The heavy ground that has carried Mustang Valley to two spectacular Group One victories will be nowhere to be seen at Hastings on Saturday, but trainer Andrew Forsman is confident that drier conditions will pose no problems for his stable star’s defence of her Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) crown.
The high-class daughter of Vanbrugh blew her rivals away in last year’s edition of the weight-for-age feature, romping to victory by five and three-quarter lengths in testing Heavy10 ground.
Mustang Valley collected her second win at the elite level in the Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m) two weeks ago, where she again encountered a heavy surface and powered clear in the straight to score by more than a length.
All of Mustang Valley’s six career victories have come on heavy tracks. Hastings was rated a Heavy8 on Tuesday, but a fine and warm week has seen it come back to a Soft5 on Friday morning.
Mustang Valley has recorded multiple placings in similar conditions, including a strong-finishing second to La Crique in last year’s Arrowfield, along with a close third in the Gr.2 Guy Walter Stakes in Sydney, where the 1400m were run in a quick 1:22.56.
“She’s effective on drier tracks too, particularly once she gets up over a bit more distance,” Forsman said. “The wet ground obviously brings her into contention a bit more over those shorter trips, but once she’s up beyond a mile in this sort of company, I think she’s absolutely fine on top of the ground.”
The TAB agrees with that sentiment, making Mustang Valley a $2.30 favourite to join Princess Coup (2007 & 2008) and Melody Belle (2019 & 2020) as only the third back-to-back winner of this race since it was awarded Group One status in 1996.
“She was very good in the Arrowfield,” Forsman said. “She got out of the gates well, Joe (Doyle, jockey) put her in a good position and the heavy track obviously suited her a lot better than a few of the others in the race. She was quite dominant in the end.
“Everything’s been great with her in between times. She’s pretty fit now, with the benefit of that trip and run under her belt. We haven’t had to do heaps with her. She had a really good gallop on Tuesday morning and I think she’s right on target.”
Mustang Valley headlines a four-strong team of runners this weekend for Forsman, who also has Good Oil entered for the Heretaunga Hastings An Out There District Premier (2000m) at Hastings on Saturday.
At Rotorua the following day, Turn The Ace will stretch out beyond 1600m for the first time in his 20-race career to contest the Staphanos Classic (1950m), while promising maiden mare The Queen Bee tackles the Green Light Insurance Brokers (1400m).