Recommendation After Consecutive Stakes Wins

Off the back of his seven-length romp in the Gr3 Sir John Monash Stakes last time out, Ciaron Maher's Recommendation (Shalaa-Adviso, by Street Cry) looks to have Saturday's Gr3 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) at his mercy with only six other runners accepting in the $200,000 sprint. With his second up record better than his first up record, Recommendation's three wins from three second up runs will see the 4YO gelding go into the race as a dominant favourite, and with two other runners in the field having finished behind him last start, there will need to be something amiss to see those two improve enough to challenge the Blake Shinn ridden favourite. Beaten less than two lengths last start when fifth in the Listed Santa Ana Lane Sprint Series final, Hawkes Racing's Semillion (Shalaa-Sistonic, by Bel Esprit) has been in solid form this time in, and it would be of no surprise to see the 4YO gelding play a part in the finish, possibly giving the Woodside Park Stud-based Shalaa (Invincible Spirit) a one-two finish with his progeny. While he is yet to win at the Cauflield track, Semillion has some good efforts at the course and should not be left out. An interesting runner is the P Moody & K Coleman trained Honesty Girl (Mayson-Fleeting Image, by Sir Percy) who will be having her first Australia start. A Group 3 winner over 1408m at the Curragh, if the imported 5YO mare has adapted to the local training conditions, it would not surprise to see her sprint well fresh.