LEADING LIGHTS STEP OUT

Saturday’s Makybe Stakes meeting at Flemington invariably stokes some spring dreams and shatters others, with quality fields in every race as owners and trainers plot their paths to further group 1 glory.

INCENTIVISE TO INSPIRE

Even in his heyday, Peter Moody rarely had fancied runners in the Melbourne Cup.

But that has changed this year with the now Pakenham-based Moody taking charge of boom Queensland contender Incentivise to supervise his Cup preparation from Victoria.

The son of Shamus Award was a maiden until breaking his duck on the Sunshine Coast in April.

Since then, he has rattled off a further five wins, culminating in the group 3 Tatts Cup at Eagle Farm in late June over 2400m. His latest triumph was a 12-length win over Mirage Dancer, a horse good enough to have won the group 1 Metropolitan last year.

Incentivise is now pre-post favourite for the Cup, so all eyes will be on him on Saturday when he steps out in the Makybe Diva for his first start of the new campaign.

Among those in opposition will be last year’s Cox Plate hero Sir Dragonet, so it should be something of an acid test.

DIAMOND STAR

Artorius, last year’s Blue Diamond Stakes winner, showed he had trained on from two to three when he was a head second on his reappearance in the group 3 McNeil Stakes at Caulfield. He is a short priced favourite in the 1400-metre Exford Stakes but should win to advertise his potential for the group 1 Caulfield Guineas in October.

JOURNEY CONTINUES

The Let’s Elope Stakes features some top mares in training. Fan favourite Mystic Journey, the Tasmanian star, will be an attraction as she prepares for another campaign at a course where she has had her greatest successes, winning an Australian Guineas and an All-Star Mile.

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