By Tony Megahey
Albury’s Mitch Beer, with a knack for TAB Highways and long-priced city winners, provides a compelling lead at value with rising speedster Well in Sight ($8 on TAB) into a Rosehill Gardens $100,000 Class 3, 1100m on Saturday.
A winner of three of only four starts and considered promising enough to contest a Flemington Inglis Classic last prep, the Shalaa (Ire) three-year-old filly has the key booking of Hugh Bowman resuming off a priming trial at home recently.
Beer has decent prospects for a double with impressive three-time winner Hardware Lane ($9) in a later race who bolted in with a Hawkesbury Highway in April.
Significantly, Mitch had also nominated Hardware Lane for the Highway after another massive recent runaway at Albury.
When that gelding was allocated 61kg topweight in Highway noms, Mitch elected for a later three-year-old Bisley Workwear (1100m) with 58.5kg for Rachel King.
After Well in Sight won an Albury treble last prep in smart time and short odds, Beer threw her in at the deep end at Flemington.
She was outclassed in Listed grade, spelled and resumes far better placed from an inside draw as a three-race winner in a country class 3.
With those credentials and the Bowman influence, she’s a value danger opposing Paul Messara’s logical short-priced favourite Shalstar ($2.80), coincidentally also by the Irish sire Shalaa.
Shalstar heads the markets on the strength of a midweek Kensington Track BM 64 win where the filly overcame difficulties for her third win from four starts.
City benchmark form is the gilt-edged credentials for Highway races and into the bargain she’s drawn gate number three with 59kg for Sam Clipperton.
But Beer has a high opinion of Well in Sight: “She’s a plain looker but all racehorse, just three, but already does everything right, just gets the job done.
“She trialled nicely, progressed and from the good gate (7), she’ll put herself in the race, and that sire is producing winners.
“She was a $170,00 yearling unraced with the Maher stable and during COVID restrictions, was stranded in New Zealand for three months, so they decided to sell.
“She’s been a bargain at $19,000 off the internet for us and Patriot Bloodstock. They’re tremendous supporters of country racing."
It’s high times for the stable, shortly after Hardware Lane won a Hawkesbury Highway, stablemate Mnementh won at “The Gardens when $31 from $51 in March.
Then Hardware Lane won at home again at $1.60 by panels.
Meanwhile, Beer has attained the services of brilliant apprentice Jett Stanley, the 18-year-old son of former top jockey and now trainer Brent Stanley. The youngster has seven rides (eight-race program) at Wagga on Monday.
“The Jett” is airborne after riding 34 winners in WA and several in town for leviathan owner Bob Peters. He returned to ride a treble at Narrandera and a double at Corowa on Monday.
“He’s a talent, has hit the ground running and with the big claim and his work ethic, he’ll be getting opportunities in town sooner rather than later.”
View the final fields with full form & race replays for Rosehill Gardens here