Turnbull Stakes Day Trio

Spring is well and truly in the air now - the weather improving and the good horses strutting their stuff on Group One Turnbull Stakes Day at Flemington.

And we are excited to be taking three nice horses to the meeting - two-year-old Say My Name, the VRC Derby bound Famechon and the import Araldo (pictured).

Kicking off his career in Victoria's first juvenile race of the season, Say My Name takes his place in the day's opening event - the Listed Maribyrnong Trial Stakes.

A member of the first crop of the Group One Champagne Stakes winner Onemorenomore, Say My Name was a bargain pick up for Paul Moroney at this year's William Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale - purchased for just $15,000.

"He is a natural two-year-old," Michael Moroney said of the bay.

"He has had three jump-outs, one in Sydney and two here. At his latest one down the straight he was a bit green but he will have derived great benefit from that experience."

Describing Say No More as a "nicely balanced horse," Moroney said that he had very much thrown to his dam sire - the great juvenile speed influence Rory's Jester.

Famechon lines up in the following race, the Listed UCI Stakes - another step along the way to his ultimate spring aim, the VRC Derby which the stable won four years ago with Monaco Consul.

"He is on the improve," Moroney said - happy with the colt's latest run, a Caulfield sixth.

"He made up good ground but didn't quite finish off as he wanted to lay in - he just didn't want to go straight that last 200m."

"So we have put the winkers on him and his work has improved. He has drawn a horror gate (13) so he will have to go back but he is a nice horse with talent."

The Listed Bart Cummings sees Araldo step up in distance after showing encouraging improvement at only his second Australian outing.

A stakes winner over 2800m in Germany, the High Chaparral six-year-old ran third over 1800m in Adelaide a couple of weeks ago and Saturday's 2520m is bound to suit better.

"He is getting up to his right distance now," Moroney said, noting that if not for laying in over the final stages at Morphettville he may well have gone very close.

"We have taken the blinkers off and if he does everything right this time he should prove hard to beat."

Sunday is another busy day with three runners at the Bairnsdale Cup meeting kicking off with Macpherson who is second up in the Telstra Store Bairnsdale BM64 Handicap.

"She went nicely first up," said Moroney, "and she has improved enough to say she looks a big chance."

Flashy Fella meanwhile disappointed when he resumed at Bendigo last month but he is suited up a little in distance in the day's feature, the Bairnsdale Cup.

"We can't really pinpoint a reason as to why he didn't fire and he does need to improve sharply on that run - but this is the right sort of race for him and it would not surprise us if he turned his form around pretty quickly."

Needing luck to gain a run as third emergency in the Fenning Bairnsdale BM70 Handicap, Air Striker pleased us with his first up Bendigo sixth on slow going.

"He was not all that happy on the going but it was a nice pipe-opener for his campaign and he has improved. He should prove pretty hard to beat."