G2 Dato' Tan Chin Nam Stakes Day - 09.09.2017

No Winx this weekend so somewhat of an anticlimax but we've still got nine Black Type races spread across three states to keep us entertained.

I'll look in depth at the big race in Melbourne but there are a host of good races in Sydney too but sadly I can't preview them all.

Who's Hot? 

Surely it has to be Jockey Kerrin McEvoy. Five winners at Randwick last weekend then trebles at Newcastle on Tuesday and Gosford yesterday. In the last six days he's had 11 winners and seven placegetters from only 25 rides. (Win 44% / Place 72%).

He has a full book at Rosehill tomorrow but the pick of his rides look to be Trapeze Artist (Race 4 No. 2), Egg Tart (Race 5 No. 6) and Kementari (Race 7 No. 10).

MOONEE VALLEY

*** At time of publication the track was rated a Good 4. The forecast was for a cloudy day with a medium chance of showers. ***

Dato' Tan Chin Nam Stakes (Group 2, 1600m, w-f-a)

Current Sportsbet market

 *** Tavago is an early scratching ***

It's interesting to note that this field boasts ten runs at Moonee Valley between them without a single placing.

He's Our Rokkii has won his last two second-up runs in Melbourne. He finished fourth in the G2 Lawrence Stakes last start (below) and he wasn't far off Black Heart Bart at the finish and that horse ran very well in the G1 Memsie Stakes last weekend. Three wins and two seconds at the mile and he's drawn the rails. A solid favourite in early markets.

Star Exhibit was good (above) in the same race given it was a slowly run race and not many horses made ground on the day. He finished alongside Amelie's Star who ran third in the Listed Heatherlie Stakes and he beat home Gailo Chop who subsequently won the Listed Penny Edition Stakes in Adelaide last weekend. 

Abbey Marie finished ahead of the three aforementioned runners (above) last start so I have no idea why she is $13 and Star Exhibit is $5.50. Granted she got the rails run and saved ground but she still came from behind them and went past them. She won second-up in her first campaign and she is a G1 winner. 

Lizzie L'Amour is a five-time winner in her native NZ including the G1 Bonecrusher Stakes at her last start. This is her first run in Australia and there is money to suggest she can run well. Her first-up form (3:2-0-1) makes pretty good reading and four of her five wins have been on soft going so Moonee Valley should suit.

Bonneval is first-up since her dominant win in the G1 ATC Oaks (below) in April. She hasn't won below 2000m since winning on debut but she has won her last four in a row and five from eight overall so she doesn't run many poor races. She'll probably have to go back from that barrier so she'll need luck.

Rhythm To Spare is a specialist miler. Just compare his stats at the trip (22:9-1-2) to those at other distances (21:2-2-1). He's in good form and rock hard fit having won his last two in a row at the 1600m but stepping up to w-f-a makes it tougher. He should lob into a lovely spot from barrier five.

Sir Isaac Newton might find this a bit short and I doubt he'll love the tight Moonee Valley track but he is obviously very talented. They thought enough of him to run him in some serious G1 races back in Europe and while his two runs in Australia have been just fair the were in a G1 Caulfield Cup and a G2 Blamey Stakes. The wide gate is a minus.

Articus won second-up last prep following an average fresh run and I think the engagement of Craig Williams is significant because Darren Weir doesn't use him often but their strike rate is great. Granted 1600m is probably short of his best but he's been nibbled at in early betting and has drawn favourably.

Jacquinot Bay hasn't won for nearly 15 months and in the interim has managed just three placings from 17 subsequent starts. I find him hard to entertain here even if he is a six-time winner at the journey. Gallante is $61 and given he's a G1 Sydney Cup winner he'll be nowhere near his peak first-up at 1600m. The outside gate doesn't help either. Later on over further.

Locky's Selections

BEST        

5. He's Our Rokkii

DANGER  

10. Lizzie L'Amour

FOR EXOTICS

8. Articus
11. Bonneval
4. Star Exhibit

OTHER BETS

Addictive Nature (Rosehill Race 4 No. 3) fought hard last start to win the G3 Ming Dynasty Stakes and I loved the way he dug in the last little bit when challenged. This is a small field and with no other real speed in the race it means he should be able to dictate terms here from the front. I think he'll be hard to run down again. Bjorn Baker and Tim Clark have combined 10 times so far this season for three wins and five placings.

Russian Revolution (Moonee Valley Race 5 No. 1) is unbeaten fresh. First-up last prep (below) he won the G1 Galaxy beating Redzel and that gelding won his next three starts including a G1 Doomben 10,000. I can see him getting a lovely trail behind Houtzen and Heatherly here and Mark Zahra did ride a treble last weekend. The stable (Redzel, Pariah, Dracarys) is flying.

Bonny O'Reilly (Rosehill Race 6 No. 7) is four from four at Rosehill and four from four at 1200m. In three starts second-up she has two wins and a second to the talented In Her Time. She won well under a big weight fresh and she does look very well placed here at just 1kg over the minimum. She's won six of her last eight and as I've said here before I like backing winners. They tend to just win.

Good punting!