Golden Slipper Tips & Preview 2024
William Reid Stakes Tips & Preview 2024
Looking for William Reid Stakes tips and best bets? We dissect times and form to find the winner of the 2024 William Reid Stakes at Moonee Valley.
WILLIAM REID STAKES BETTING SNAPSHOT
The Kiwi mare, Imperatriz, is a $1.80 favourite with ladbrokes for the William Reid Stakes ahead of her last start Newmarket Handicap (1200m) conqueror, Cylinder, who is at $4.50. Bella Nipotina is always thereabouts in these races and is the other under double figures at the $6 quote.
There are 11 contenders in the final field for the $1 million Group 1 and I Am Me is next at $11, while King’s Gambit is at $15. The Oakleigh Plate (1100m) winner, Queman, is at $15 ahead of Hypothetical and The Astrologist at $26. Rough hopes go to Queen Of The Ball and The Inferno (both $51), while Johnny Rocker is the outsider at $81.
WILLIAM REID STAKES FORM ANALYSIS
Four of the 11 runners had their most recent start in the Newmarket Handicap (1200m) and it was the three-year-old, Cylinder, that enjoyed the 6.5kg advantage in the weights over Imperatriz to take out the time honoured Flemington sprint.
The Godolphin galloper settled handy and burst clear late in the piece to win by a length. He went 19.1 lengths faster than standard benchmark, which is a better figure than what any runner in this race has produced. But the son of Exceed And Excel is 6kg worse off against Imperatriz with this race to be run under the weight-for-age conditions.
Imperatriz heads back to Moonee Valley and is unbeaten at the venue in four runs. She bounced back from a Canterbury Stakes (1300m) defeat behind Artorius to claim this race last year. Her last run came here in the spring and she went 12.8 lengths faster than standard when taking out the Mankato Stakes (1200m) before her Champions Sprint (1200m) victory. The Mark Walker-trained galloper comes into this third up and it was at this stage that she won the Manikato Stakes last spring.
The Astrologist and Bella Nipotina are the other two to come out of the Newmarket Handicap, finishing 3rd and 5th respectively. Of those two, Bella Nipotina should take the most improvement and has finished top two in her five starts at the track and tip. They include a dominant win in the 2022 Mankato Stakes when going 16 lengths faster than standard on a Heavy track.
A further three runners had their most recent start in the Oakleigh Plate (1100m) and they are the first two home that day in Queman and Hypothetical, as well as Kings Gambit (8th). Queman and Hypothetical sat up front in the Caulfield Group 1 on a day where the leaders seemed to have the advantage. Queman went a healthy 16.2 lengths faster than standard to edge out Hypothetical.
Kings Gambit started favourite before sticking on for 8th, beaten just two lengths. I am not quite sold on the Peter & Paul Snowden-trained three-year-old in open class but he was first up in the Oakleigh Plate and can improve.
I Am Me and The Inferno both head into this fresh and were last seen in the Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) last year. I Am Me was runner-up in that race and no match for Imperatriz at her start prior when runner-up in the Mankato Stakes, although she was trapped wide that day. Johnny Rocker and Queen Of The Ball are the other two in the race and a win from either of those would surprise.
WILLIAM REID STAKES TIPS AND BEST BETS
Hard to go past Imperatriz in the William Reid Stakes. She was beaten by Cylinder in the Newmarket but did pull up with an issue and meets the winner 6kg better under the weight-for-age conditions of the William Reid Stakes. Unbeaten at the Valley in four attempts, with three of those at Group 1 level, including two at the distance, she draws in a bit of a tricky position but the field should string out enough for her to find a spot with Hypothetical ensuring the pace is on. Look for her to run them down late.
