Stable move may prove just the trick for Invasive Dreams at Muswellbrook

Tough seven-year-old Stylebender is out to make it two wins from his last three starts in the opening BM 58 Hcp over 1750m.

A somewhat luckless and occasionally underrated son of NZ staying sire Tavistock, Stylebender has so much more to offer than his modest two wins from 36 starts, and having taken nearly five years to break his maiden status since debuting in early 2020.

Ahead of only his second run at the course, Stylebender opened on the second line of betting around $3.20, just behind early fancy Magic Pharoah at $3.00.

Emotional win for Portelli

Walkin’talkin’ fired second-up off a long break to score an emotional win for Warwick Farm trainer Gary Portelli at Canterbury yesterday. The six-year-old, which had more than 12 months off the scene, led all the way under apprentice Molly Bourke. The victory came a day after Portelli’s mother, Morveen Portelli, died at age 78. “She was a mad racing fanatic and a trainer herself,” Portelli said. “She was probably the third woman to have a trainer’s licence in NSW. She loved the game and the last words she said to me … was ‘what time is your race?’ … This is a very special win today.”
Craig Kerry