Godolphin’s multiple Group 1 winner Hartnell has been assigned the topweight of 59kg for the Kennedy Mile (1600m), one of the feature races on AAMI Victoria Derby Day at Flemington on Saturday, 3 November.
Hartnell, who rolled back the years with a powerful display in the Epsom Handicap last month, will aim to claim a fifth win at the elite level in the $1 million contest.
The eight-year-old was defeated last time in the Group 1 Toorak Handicap by Darren Weir’s Land of Plenty, who showed a great turn of foot and has been given 55.5kg in the Kennedy Mile.
Land of Plenty sits sixth in the weights behind Kris Lees’ Le Romain (57.5kg), who won the race two years ago; Charlie Appleby’s international raider Blair House (57kg), who showed his class with a hard-fought second behind Benbatl in the recent Ladbrokes Stakes (2000m); Comin’ Through, who registered his debut Group 1 success in the Doomben Cup (2000m) in May; and Hartnell’s stablemate It’s Somewhat, the winner of last year’s Doncaster Mile (1600m).
Four more Waller runners – D'Argento (55kg), Shillelagh (53.5kg) and Invincibella (52.5kg) – come next in the weights, with Prized Icon (52.5kg), also trained by Lees, rounding out the top ten.
The first three finishes in Saturday’s Group 2 Schweppes Crystal Mile (1600m) at The Valley will be exempt from the ballot for the Kennedy Mile.
Acceptances for the $1 million Kennedy Mile will be taken at 9.30am on Wednesday, 31 October.
For the full list of weights, please click here