Montefilia is tipped to return to winning form with the now Waller-trained mare the firming favourite in Hill Stakes 2023 betting for Sydney on Saturday.
Montefilia is tipped to return to winning form in the $2 million Hill Stakes 2023 this weekend at Rosehill. Photo: Steve Hart.
A bumper line-up of potential Spring Cups-bound horses will face off in the Group 2 $2 million Hill Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill Gardens including four from the race’s five-time winning trainer Chris Waller.
Waller’s latest Hill Stakes victory was in 2020 with Kolding and the master horseman plays a very strong hand again this spring including saddling-up the $3.60 top elect through Ladbrokes.com.au Montefilia.
The six-year-old daughter of Kermadec, formerly with David Payne, has had three starts with the Waller camp including an eye-catching third to Just Fine in the Group 3 Kingston Town Stakes (2000m) on September 16.
Spruik stayer Just Fine franked the form with his Group 1 The Metropolitan (2400m) win at Randwick last start which bodes well for Montefilia who won the same Group 1 race back in 2021 during her peak form.
She is out to recapture that this weekend fourth-up and fit and atone for her third as the beaten favourite behind Cascadian in last year’s Hill Stakes results.
The other Waller-trained Hill Stakes hopefuls this season are Magical Lagoon ($51), No Compromise ($35), and another Group 1 winning mare in Hinged ($11) to be ridden by Brett Prebble from gate five.
Three other runners are currently under double-figures to win the lucrative $2 million showdown including the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained market mover Hoo Ya Mal ($5).
The in-form Adam Hyeronimus rides the Territories five-year-old for the third time this prep with the pair making up ground late to cross three lengths back seventh to Think It Over in the $1 million 7 Stakes (1600m) last time out.
Hoo Ya Mal is a previous Group 1 place-getter and Melbourne Cup performer who will appreciate stepping up in distance here and is sure to be in the finish late.
The rails-drawn Protagonist ($7) for Kris Lees who ran fourth in the Kingston Town Stakes last start and the Team Hawkes-trained Zeyrek ($8.50) bringing in some strong form lines are the other main dangers according to the bookies.
The 2023 Petaluma Hill Stakes runs as Rosehill Race 7 at 4:10pm (AEDT) on the 10-race card in Sydney on Saturday with full markets available by clicking here courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.
2023 Hill Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw
| No | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Probable Weight | Penalty | Hcp Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 50x426256x | NUMERIAN (IRE) | Annabel Neasham | Ryan Maloney | 15 | 59kg | 110 | ||
| 2 | x121735x45 | ZEYREK (FR) | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | Tommy Berry | 7 | 59kg | 107 | ||
| 3 | 6746×40311 | YOUNG WERTHER (NZ) | Danny O’Brien | Billy Egan | 14 | 59kg | 106 | ||
| 4 | 22x22418x9 | LUNCIES (GB) | Kris Lees | Tim Clark | 3 | 59kg | 105 | ||
| 5 | 07x20480x4 | NO COMPROMISE (NZ) | Chris Waller | Tyler Schiller | 16 | 59kg | 105 | ||
| 6 | 102x100x24 | PROTAGONIST (FR) | Kris Lees | Dylan Gibbons (a) | 1 | 59kg | 105 | ||
| 7 | 3223180×57 | HOO YA MAL (GB) | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Adam Hyeronimus | 6 | 59kg | 104 | ||
| 8 | x67521x405 | SKY LAB | Paul Perry | Ms Kathy O’Hara | 4 | 59kg | 103 | ||
| 9 | 0x6x824193 | HOSIER (IRE) | Mark Minervini | Ms Rachel King | 8 | 59kg | 101 | ||
| 10 | 3x9x0050x8 | MOUNT POPA (IRE) | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | Koby Jennings | 10 | 59kg | 101 | ||
| 11 | 0x5229x863 | MONTEFILIA | Chris Waller | Nash Rawiller | 2 | 57kg | 113 | ||
| 12 | 8x26844x40 | HINGED | Chris Waller | Brett Prebble | 5 | 57kg | 108 | ||
| 13 | 115x0x06x9 | MAGICAL LAGOON (IRE) | Chris Waller | Kerrin McEvoy | 9 | 57kg | 104 | ||
| 14 | x694341x88 | FIREBURN | Gary Portelli | Jason Collett | 11 | 56kg | 101 | ||
| 15e | 3x05420x80 | HEZASHOCKA (NZ) | Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr) | Zac Lloyd (a) | 12 | 59kg | 101 | ||
| 16e | 402369×901 | IRONCLAD (GB) | Will Clarken & Niki O’Shea | 13 | 59kg | 100 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
