Ken and Bev Kelso have only had one runner at The Valley in their 45-year training career but are hoping a second visit can result in Group 1 glory when boom mare Alabama Lass flies into Melbourne next week.

Kelso's Valley Of Dreams

Ken and Bev Kelso have only had one runner at The Valley in their 45-year training career but are hoping a second visit can result in Group 1 glory when boom mare Alabama Lass flies into Melbourne next week.The Kiwi’s last visit formed part of an unforgettable race but one they’d rather forget – when Lankan Rupee and eight other horses swarmed at the finish post in the Manikato Stakes eleven years ago – the Kelso-trained Bounding finished just 2.6-lengths from the winner but in last place.This time around however, they plan to get more acquainted with The Valley, with Craig Williams locked down firstly for the $750,000 Group 1 Charter Keck Cramer Moir Stakes with intentions to push on to the $2 million Group 1 Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes on September 26.Alabama Lass, who is a $7 chance with Ladbrokes, boasts an impressive record of six wins and three seconds from just nine starts, but her trainer suggests it quite easily could be an unblemished record.“She could be unbeaten and with more luck she could be nine from nine and she’s very unlucky not to have won a Group 1 here,” Ken Kelso said.“The Moir it’s 1000 metres for a start, a Group 1 race and she’s an on the pace runner so you’re thinking Moonee Valley will suit.“I think she’s come up really well, she has certainly grown and would have put on 35-40 kilograms.”Craig Williams got a feel for the $120,000 yearling buy at her latest run in autumn when the three-time Group winner in New Zealand led all of the way to take home the Listed HKJC World Pool Sprint Classic at Flemington.A recent trial at Te Rapa suggests she is ready to rip first up for her maiden Group 1 assignment in Australia."We will roll the dice knowing it’s a big step up to weight-for-age as a four-year-old mare,” Kelso admitted.“There isn’t much over here for horses rated 100-plus until after Christmas and she proved when she won the World Pool Sprint she can mix it and got some Aussie black-type and this is the obvious next step.“I bought Levante down for the Newmarket and VRC Sprint but she’s a different sort of horse to her.”Saturday’s running of the Charter Keck Cramer Moir Stakes will be the 50th running of the race which boasts an honour roll including Manikato, Miss Andretti, Apache Cat, Nature Strip, Buffering on no less than three occasions, The Valley’s Sprint Queen Imperatriz and of course the invincible one - Black Caviar – who went back-to-back in 2010 &amp; 2011.&nbsp;

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The Valley will once again play host to a leg of the National Pony Racing Series, with the Victorian event set to take place on 3 Point Motors William Reid Stakes Day, Saturday 22 March.A collaboration between Pony Club Australia and Thoroughbred Industry Careers (TIC), the series is designed to educate young riders on careers in the racing and breeding industry, giving them a taste of professional competition on major racedays.The series features six race meetings across Australia, culminating in the national finals in June. Before the Victorian leg, Ballarat hosted a Jumpstart weekend, where participants received riding instruction, horse health education, career insights, and rider fitness training.&nbsp;In preparation for their big moment on 3 Point Motors William Reid Stakes Day, competitors will also take part in a training day at The Valley to familiarise themselves with the track.On Saturday, two pony races will be held for state finalists aged 9 to 15. The first, over 450m at 11:30 am, is for ponies not exceeding 12.2hh, while the second, over 700m, is for ponies not exceeding 14hh. That event will take place following Race 3 on the card at 1:30 pm.&nbsp;Moonee Valley Racing Club has enjoyed its association with TIC and Pony Club Australia, providing young riders with the opportunity to gain experience on a major racing stage. The Valley hosted a leg of the first National Pony Racing Series in 2023, and last year on 3 Point Motors William Reid Stakes Day held a Shetland Pony Race.With the next generation of riders set to take centre stage once again, The Valley looks forward to another thrilling chapter in this growing series.

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Ken, Bev Kelso, The Valley, Group 1, Alabama Lass, National Pony Racing Series events, Pony Club Australia.

Ken and Bev Kelso's journey at The Valley, hopes for Group 1 glory with Alabama Lass, National Pony Racing Series events, and collaboration with TIC and Pony Club Australia.

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