Race 8 at Ascot racecourse in Perth on Saturday (4.50pm AEDT) is the 40th running of the Kingston Town Classic formerly known as the Fruit and Veg Stakes. It is a weight-for-age Group 1 race run over 1800 metres.
As the naming of the race suggests it was won by the great horse back in 1982, and other notable victors include Vo Rogue (1988) and Better Loosen Up (1989). Prior to that some memorable winners also appear on the honour roll including Mighty Kingdom, Sovereign Red and the George Hanlon-trained Family Of Man (twice), who won the inaugural race.
Recent history suggests, not surprisingly, that the Railway Stakes is the best lead-in race with seven of the past 10 winners coming out of that Group 1 mile event. Six of those winners ran in the first four placings in the Railway Stakes.
Oddly, no three-year-old filly has won the race, and only two mares (four years old or more) have won since its inception in 1976. That doesn’t augur so well for the likes of Perfect Reflection, Real Love and Delicacy this year.
And no eastern states visitor has won this race at its first attempt since Vo Rouge in 1988, though I’m not totally sure he didn’t run in the Railway prior. Can Magic Artist break that hoodoo? He may be one of only a few that have attempted it first-up here, and he hasn’t been here long enough to have settled and be called a resident.
Three-year-olds have won three of the last 10 editions, and went very close to winning again last year (Disposition). They tend to run well in this race because they are generally quite fit and they drop in weight off runs at either 1600 or 1800 metres, which is good preparation for this race.
Speed Map
As we have seen in quite a few Group 1 races of late, this again seems to be a race a little devoid of pace. Hazzabeel looks the likely leader, but given he faded out of the race in the Railway from second place early, it’s difficult to suggest that his jockey would like to present a truly run race to his opposition.
Three-year-old filly Blackwood may push forward from a wide barrier – though it didn’t pay dividends two starts ago as favourite – and talented mare Real Love did race up on the pace first-up this preparation but she missed the start a little in the Railway Stakes two weeks ago, which prompted Damien Oliver to ride her back in the field. She won the Perth Cup last year from in the lead so I’d be very surprised this time if similar tactics weren’t employed.
The roughie Woodsville did win a 2100-metre race at Belmont from the front in July, but he sat off the pace when winning the Kalgoorlie Cup in late September. Not too many others in the race have an on-pace pattern of racing so I have to predict it will be a moderately run race that will suit a leader, and/or a horse drawn to advantage.
Analysis
As was the case in the Railway Stakes well known Perth owner-breeder Bob Peters has four horses in the race (Real Love, Deleicacy, Perfect Reflection, Neverland), only this time they are all female horses with prolific strike rates.
Interestingly, the number one stable jockey William Pike could have ridden any of the four, but has opted for the unbeaten three-year-old filly Perfect Reflection with the betting market reacting accordingly, installing her as second favourite. The three-year-olds have been running comparable times to the older horses this spring in Perth, and this filly could have run in the WA Guineas last week but was instead saved for this.
Had Perfect Reflection run in that race she would have started favourite, and the overall time (the race was won by Man Booker) was only 0.21 of a second slower than the Railway Stakes on the same day won by Good Project.
All of the older horses out of the Railway rise in weight for this race (Real Love and Delicacy 3kg, Balmont Girl 4kg and Black Heart Bart 1kg) while the three-year-old males Man Booker, London Line and Blackwood all drop 4.5 kilograms in weight.
Given that factor, all of them look hopes of winning, given they could run up to a second quicker here due to the weight differential from two weeks ago. On October 21, Perfect Reflection beat Man Booker into fifth place and beat him two lengths in receipt of 3.5 kilograms. That makes her the on top three-year-old in this race, even though Man Booker meets here 1.5 kilograms better and was forced to race three wide the only time they met.
Perhaps the one negative for Perfect Reflection, and all of the three-year-olds in the race, is how they cope with the extra 200 metres in this race at 1800 metres. Breeding says that Perfect Reflection will handle the distance rise given her full sister won to 2000 metres, but her stablemate Arcadia Dream was taking ground off her at 1600 metres last start.
Man Booker earnt his win in the Guineas last week coming wide before the turn, and he has won off a 10-day break. It’s hard to see London Line turning the tables on him in this race, but the filly Blackwood might, as she was running on resolutely at the finish last week, and could be the strongest of the three at 1800 metres.
Real Love and Delicacy both raced admirably in the Railway after getting back from their wide barriers in an unsuitably run race. They finished alongside each other at the finish, and it’s hard to say which was the better run. It should be remembered both went into that race second-up from a spell, and that was hardly an ideal scenario for a Group 1 mile race. Both should strip fitter here, but Real Love has drawn much better, and has the ability to race closer to the lead.
The fourth of the Peters quartet is four-year-old mare Neverland who is in stellar form this preparation winning all of her three starts. She was thrashed 3.5 lengths by Delicacy at level weights last campaign though, and her 1400-metre time when winning two starts ago doesn’t compare favourably to Black Heart Bart on the same day. She only gets 2.5 kilograms in weight relief off that horse here and on what we know she looks to be outclassed.
Black Heart Bart was probably the run of the race in the Railway because he had to work hard from 1000 metres, three and four wide. At that point he was making a winning bid for victory in the wrong part of the track on the day.
Both Real Love and Delicacy did take ground off him at the finish, but it was heartening to see him finishing better than those inside of him (including Balmont Girl), who had easier runs. He meets the latter three kilograms better for that run, and the Peters pair two kilograms better.
Black Heart Bart has also drawn far better this time around, and I can’t quite see any of the mares out of that race getting the better of him, unless he fails to run out a strong 1800 metres. It may be pertinent, though, that Delicacy did win resoundingly here at this distance third-up last preparation, and it is the same scenario for her in this race. Where she gets to from the barrier is the biggest concern.
Extra Zero from the Hayes/Dabernig stable adds interest to the race as he does boast some good weight-for-age form from Flemington in the past 12 months. Training reports are very good about him since arrival, but it does seem a strange decision to attempt this race off a month break.
With more than three weeks between runs, his record reads 0/19, and his record in fields of more than 14 runners is worse at 0/23. He is also yet to win from a barrier worse than 12 (barrier 15 here) and has only won one of his last 45 starts. Hard to get keen on those statistics, but he isn’t as bad as they suggest given his outstanding runs in the Australian Cup and Mackinnon Stakes. He might not be a winning hope, but is definitely a place chance at juicy odds.
The one they all have to beat looks to be the former Italian stallion Magic Artist under the tutelage of German trainer Andreas Wohler (of Protectionist fame) for owners Australian Bloodstock.
Oliver has opted to ride him in preference to Real Love, and that’s not too surprising since this horse should have won the Mackinnon Stakes at Flemington at his debut run on her in late October. One week later he ran another excellent race in the Emirates Stakes when fourth beaten 1.5 lengths, dropping back in distance 400 metres.
He was back slightly further than midfield in that race, but he wasn’t that far from the leaders and should be able to race a bit closer in this race from the inside barrier, in what I suspect will be a moderately run race. He could have run in the Railway Stakes last week, but probably would have been handicapped out of winning it, and this does look a far better option, at a more suitable distance.
Magic Artist is yet to win on a wet track from seven starts, but has won three and placed three of 10 starts on dry tracks. The harder tracks in Perth then should suit him, and we’ve already evidenced his ability on firm ground in his two excellent runs here. He may well be a class above this field, with the only possible negative being his overall strike rate of three wins from 17 starts. He will probably start favourite and is a deserved one.
Conclusion and tips
A lot might depend on how the race is run, and which horse can take advantage of the speed of the race from where they are drawn. My thinking is the barrier draw might prove crucial in a moderately run race, and if Magic Artist can take advantage of the inside gate he is going to go very close to winning.
The filly Perfect Reflection should run well taking times and relative weights into account despite her barrier, and Black Heart Bart could be the best of the local older horses given the weight turnaround from the Railway Stakes, and his good barrier draw.
Real Love must be respected because she has raced well on the pace before, and if that option is taken she could control the race. Form and weights often go out the window when any horse can do that, and she certainly has the quality to take advantage of any pace or leader’s track bias.
Extra Zero should be considered as a place bet with his eastern states weight-for-age ability, and a glowing report from the west.
Selections
1. Magic Artist $4 (win only)
2. Perfect Reflection $6.50
3. Black Heart Bart $7.50
4. Real Love $8.00 (win only)
Extra Zero $18 (place only at $6.00 or better)
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