Max Presnell
February 13, 2010.

The Verdict

Vital factors are falling into place for Shellscrape in the William Reid Stakes at Moonee Valley today. Earlier in the week, trainer Chris Waller was dubious about starting him due to Black Caviar being in the field, and told regular jockey Corey Brown to remain in Sydney.

However, Black Caviar was withdrawn and Waller received added encouragement when Melbourne was hit by storms on Thursday.

Shellscrape has won his only three starts on slow tracks, while Nicconi, the hot favourite, has had one attempt in ground worse than dead for a third.

With the brilliant Black Caviar out, tempo, too, is swinging towards Shellscrape. ''I'm not expecting a lot of pace, making it difficult for the backmarkers like Nicconi,'' Racenet's Melbourne map-maker reported, and Matt Tripp of Sportsbet on the internet site's bookmaker poll exclaimed regarding Shellscrape: ''Drawn to get a soft run on the speed and has a great record at 1200 metres.''

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