Stay With Me to overcome wide barrier in Thousand Guineas Prelude

In-form filly Stay With Me has to overcome a wide barrier if she is to complete a hat trick of wins in the Group 2 $200,000 Schweppes Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday.

Stay With Me has to overcome a wide barrier in the Thousand Guineas Prelude at Caulfield . Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.

Stay With Me has to overcome a wide barrier in the Thousand Guineas Prelude at Caulfield . Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.

Stay With Me stepped up from a 1200m Pakenham Maiden win on August 20 to beat Peter Moody’s juvenile Group 1 winner Pasadena Girl in the Listed $120,000 Telstra Phonewords Atlantic Jewel Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on September 5.

The David Hayes and Tom Dabernig trained filly put aside a wide gate that day to round up the leaders in the short Moonee Valley straight to score a dominant win.

Runner up Pasadena Girl also had to come from near the tail of the field and hit the line strongly and will appreciate the step up to 1400m on the weekend.

Hayes is confident that Stay With Me has the class and ability to overcome barrier eleven in the twelve horse field  and repeat her powerful finishing burst she displayed at Moonee Valley.

“Another frustrating barrier. She will probably be giving them a start but she is a classy filly, and she will be coming over the top of them late,” Hayes said.

Top Melbourne jockey Dwayne Dunn has been aboard Stay With Me for her two recent victories and is on again in the Thousand Guineas Prelude.

Hayes also has Reemah accepted to run in the Thousand Guineas Prelude but he is leaning towards running the Redoute’s Choice filly in the Group 3 $150,000 Gallagher Bassett / TBV Champagne Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on Friday night.

“I have her nominated Saturday and Friday night. My gut feel says I will run Friday night, there is a lot of pace in the race and she might be able to just join in late. It’s a tough race but slightly easier than Saturday,” Hayes said.

Reemah mixed it with the best in her two year old season and was only beaten a neck when second to Pride Of Dubai in the Group 1 $1m Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield during the Melbourne Autumn Carnival earlier in the year.

Hayes then took  her to Sydney for the Group 1 $3.5m Tooheys New Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill but she had clearly had enough by then and was always near the tail of the field before finishing fifteenth behind Vancouver.

Reemah then resumed from a spell to win a 1200m Geelong Maiden before finishing midfield when sixth to Kinglike down the Flemington straight in the  Group 2 $200,000 Danehill Stakes (1200m) on September 12.

Thousand Guineas Prelude market order at Ladbrokes.com.au: $3.50 Stay With Me, $4.80 Pasadena Girl, $5 Miss Gunpowder, $7.50 Alaskan Rose, $11 Jameka, Super Cash, $14 Sagaronne, $15 My Poppette, Don’t Doubt Marley, $21 Payroll, $26 Reemah, $61 Effortless Miss.

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.