The Queen Of The Australian Turf Gai Waterhouse is keen to win another Melbourne Spring Carnival feature race and is tipping Prompt Response as the horse to beat in the Group 2 $300,000 7News Matriarch Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on Saturday.
Prompt Response, above, is one of the main chances in the Matriarch Stakes at Flemington. Photo by Steve Hart.
Waterhouse and co-trainer Adrian Bott continued their good Melbourne Spring Carnival form with Pinot winning the Group 1 $1m Kennedy Oaks (2500m) at Flemington on Thursday.
Prompt Response had put in two good recent runs with a third to Quilate in the Group 3 $150,000 Ladies’ Day Vase (1600m) at Caulfield on October 18 followed by a fourth to Shoals in the Group 1 $500,000 Myer Classic (1600m) at Flemington last Saturday.
“She runs in the Group 2 Matriarch Stakes having run a huge race in the Group 1 Myer Stakes last week. The step up in trip is sure to suit and expect another bold showing, on form she is the one to beat. A strong winning chance,” Waterhouse wrote on her website.
Prompt Response is the $6.50 second favourite for the Matriarch Stakes at Ladbrokes.com.au behind Falika at $4.80 and will jump from barrier five with Blake Shinn in the saddle.
Waterhouse and Bott will also saddle up $7.50 chance Savapinski who has drawn awkwardly at barrier thirteen with Brenton Avdulla booked to ride.
Waterhouse is also giving Savapinski a strong chance and is certain she will run out a strong 2000m in the Matriarch Stakes.
“She too runs in the Group 2 Matriarch Stakes and on the back of her last run, she has an excellent chance. She will be ridden on the speed and we see no reason why she will not see out the distance. She will go very close at nice odds,” Waterhouse wrote.
Savapinski is coming off a last start second to Lubiton in the Group 3 $150,000 Powerflo Solutions Stakes (1600m) at The Valley on October 28.
The Greg Eurell trained Falika is the winner of her last three starts and heads to the Matriarch Stakes on the back of a win in the $120,000 The Emerson Handicap (2040m) at The Valley on October 27.