Smokin' Joey tops Railway; Buffering seeks third straight in Winterbottom

Smokin' Joey tops Railway; Buffering seeks third straight

in Winterbottom

While the Group 1 action has switched to Western Australia to close out the

year, that hasn't stopped a handful of Eastern-based horses from crossing the

country to chase an A$1-million pot in Saturday's Group 1 Railway at Perth's

Ascot Racecourse.

One who looks in with a big chance is Smokin' Joey, who finished alongside

this season's dual Group 1-winning miler Boban, albeit a neck behind on the

wire, in the Emirates (aka the Cantala) last out at Flemington November 9. The

six-year-old gelding had previously won the Tab.Com.Au Stakes (Chatham/Yallambee

Stud) over that strip November 2, and looks poised for a big victory.

Defending race winner Mr Moet is another who returns from a Spring Carnival

campaign, with his most recent effort being a fourth-place finish in the

Mackinnon going about 1 1/4 miles November 2. The six-year-old gelding is likely

to relish the return to Ascot, a track at which his record reads six wins from

11 starts, and four placings. In fact, his last win came almost a year ago over

this strip in the Cox Stakes, two starts after his Railway victory.

Peter Moody ships in the five-year-old mare Plucky Belle, who got a late

start to her spring campaign, but made up for lost time with a victory last out

in the Lavazza Short Black Stakes (aka Maybe Mahal) at Flemington. The

seven-year-old veteran Kerrific has been plying his trade on the Western

Australian circuits for the better part of four years, and he was rewarded with

his first group victory in the Belmont Sprint June 1. Despite his age he appears

to be in the best form of his life, and comes into this first try at the highest

level off a victory in the R.J. Peters here November 16.

After placing at the Group 1 level 10 times, the hard-knocking sprinter

Buffering has at last broken through this campaign, with a pair of victories at

the highest level in the Manikato and VRC Sprint Classic (aka Victoria Racing

Club), and Saturday he goes for a third straight in Ascot's Group 1 Winterbottom

Stakes.

Many questioned the merit of Buffering's Manikato victory after he scraped

home by a short head from Hong Kong invader Lucky Nine at Moonee Valley October

25, but the veteran six-year-old likely put all doubters to bed with a

resounding victory on the front end in the VRC Sprint Classic two weeks ago.

Moment of Change, part of the annual Moody Perth brigade, scored a

breakthrough victory in last year's Sir Rupert Clarke, but is on a recovery

mission here, as he has yet to win since. He has not been disgraced, however,

never finishing worse than fourth in four outings this prep, and most recently

checking in third in the VRC Sprint Classic.

The six-year-old Spirit of Boom will make his 45th start in the Winterbottom,

and the gelding has remained remarkably consistent this campaign, hitting the

board in all four outings. After placing at the group level 11 times, Spirit of

Boom at last earned his breakthrough victory in last month's Caulfield Sprint,

and he was most recently second in the Yellowglen (aka Linlithgow) at Flemington

November 2.

Those shippers will all have to contend with the local Barakey, the defending

race winner. The six-year-old has made up for having a late-starting and

often-interrupted career by losing just one in 13 starts. That lone loss came

when he ventured east for Flemington's Newmarket Handicap in March, where he

could manage only 11th, but he rebounded with a victory in Ascot's Princes of

Wales on October 26 in his lone effort since.

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