The 71st John F Feehan Stakes - Form Focus Fact Sheet 2020

Form Focus Fact Sheet                                          2020

                  The 71st John F Feehan Stakes
                   1600m / Group 2 / Weight For Age / First Run: 1949

      The John F. Feehan Stakes was first officially conducted (under that
      name) at Moonee Valley on Saturday, September 10, 1949 over 8 furlongs.
      Run at WFA (with no allowances to geldings), the race went to Ellerslie,
      owned by Mr W.R. Kemball and prepared by his private trainer Ken Hilton.
      Ridden by Bill Williamson, Ellerslie was a very capable galloper, later
      capturing features such as the Cantala, Memsie, Underwood, Orr,
      Linlithgow (x2) and Liston Stakes and being runner-up in the 1952 Cox
      Plate

      At the corresponding MVRC Meeting (a year earlier in 1948), the Club
      staged the “forerunner” to the Feehan, the Glenroy Stakes (at WFA over 8
      furlongs) which was won by Phoibos

      The distance has remained a constant 1600m (or 8 furlongs), however the
      weight conditions have altered since inception. In 1955, the Feehan
      became a Handicap but then reverted to WFA in 1975. The race was run at
      Sandown (1976) and Caulfield (1995) and was divided in 1972. Usually
      staged in mid/late September, the Feehan now resides in early
      September, and was known as the Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes from 2005
      to 2018

      The Feehan honour roll contains greats such as Rising Fast, Sunline,
      Northerly, Better Loosen Up, Strawberry Road, Rubiton, Winfreux and
      Chicquita. Multiple winners are Shorengro (x3) and dual winners The
      Cleaner, Whobegotyou, Lad of the Manor and Lawman

      Leading the trainer’s table is M.J. (Maurie) Willmott who won the race
      with Shorengro (1968/1969/1970) and Grand Scale (1972). George Hanlon
      and David Hayes are next with three wins apiece

      Harry White is leading rider with six victories – Bellition (1967), Shorengro
      (1968/1969), Arama (1974), Rubiton (1987) and Our Westminster (1989). On
      four wins each are Greg Childs and Damien Oliver

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Profile

    YEAR      T/R          WINNER          TRAINER          JOCKEY         A/S      OR
    2019      G4-TRUE      HOMESMAN        L HOWLEY         B MELHAM       6G       110
    2018      G4-TRUE      MAGIC CONSOL    P PREUSKER       J CHILDS       9G       93
    2017      G4-2M        BONNEVAL        TEAM BAKER       D LANE         4M       107
    2016      G4-3M        AWESOME ROCK    TEAM CORSTENS    S BASTER       5H       103
    2015      G4-TRUE      THE CLEANER     M BURLES         N CALLOW       8G       109
    2014      G3-TRUE      THE CLEANER     M BURLES         S ARNOLD       7G       105
    2013      G3-TRUE      FIORENTE        G WATERHOUSE     N RAWILLER     6H       111
    2012      G3-TRUE      HAPPY TRAILS    P BESHARA        G BOSS         5G       105
    2011      G4-TRUE      REKINDLED       J CONLAN         D DUNN         4G       100
                           INTEREST
    2010      S6-TRUE      WHOBEGOTYOU     M KAVANAGH       M RODD         5G       115

           T/R: (Track/Rail):
           Rail is again True this year and a Good rated surface has been the norm

           Trainers:
           Paul Preusker (Surprise Baby) is the solitary trainer with a 2020 runner who
           has prepared a Feehan winner previously (Magic Consol-2018). Brent
           Stanley (Coming Around) rode his 1996 Caulfield Cup winner Arctic Scent
           to victory in the 1997 Feehan Stakes

           Jockeys:
           Ben Melham (2019), Damian Lane (2017) and Craig Williams (2008) are
           past Feehan winners with mounts in 2020

           OR (Official Handicap Rating):
           The past 10 winners have held ratings from a low of 93 (Magic Consol-
           2018) to a high of 115 (Whobegotyou-2010), with the majority (8) rated
           from 103-115

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Punting

    YEAR   WINNER           BR    FIELD   SP       FAV                 SP       FP
    2019   HOMESMAN         13    15      $5       FIFTY STARS         $4.40F   7TH
    2018   MAGIC CONSOL     7     11      $19      NIGHT'S WATCH       $3.40F   3RD
    2017   BONNEVAL         7     8       $5       STAR EXHIBIT        $4.40F   LR
    2016   AWESOME ROCK     2     14      $31      THE UNITED STATES   $6.50F   6TH
    2015   THE CLEANER      6     11      $5.50.   CONTRIBUTER         $2.20F   5TH
    2014   THE CLEANER      2     11      $4.40F   THE CLEANER         $4.40F   1ST
    2013   FIORENTE         2     10      $3.20.   SUPER COOL          $2.60F   4TH
    2012   HAPPY TRAILS     10    12      $5.50.   GREEN MOON          $4F      2ND
    2011   REKINDLED        10    10      $7       WHOBEGOTYOU         $1.65F   3RD
           INTEREST
    2010   WHOBEGOTYOU      3     8       $3.10.   SHOOT OUT           $2.70F   3RD

       Barriers:
       Nothing overly meaningful in the barrier stats over the past decade.
       Drawing out is no disadvantage. Northerly (2001) is the latest winner to
       jump from gate 1

       SP (Favourite):
       Favourite has had a lousy time over the last 10 editions with The Cleaner
       (2014) the sole winner. Overall, 24 Feehan favourites have saluted in the 70
       runnings of the race (34% Strike-Rate)

       Longshots:
       1955 winner Townsville (33/1) is the longest-priced Feehan winner, followed
       by $31 winners Awesome Rock (2016) and Guillotine (2008)

       Hotpots:
       Sunline (2000) is the shortest-priced winner (2/11f). Another great mare
       (Chicquita) started 1/2f when victorious in 1950

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Performance

  YEAR    WINNER               A/S   OR    LAST START         L3       NEXT RACE
  2019    HOMESMAN             6G    110   1ST UP             1ST UP   2nd Underwood
  2018    MAGIC CONSOL         9G    93    1st Winter Final   4-1-1.   SPELL
  2017    BONNEVAL             4M    107   1ST UP             1ST UP   1st Underwood
  2016    AWESOME ROCK         5H    103   10th Lawrence      10       5th Underwood
  2015    THE CLEANER          8G    109   2nd Lawrence       2        3rd Underwood
  2014    THE CLEANER          7G    105   1st MV 1600m Hcp   1-2-1.   1st JRA Cup
  2013    FIORENTE             6H    111   6th Memsie         6        4th Turnbull
  2012    HAPPY TRAILS         5G    105   2nd Memsie         1-2.     5th Turnbull
  2011    REKINDLED INTEREST   4G    100   4th Memsie         2-4.     5th Turnbull
  2010    WHOBEGOTYOU          5G    115   2nd Memsie         2        3rd Caul Stks

         Last Start:
         Going to the Feehan first-up didn’t appear the winning option until
         Bonneval (2017), then Homesman last year replicated that feat. Memsie
         form did feature prominently when the two races were separated by 14
         days (now 7 days)

         L3 (Last 3 Starts):
         Fitness/Winter winning form has returned two winners in a decade in
         Magic Consol (he was coming off a 9-week let-up) and The Cleaner

         Next Race:
         Just 2 out of the last 10 Feehan winners went to further victory at their next
         start. The most recent winner of the Feehan to win the Cox Plate is El
         Segundo (2007)

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Pros & Cons

      Negative:

      While it’s not uncommon for horses to feature in the Feehan via
      established Winter form, both Exasperate and Coming Around enter this
      year’s race faced with a very stiff class rise. With a base rating currently of
      90, both horses do appear to have a challenge

      Beware:

      6 of the past 10 Feehan winners came via a WFA race, 2 were first-up while
      the other 2 were last start winners. This pattern also holds true for the
      previous 20 runnings of the Feehan (1990-2009). Beaten a lip last week in
      the Heatherlie Hcp, Sircconi sits narrowly outside this form-related trend

      Positive:

      Despite the unfavourable 10-year stats relating to the favourite, maybe
      one’s overdue and Surprise Baby can deliver and book himself a spot in
      the 2020 Cox Plate. Fourth (when first-up) in last year’s Feehan, he finds a
      field size (8) much more advantageous than last year’s 15

      Mahamedeis came off a BM90 (1200m) to run second in the 2019 Feehan
      (beating Surprise Baby by a head). He has improved his handicap mark
      by 10 points since and arrives at the Feehan via a last start victory (a
      positive stat)

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