“I thought he was magical,” co-trainer Waterhouse told Racing.com after the galloper.

Alligator Blood further firmed into clear $3 favouritism in All-Star Mile betting at Ladbrokes following Tuesday morning’s barrier draw where he came up trumps with a mid-field gate seven position.

It is a typically tight top-half of betting with a number of other weight-for-age stars at single-figure All-Star Mile odds this year including the $4.80 second elect in gate five I’m Thunderstruck for Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr.

The now five-year-old son of Shocking was runner-up to Zaaki in last year’s All-Star Mile results at Flemington and presents as a danger again this year off some solid lead-up form.

At his last trip to Moonee Valley back in October he was enormous when runner-up to Godolphin gun Anamoe in the Ladbrokes Cox Plate.

This campaign he has had two runs at Sandown in February with a Futurity third to Saturday’s All-Star Mile favourite Alligator Blood the latest.

The other best out of the Futurity Stakes from February 25, which looks the hot form race to follow into the All-Star Mile field, is the Ben & JD Hayes-trained runner-up Mr Brightside in barrier two and paying $5 to return to winning form.

The five-year-old son of Bullbars is an out-and-out miler boasting an excellent record at the distance (11:7-0-1) and he is also two-from-three at the famous Moonee Valley track.

He is after his first win since last September when he took out the Group 2 Feehan Stakes over the mile at The Valley by a runaway 4.5 lengths.

Coming via runs in the CF Orr and Futurity Mr Brightside brings in the good form lines and presents as a genuine winning chance up to 1600m and returning to one of his preferred circuits.

Also being kept safe in All-Star Mile betting is James Cummings‘ evergreen veteran Cascadian at $15 who eased out after drawing the second outside alley with barrier 14.

With one of the original Top 10 vote-getters Jacquinot withdrawn early from contention and first emergency Fangirl being kept in Sydney the path opened up for eight-year-old Cascadian to take his spot.

He ran fifth in last year’s race after gaining a start as an emergency and powering home from last in a big late run, but Saturday sees the gelding have his first official Moonee Valley run at career start number 46.

Cascadian also comes via a different lead-up having run a fifth fresh under two lengths beaten behind Artorius at Randwick in the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes (1300m) on March 4.

The All-Star Mile field this year is completed by nine-year-old So Si Bon having his 89th career start as a 100/1 roughie after drawing barrier 15 of 15.

2023 All-Star Mile Final Field & Barrier Draw

Table Credit: Racing Australia.