Rhetorical takes on older horses at Moonee Valley

The Mark Walker stable will be looking for some luck to fall their way when Rhetorical heads to Moonee Valley for the second time.

A three-year-old filly, Rhetorical takes on older horses in the Moonee Ponds 3039 Traders Handicap (1000m) on Saturday.

The contest is a benchmark 64 grade race, and Walker’s assistant-trainer Ben Gleeson said Rhetorical looks well suited after a luckless Australian debut on December 8.

“She probably should have won,” Gleeson said.

“She was a little bit tardy away and Mick (Dee) went for the rails run. She’s only a little filly and she couldn’t quite barge her way out.

“Looking at the head-on, I thought she was pretty game. She was copping it from both sides, and other than that she should have won.”

Rhetorical has won two of her nine starts to date but has been placed in Stakes company in New Zealand along with finishing fourth in a Listed race before coming joining Walker’s team at Cranbourne.

While Rhetorical has placed at Stakes level, her Australian rating remains low.

The filly gets into Saturday’s 1000m dash with 57.5kg and will have the services of Damian Lane.

“She’s got Stakes form back in New Zealand although her rating here is quite low, but she’s a filly that we brought over with the idea of stepping her through her grades,” Gleeson said.

“Some of the races back home possibly haven’t been at the highest Stakes quality but knowing that we thought she could come over here and quite easily win races like 64’s, 70’s etcetera.

“And if she can get her confidence up and wins a couple of nice races, then a better race might come around, whether that might be in a lower grade Stakes race.

“Mick is back home in New Zealand at the moment, so you cannot find a better in-form jockey than Damian at the moment, so we’re happy to have him on.”