Lee & Shannon Hope’s smart mare Fenway has opened favourite in Sunline Stakes 2016 betting for the key support race at Moonee Valley on Thursday night despite drawing the outside barrier in the mile clash.
Group 1 winner Fenway is drawn wide but still well fancied to win Thursday night’s 2016 Sunline Stakes at Moonee Valley. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
Set to run as Race 7 at 9:45pm (AEDT) on William Reid Stakes Night, this year’s $200,000 Group 2 Sunline Stakes (1600m) for fillies and mares has attracted a final field of 13 runners.
Jumping from gate 13 of 13 with Blake Shinn in the saddle is High Chaparral four-year-old Fenway who the bookies are taking no chances with installing her as the $3 favourite in the Sunline Stakes odds at Ladbrokes.com.au.
Best known for her Group 1 win in the 2015 Vinery Stud Stakes at Rosehill last March, Fenway has had one previous run at Moonee Valley for a victory in the Group 2 Stocks Stakes (1600m) last October.
She’s had three runs this time in and is down in class, distance and is back against her own kind following a brave fourth when one and a half lengths off Preferment in the Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) from March 12 at Flemington.
Four of Fenway’s rivals join her under $10 in the latest Sunline Stakes markets including the $5 second fancy Miss Rose De Lago.
She fared much better in the Sunline Stakes barrier draw coming up with gate two for James McDonald to guide the Danny O’Brien-trained five-year-old from on Thursday third-up.
The next best in betting are equal $6.50 hopes Wawail and Noble Protector drawn in barriers one and eight respectively.
The rails-drawn Wawail has Damien Oliver in the saddle again after he rode the four-year-old Lonhro mare to a one length win on March 5 at Flemington in the Group 3 Frances Tressady Stakes (1400m).
Noble Protector meanwhile won last year’s Sunline Stakes and is out to successful defend her title at the start of this Easter long weekend.
Her first-up run on March 12 saw her shrug-off jockey Craig Williams soon after jumping ion the Group 3 Matron Stakes (1600m), a race she also won last Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival.
She finished the race without a hoop on her back, but is officially first-up on Thursday night with Williams back aboard and hoping to stay on this time.
Rounding out the single figure Sunline Stakes fancies at $9 is then the winner of the Matron Stakes this season, Felicienne who in-form apprentice Harry Coffey rides once again.
The Darren Weir-trained Al Maher four-year-old had over a length to spare in the Matron, is back at the same distance and has won her only other Moonee Valley run to date.
At juicer odds for the win are the likes of Peter Moody’s Matron Stakes runner-up Metaphorical ($13) who is two from five at Moonee Valley and Fenway’s stablemate Choose ($17) coming off a Frances Tressady third.
See below for the full Sunline Stakes 2016 field, barriers, jockeys and latest Fixed Win betting odds provided by our preferred online bookmaker Ladbrokes.com.au!
