Off To The Valley!

Kicking off our Moonee Valley race night is Untethered who contests a BM64 2040m event (Race 5) with Mark Zahra aboard from barrier 8.

It’s a bit of a tricky gate but hopefully he can get some cover as he did when running a nice race over the same trip in stronger company at the same track last time out.

“We are really happy with him,” Glen Thompson reported.

“He is in great order and working well, we will just need a little bit of luck from that gate. We will see how things work out over the first 100m, hopefully Mark can get him into a good spot.”

Untethered has been a consistent performer for his owner/breeders the Kerr family and he has shown a liking for Moonee Valley having been in the placings at both of his starts there.

In the following race, a 955m BM70 dash, we have Oak Hill resuming and he is one of the favourites with Damian Lane aboard.

He too has an awkward gate (7) but Lane knows him well having already won two races on him.

The promising four-year-old’s jump-outs this time in have been good and there is a definite air of confidence about him with Glen saying that “with any sort of luck in running he is the horse to beat.”

“We have been very happy with him, he has been nice and bright all week after his latest good jump-out.”

“We have been riding him to settle and hit the line and they will jump and run a long pretty quickly here. Hopefully he can just slot in behind something and switch off for the first half of the race.”

It would be great to see him get to the outside in the run home, Glen looking forward to see the horse’s customary dash.

“He will be hitting the line better than anything else,” he said.

Already a three time winner from just seven starts, saluting at Sandown at his first two runs last time in, Oak Hill (pictured, photo by Racing Photos) is a half-brother to the Gr.1 Captain Cook Stakes winner Desert Lightning.

He hails from of the best families there is, being a member of the same branch of the prolific Best In Show family as the Champion Sire Redoute’s Choice.

Burlington Gate sees out our evening, taking her place as favourite in a BM70 mile.

“She has been working well,” Glen said, noting that “she galloped on the grass on Tuesday and could not have worked much better.”

Catching the eye when finishing off well over 1400m when resuming at Geelong, the talented and consistent four-year-old is suited up in distance and the inside barrier she has the services of the in-form Blake Shinn.

“The key will be getting off the fence and not ending up stuck behind them,” Glen said, “but we have a very good jockey and hopefully he can work his magic.”

“She is the main horse to beat,” he said, hoping that Burlington Gate from that drawn can settle closer up in running than she did when resuming.