Toby Edmonds’ The Everest-bound filly Houtzen has opened favourite in Mitty’s McEwen Stakes 2017 betting to kick off her three-year-old campaign with a win at Moonee Valley on the weekend.
Houtzen is favourite to win Saturday’s Group 2 McEwen Stakes at The Valley. Photo: Steve Hart
The key support act on Melbourne’s Dato’ Tan Chin Nam Stakes Day card, this season’s Group 2 $200,000 Mitty’s McEwen Stakes (1000m) features a line-up of just seven sprinters.
The latest McEwen Stakes odds at Ladbrokes.com.au have the returning Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Houtzen as the one to beat, the daughter of I Am Invincible at $2.50 for the win.
Craig Williams has the mount on Saturday’s favourite from barrier six, with Houtzen racing for the first time since suffering her only loss to date when fifth behind She Will Reign in the Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m) in Sydney on March 18.
The Gold Coast-based filly blitzed a recent trial at her home track and is heading towards a return to Sydney on October 14 for the inaugural $10 million The Everest (1200m) at Royal Randwick.
Williams is likely to take Houtzen to the front in the weight-for-age sprint at the tight track and she could be hard to run down getting the massive advantage kilo-wise with just 50kg.
Occupying the second line of McEwen Stakes betting this Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival at $3.60 is the Peter & Paul Snowden-trained entire Russian Revolution.
Also first-up on Saturday, the Snitzel four-year-old has won five of his eight runs so far including Rosehill’s Group 1 The Galaxy (1100m) during March.
His last start was in Brisbane on May 13 when under three lengths beaten by stablemate Redzel in the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1200m).
In the McEwen Stakes, Russian Revolution will be ridden by Mark Zahra from barrier four and he shapes up as a huge hope after working well at the Valley course on Tuesday morning.
Third favourite at $6 and drawn to get a gun run from barrier three is the Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra-trained Lonhro mare Heatherly.
The five-year-old boasts the fitness edge over the best two in betting having run second on August 26 at Moonee Valley behind Missrock when narrowly beaten in the Listed Norman Carlyon Stakes (1000m).
She wills need to be improving to get ahead of Russian Revolution, who she ran eighth to in The Galaxy in her other latest run, but Heatherly has excellent Valley form with three wins, two seconds and two thirds from her seven previous runs at the track.
It is a class edition of the race despite the diminutive numbers, and only one hopeful is over double figures with Unique Lovely the $126 roughie.
Cases can be made for all the other contenders including also early market mover Supido ($7.50) whose last start produced a Caulfield win in the Group 3 Sir John Monash Stakes (1100m) in mid-July and the rails-drawn Hellbent ($8) resuming for Victoria’s best Darren Weir.
Check out the latest Mitty’s McEwen Stakes 2017 betting odds below, Moonee Valley racing markets for Saturday now open at Ladbrokes.com.au.
