Moir Stakes Tips - Runner-by-Runner Guide for the Moonee Valley Group 1

The Group 1 race was first run in 1976 and has been won by some truly remarkable sprinters including Manikato (1982), Schillaci (1992) and more recently Nature Strip (2019).

I assessed the entire field and offered my top four selection below.

Broke a string of four place finishes in a row, dating back to April 2023, by taking out the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup at Eagle Farm during his winter campaign.

He is a very versatile horse who, at his best, can be argued as the best sprinter in the entire country.

Doesn’t know how to run a bad race and he has placed in nine of 11 starts at Group 1 level.

This is short of his preferred distance so it’s a matter of whether he can reel in the horses in front of him with such a short, tight Valley straight.

Closed out his autumn campaign with a third in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate behind Quemen where he finished just 1.5 lengths off the winner.

Has won his last two in a row at this track and distance and is three from three over 1000m here at The Valley in fact.

Prefers a good track which he is unlikely to get.

Australian UFC star, and horse racing enthusiast Jack Jenkins, did the Nick Ryan stable a favour by selecting barrier three for this talented individual and he’ll get a lovely run in transit.

Rose through the grades well before almost causing a massive boilover by beating Imperatriz in the William Reid back in March and I wouldn’t be dismissing his chances ever again particularly at this track.

A very progressive son of I Am Invincible won his first two starts last campaign including the Group 3 Eskimoe Prince Stakes at Randwick.

He followed that up with a really impressive effort in the Inglis Sprint where he finished within two lengths of Estriella who he meets at the same weight scale here.

On her day she is a top quality sprinter which was evident during her last campaign where she put together back to back wins, the latest of which came in the Group 1 T.J Smith Stakes at Randwick.

Five of her eight wins have been on soft or heavy tracks and the rain and wind around this weekend in Melbourne would have Peter Moody licking his lips.

Missed a place only once in five first up races.

This four-year-old mare is one of the most exciting sprinters in the country and she comes into this Group 1 event having won four of her eight career starts.

She won three stakes races in a row during her last campaign but failed to place in the Group 1 Sangster Stakes against the older horses which may cause some punters to have concern about whether she is up to this level.

Won a trial by five lengths leading into this first up assignment and she will make her own luck on the speed.

Proved himself a top quality colt with placings in both the Group 1 Golden Slipper and Inglis Sires’ during the autumn.

Made up plenty of ground in the Slipper to lose by a narrow margin and while this is short of his ideal distance, he will be required to carry just 52kg.

The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott team again delivered the best juvenile of the autumn carnival when Lady Of Camelot came out and won the Golden Slipper Stakes.

Add to this a dominant three length win in the Widden Stakes and runner up finishes in the Blue Diamond and Percy Sykes Stakes and her resume looks even better.

She’s had two nice trials leading into this and you know she will by in the first couple in running.

Won the Blue Diamond Preview, Prelude and Stakes during the autumn, albeit by small margins and she had plenty of excuses for her ordinary effort in the Golden Slipper.

Has a win over Lady Of Camelot and she looks a genuine short course sprinter that gets in with no weight for this contest.

She possesses an enormous turn of foot late, and with plenty of speed on up front she will be able to show this late in the race.

The double figure odds are appealing.