2017 RN Irwin Stakes Field Features Viddora

Lloyd Kennewell’s Magic Millions Sprint placegetter Viddora is one of the headline acceptors in a small field of sprinters facing off at Morphettville on Saturday in the RN Irwin Stakes 2017.

Viddora is one of the key runners in Saturday’s 2017 RN Irwin Stakes field at Morphettville in Adelaide. Photo: Jenny Barnes.

Two Group status races run at the track for the latest Adelaide Autumn Racing Carnival meeting on the weekend including just the nine runners for the $120,000 Group 3 RN Irwin Stakes (1100m).

Drawn the rails with barrier one with Chris Parnham to ride is the locally-trained I Am Invincible mare Viddora coming off three second place efforts.

The first in late December was at Eagle Farm and saw her finish under a length off Hidden Pearl in the Listed Falvelon Quality (1000m).

Next the in-form four-year-old travelled to the Gold Coast where she was narrowly defeated by Target In Sight in the $1 million Magic Millions Sprint (1200m).

Kennewell brought Viddora back on April 1 and she kicked off her autumn with a devastatingly close first-up second behind Karlovasi at Morphettville in the Listed Manihi Classic (1100m).

A four-time winner from nine runs over the 1100m, the mare looks in ideal form to get back to winning form second-up this weekend at her home track.

Returning to racing in the RN Irwin Stakes is the Wayne Francis & Glen Kent-trained Lope De Capio in gate four with Damien Thornton on the four-year-old gelding.

Lope De Capio hasn’t raced since back-to-back Adelaide stakes’ placings during the summer, the most recent of which was on Boxing Day in the Listed Christmas Handicap (1200m).

The son of Lope De Vega has won a subsequent 1000m trial by two lengths on April 13 and has a 50% winning strike rate first-up.

The RN Irwin Stakes serves as a nice early lead-up for local hopes heading towards a possible run back at the track on May 20 in the $1 million Group 1 Darley Goodwood (1200m).

Pre-nomination The Goodwood betting at Ladbrokes.com.au has Black Heart Bart at $2.60 to win the race for the second year on the trot.

The best fancied of the RN Irwin runners at $10 in futures The Goodwood odds meanwhile is Illustrious Lad for Moe-based trainer Peter Gelagotis.

A five-year-old son of I Am Invincible, Illustrious Lad hasn’t raced since finishing at the tail-end of two Group 1 sprints in Melbourne running eleventh in both the Newmarket Handicap on March 11 and the William Reid Stakes at Moonee Valley a fortnight later.

He was beaten around five lengths both times and is out to return to winning form in easier company this weekend at Morphettville where he has won two of his three previous starts.

Other 2017 The Goodwood-bound sprinters facing off in Saturday’s Group 3 include the Christmas Handicap – Matrice Stakes double winner Casino Wizard and the Darren Weir-trained Sooboog.

Two back on August 6 Snitzel stallion Sooboog won the Group 3 Aurie’s Star Handicap (1200m) down the Flemington straight, before his unplaced effort when three and a half-lengths back 12^th in the Manihi Classic at the start of April.

Check out the full RN Irwin Stakes 2017 field, barriers and jockeys below with markets to open shortly at Ladbrokes.com.au.

2017 RN Irwin Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw

Morphettville Race 6 – 22/04/2017