The Ladbrokes Friday Night Lights racing season begins next Friday 27 September, with the Group 1 $1M Charter Keck Cramer Moir Stakes the feature race on a night stack with black-type racing. Friday night racing at The Valley is entering its 23rd season and kicks off at the traditional starting point on AFL Grand Final Eve. Previously worth $500,000, the prizemoney for the Charter Keck Cramer Moir Stakes was earlier this year doubled to a staggering $1million - equalling the prizemoney of the Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes.
With past champions and winners of the race such as Black Caviar, Buffering, Apache Cat, Miss Andretti, Schillaci and Manikato, the 1000m contest has always attracted the fastest short course horses in Australia and 2019 will be no different. With heavy rain and a wet track forecast in Sydney this weekend, a few trainers north of the border are expected to bypass the Group 2 1100m Shorts at Randwick and bring their runners to The Valley next Friday.
Speed machine Nature Strip heads All-In Markets and as always, he’s very popular at $2.50. In recent times he’s become one of the most talked-about sprinters in Australia. A freakish talent on his day, he has recorded some incredible wins in his career to date, but his racing mannerisms have proven costly in some of the pivotal races.
Since legendary trainer Chris Waller took over Nature Strip in January, he has had five runs for two wins, including the Group 1 Galaxy Stakes. In September last year he broke the 1000m Valley track record (56.95 seconds) in the Group 2 Mittys McEwan Stakes defeating Houtzen. If he runs up to that mark, then he is the deserved top seed and it will take a very good horse to run him down.
Three-time Group 1 winning mare Sunlight returns to Melbourne after a stellar Autumn Carnival that included a Group 1 Newmarket Handicap win at Flemington and a Group 1 William Reid Stakes win here at The Valley. Built for speed and ready-made to run, the Tony McEvoy stable star has developed into one of the best sprinters in the land in the last twelve months. She has been so reliable and consistent, and you can be certain she will be on speed giving her all yet again in a week’s time. She also handled The Valley so professionally in her William Reid Stakes win, which can never be underestimated. Coincidently, she shares the same career record of Nature Strip, both with 17 starts for 10 wins.
Another horse who has performed well at The Valley is the David & Ben Hayes & Tom Dabernig trained Faatinah. A recent overseas stint in Dubai for the seven-year-old gelding transpired in an impressive second to the equal highest rated sprinter in the world Blue Point. With a handicap rating of 124 (equal with Santa Ana Lane) the Blue Point form-line is clearly the strongest form-line of any runner heading into the Charter Keck Cramer Moir Stakes. On September 7, Faatinah returned to Australia with victory in the Group 2 Mittys McEwan Stakes at The Valley, dismissing any possible doubts that he may not have returned as well as he had left.
Kiwi gun sprinter The Bostonian is perhaps the most intriguing runner in the race. He took the Brisbane Carnival by storm in May by landing back-to-back Group 1 wins in the Doomben 10,000 and the Kingsford Smith Cup. Claiming the scalps of some of our A-grade sprinters in Osborne Bulls and Nature Strip, he will be a force to be reckoned with yet again and in addition certainly won’t be underrated in the market this time round. He is among the finest New Zealand has to offer.
Also coming through the Brisbane Winter Carnival is Godolphin’s Trekking. Winner of the prized Stradbroke Handicap, Trekking rose to a new level last preparation and can only be open to further improvement coming into Spring. With a first up record of 6:2-1-1, he usually runs well fresh and must be considered as one of James Cumming’s top-liners now. His only start at The Valley he ran a gallant third on Ladbrokes Cox Plate Day in 2017.
Other key runners include Oakleigh Plate placegetter Eduardo, along with capable types Bons Away, Tactical Advantage, Winter Bride, Miss Leonidas and Booker.
The 2019 Group 1 Charter Keck Cramer Moir Stakes is sure to be a cracking race yet again, and we can’t wait for Ladbrokes Friday Night Lights to begin.