South Australia has five nominations for the $5m All-Star Mile at Moonee Valley on March 18.
SA’s newest training combination Will Clarken and Niki O’Shea have three - Ironclad, Beau Rossa and Noname Lane, with exciting filly See You In Heaven from the Richard and Chantelle Jolly stable and Sam Burford’s Oh Mo rounding out local horses hoping to be voted into the feature.
In its fifth year, the 2023 All-Star Mile nominations boast 33 horses with more than $1 million in the bank and 27 Group 1 winners among the 81 entries.
See You In Heaven is one of 17 three-year-olds nominated and its familiar ground for the Jolly stable who saddled up Regalo Di Gaetano in 2021 before the horse was scratched just days out from last year’s race.
It could be a busy March for See You In Heaven who is heading towards the $1m Australian Guineas at Flemington on March 4 with the All-Star Mile to be run two weeks later.
The Sandown Guineas winner ticked all the right boxes in her return to racing at Morphettville against the older horses in the Durbridge Stakes on the weekend when she was only run down late by Shamino.
“She’s good, I’m really happy with her,’’ Chantelle Jolly said.
“She’ll run three weeks in the Vanity and then go to the Australian Guineas from there,’’ she said.
And Jolly said it made sense to throw in an entry for the All-Star Mile.
“It doesn’t hurt to nominate for the All-Star Mile, we’ll just have to see how things play out from here and after the Guineas,’’ Jolly said.
The big name entries include Melbourne Cup winner Gold Trip, last year’s All-Star Mile winner Zaaki along with I’m Thunderstruck, Mr Brightside and host of rising stars.
“The 2023 All Star Mile has drawn together an outstanding list of nominations,’’ Racing Victoria’s Executive General Manager of Racing Matt Welsh said.
“As well as these drawcard horses, it’s the smaller stables with their pin-up horses that we love to see the public get behind. Scott Brunton’s The Inevitable from Tasmania, Luke Fernie’s Laced Up Heels from Western Australia and Sam Burford’s Oh Mo from South Australia are just a number of horses who will be seeking their state’s support to vote them into the Top 10,’’ he said.
