Soho Americano winning the 2025 Queensland Oaks
MICK Stanley’s homecoming looks super exciting on paper.
The former Victorian, who is now training a booming team out of Menangle, has a powerful hand across a string of the major races on Victoria Cup night.
“It’s the best crop of horses I’ve had in quite a while and, to be honest, that’s why I made the move to Menangle when I did a while back,” he said.
“When you do something like that, you want to make a splash and I thought I had the horses to do it.
“It’s turned out that way and look at a mare like The Answer, I wouldn’t have her if I hadn’t made the move.”
The Answer is one of Stanley’s major hopes tomorrow (Friday) night at Melton when she tackles the $50,000 Group 3 Ladyship Cup.
“I love this mare. I think she can mature into a really top open-class mare,” Stanley said. “It says she ran eighth last start, but it was a much better run that it reads.
“The advantage we’ve got here is drawing inside (gate five) two of our main dangers (Look Like Diamonds six and Kiss in seven), which means we’ll be in front of them early and if she could find the front, she’d be hard to beat.”
Stanley’s attack on the night starts in the opening race with his former Victoria Cup winner, Rock N Roll Doo.
“We’ve come to accept where he’s at and he’s not the horse he was, but he looks as good and is racing as well as he has for two years, so we think there are more wins in him,” Stanley said.
“Getting back into this class, we think he’ll be very competitive.”
Stanley and his major owner, Rob Watson, have three of the nine runners – Soho Majestic (gate two), Soho Charmer (four) and Soho Park Avenue (six) - in the second event, the Shakamaker 2YO Classic.
“Soho Park Avenue is the best of them, but there's not so much between him and ‘Charmer’ that he couldn’t beat him from the draws,” he said.
Stanley’s most favoured runner of the night is Queensland Oaks winner Soho Americano in the $150,000 Group 1 Victoria Oaks. She is the $2.60 favourite.
“The advantage she has is versatility. She can do work, sit-sprint or lead. And she’s the most seasoned of all these fillies,” he said.
“Having Beach Diamond drawn next to us, but inside the back row, means we should settle in a better spot than her. You’ve got to respect Let Her Roll and Golden Shooz, too.
“It looks like we could get a good run through at the start (behind likely leader Soap And Bubbles) and it could give Luke (McCarthy, driver) the option to go around and look for the lead.”
Stanley’s Victoria Derby heat winner Sao Paulo Simba will also start from the back row in the $150,000 final.
“I’ve been open in my big opinion of him. He’s a real racehorse and he’s tough. He might have to do it tough from the draw to win what is a really good, strong Derby.”
Stanley trains and drives $61 outsider Ubetcha Tigerpie in the Victoria Cup from gate three.
“He could surprise people. He’s an opportunist, but look how well he ran in the Len Smith Mile. If he got the right sort of run, he’d be a place chance,” he said.
PHOTO: Dan Costello
