114 horses have accepted for the Mornington Racing Club’s bumper Centrebet Mornington Cup card on Wednesday, Victoria’s richest non-metropolitan race day and the second-richest in Australia.
In a familiar story, a mare trained by Peter Moody is the hot favourite for the day’s feature.
And whilst she may not be Black Caviar, the Moody-educated Power O’Raylee looks to extend an impressive string of victories – currently standing at five – in the Listed $300,000 Centrebet Mornington Cup.
Power O’Raylee is a popular elect in a field that packs a punch in quality, including Stakes winners Drunken Sailor, Sea Galleon, Unchain My Heart, Apprehend and Western Jewel.
The latter of those is out to emulate the 2011 deeds of a fellow Western Australian, Guyno, in taking out Victoria’s most valuable country cup.
The Centrebet Mornington Cup takes top billing on a ten-race card offering no less than $880,000 in prize money, also featuring the Listed $100,000 Bayside Jeep Hareeba Stakes and the $250,000 Inglis Premier for two year-olds.
Returning to defend the Hareeba crown he won last year is Zedi Knight, who brings the ominous last-start form of a second placing behind Black Caviar into Wednesday’s 1200-metre event.
Meanwhile, Gerald Ryan-trained filly Snitzerland is a likely favourite in Inglis Premier, won in 2011 by Masthead before that colt went on to run third in the Patinack Farm Blue Diamond Stakes and fourth in the Golden Slipper.
For all the action on the turf on Wednesday at Mornington, there will be just as much off it, led by the Mornington BMW Fashions on the Field, where more than $70,000 in prizes is up for grabs.
Gates open at 10am.