2016 Peter Young Stakes Nominations Feature Almoonqith

The David Hayes & Tom Dabernig-trained Sandown Cup winner Almoonqith is one of the headline nominations taken on Monday for this weekend’s Peter Young Stakes 2016 on Blue Diamond Stakes Day at Caulfield Racecourse.

Last start Sandown Cup winner Almoonqith resumes over 1800m at Caulfield in Saturday’s 2016 Peter Young Stakes. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

This season’s $200,000 Group 2 Crown Golden Ale Peter Young Stakes (1800m) attracted a bumper 18 nominations including a host of returning staying types.

The Peter Young Stakes is the ideal lead-up to the $1 million Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington on ‘Super Saturday’, March 12, and the double was last achieved by Fiorente (2014).

Almoonqith is 2016 Australian Cup nominated and runs first-up on Saturday, the six-year-old stallion last seen winning the Listed Sandown Cup (3200m) in mid-November.

He also won the Group 3 Geelong Cup (2400m) in October before a luckless 18^th when caught up for a run on the first Tuesday of November in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m).

Almoonqith has won two of his three previous runs over Saturday’s distance of 1800m so looks a big hope of resuming with a victory on the weekend.

Another big autumn hope kicking off his campaign in the Peter Young Stakes this season is the Lee & Anthony Freedman-trained German import Our Ivanhowe.

He ran an eye-catching third to Mongolian Khan in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) last October beaten under two lengths before also having a luckless Melbourne Cup run for 10^th, crossing just four lengths off the upset winner Prince Of Penzance.

Our Ivanhowe is tipped to improve as he gets out over more distance and although his record shows he is yet to win over less than 2200m, co-trainer Lee Freedman said he wouldn’t be surprised to see the progressive galloper win first-up on Saturday.

Futures Australian Cup odds at Ladbrokes.com.au are currently led by Bow Creek ($6.50) who is also entered for a Peter Young Stakes run.

The John O’Shea-trained Shamardal stallion resumed on February 13 at the track where he ran three and a quarter lengths away 13^th to Suavito in the Group 1 CF Orr Stakes (1400m).

He will have taken improvement off that and getting up over more distance should suit this weekend as he has his lead-up Australian Cup run.

The reigning Peter Young Stakes winner Mourinho is also nominated to defend his title on Saturday after a good three-quarter length win over Happy Trails in the race 12 months ago.

Last autumn Morinho came off a CF Orr Stakes third and before that a Group 2 Australia Stakes (1200m) win first-up at Moonee Valley.

The Peter Gelagotis-trained eight-year-old also ran in the same two races this year but finished seventh and second last (17^th) respectively so has to improve notably to go back-to-back in the Peter Young Stakes for the first time since Northerly (2002-03).

The other headline Peter Young Stakes nominee is the Robert Hickmott-trained Fawkner, another eight-year-old veteran out to atone for an unplaced (14^th) CF Orr Stakes run.

Winner of the 2013 Caulfield Cup, Fawkner’s last turf triumph was in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) over the Flemington mile last September.

He has a solid first-up record (10-3-1-1) and record at Caulfield (6-2-2-0) and pays $15 to win the Australian Cup after his run on the weekend.

See below for the full Peter Young Stakes 2016 nominations, the final field and barriers out on Wednesday.

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2016 Peter Young Stakes Nominations

Caulfield Racecourse – 27/02/2016