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The $30,000 Alfa Bowl is the feature race on the eight-event card in Launceston on Wednesday night with the Stuart Gandy-trained Geegee Jet By likely to start favourite on the strength of his debut win in Hobart last month.
In Brief
- Geegee Jet By has the form to warrant starting favourite in the $30,000 Alfa Bowl.
- Ella Exceeds franks form by winning at her second start.
- Starnote and others trial well to suggest they can figure on debut.
Geegee Jet By was impressive in accounting for Ella Exceeds and Vokes and that Ella Exceeds has since broken her maiden status, the form now reads a whole lot better for Gandy's youngster.
On debut Geegee Jet By stalked the leaders, Vokes and Ella Exceeds, to the home turn and when rider Siggy Carr hit the go button, Geegees Jet By hauled in the leaders and went on to win by almost a length over 900 metres.
The gelding by Wordsmith from Geegees Pretty Jess will be improved by that outing and he has the services of in-form rider Brendon McCoull.
Geegee Jet By is advantaged by the set weights conditions of the race because he would have lugged 59kg had it been a handicap, but all colts and geldings will carry 57kg and all fillies 55kg.
Vokes should be improved by her debut outing and warrants plenty of respect and the same applies to Geegees Sunshine that finished fourth on debut behind Geegee Jet By and last start he was third to Ella Exceeds in the Tony Carrick Vase.
Of the field of 10, seven are first-starters and there is some handy trial form amongst the youngsters who are making their debuts.
Starnote ventured to Longford last week for her first trial and she emerged the winner, and by a comfortable margin.
Troy Baker rode the filly in the trial, and he was more than pleased with her effort.
"She gave me a real good feel and had plenty left at the end of the trial," Baker said.
Starnote is impeccably bred being by Zoustar from the Not a Single Doubt mare Single Note and while not overly big, she is well put together and ran through the line well at her first public appearance.
Another of the debutants to impress at the trials was the Glenn Stevenson-trained Piiink Beauty that finished third of five in her first trial early last month but improved to win her trial over 700m last week.
Piiink Beauty stopped the clock at 41.31 seconds over 700 metres and that was 0.6 seconds quicker than Starnote's time, but Stevenson's filly was pushed out to win.
The Siggy Carr-trained Sistine won a trial in Launceston over 800 metres in what was a one-act affair, scoring by close to five lengths without being fully extended.
Sistine has drawn the outside barrier and under normal circumstances that would be a big disadvantaged over 1100m, but the daughter of Needs Further-Sacred Force only needs to replicate her trial form to be one of the main contenders.
Punters might have to wait until the last race on the card of eight for the best bet of the night in Argyle Beach from the John Blacker stable.
Argyle Beach led the field two starts back, beaten a half-length, and he followed up with a fast-finishing second to Weldborough in a benchmark 68 over 1400m.
The gelding steps up to 1600m in the same grade and that should play into his favour with Wardell, last-start winner Stinka and Coronation Glade the likely dangers, although Full Knots Ahead can't be left out of calculations even though she would be better suited over 2100m or further as she looked in great shape in a track gallop at Longford last Thursday week.
Peter Staples' best bets: Le Cadeau (race 5) and Argyle Beach (race 8).
