Stawell 2024 anyone?

Never too early for some predictions?

Who did you like the looks of last weekend that will be a big improver for next season.
I’ll start us off..

Brad Hunt in the sprints, big strong dude who will keep getting better

Jack Lacey had a big carnival, going to improve again and is getting out there

Blyzno - not sure which of the brothers is which, but that 20.09 probably wasn’t legit, but they can run.

Ozzie Toole, not only a great name but finished 3rd in his semi behind Tarrant and Endale in 12.47

Jasper Thomas.. goes without saying


In the womens

Chloe Kinnersley is a great talent and showed it in her semi, only a metre or so behind Pasquali.

Stephanie Rutherford is another one to put in your blackbook along with Miriam Suares-Jury.


Keen to hear your thoughts Donatello, Tim, Dwight, Nick, Silva Hawke, STR

This years Stawell Gift resulted in two exciting finals and two very worthy winners with Ryan Tarrant and Bella Pasquali!


Exciting prospects in the men's from SG and this season;

Top ones to watch
- Jack Newman, Massimo Acquaro and Dhruv Rodrigues Chico - the first two unlucky during the season with near misses and injury causing them to miss out on their lifts and will be exciting to see how they improve for next season. Dhruv continues to improve and runs so impressively on the Central Park track; he has the talent to become a dual Stawell Gift winner.  

Others to watch
- Mitchell O'Neill, Tom Templeton, Brad Hunt, Ozzie Toole, Kyle Ennis and Patrick Martin

Don't rule out
- Jake Ireland, Leonard King, Jack Lacey, Jasper Thomas, Liam Moss, Dylan McGann, Corey Baker, Jackson Bennett, Endale Mekonnen and Jerome Lugo.


Exciting prospects in the women's from SG and this season;

Top one to watch:
- Alesha Bennetts - 13.80 off 5.5m nearly pipping an in form and bonus lifted Layla Watson. And also her 11.91 off 2m in the Under 18 girls suggests she will be one to watch in the future much like Pasquali. And according to results on the VAL website this was her first pro race!

Others to watch
- Chloe Mannix-Power, Olivia Matzer, Tiana Shillito, Stephanie Rutherford and Akshaya Iyer

Don't rule out
- Danielle Shaw, Chloe Kinnersly, Zoe Neale, Ellie Beer, Lucy Carter, Connie Murray and Liv Ryan

2024 already in the pipeline, will do a more extensive review later. First step will be runners to heal up from their psychological wounds from 2023. Saye Morris, what happened ? For those who did their ass backing him, we deserve some explanation. He wins the SF comfortably and most likely to go sub 12.2 on the soft track, didn't look lame or sore. Next thing he's scratched. I was worried he would struggle to finish rounds. Has their been a stable or runner that has scratched more times ? Didn't finish a race at Waverlly when shoe came flying off , it's just bizarre.  

What will be the 2024 blueprint ?

Endale Mekonnen needs some technical improvements, tends to over stride. Also doing 400's , 4 weeks out , not sure that's the recipe for 120 m success. Factor in the 10 days to freshen up and then 1 hard time trial.

Jerome Lugo. Compare his 70m rpms v 120m , he's best 70s are significantly better than his best rpm over the longer trip relatively speaking. Positive are his best runs are at Stawell in the 100/70. Lacks enough back end and top end , would need 10m and then improve 1m on best RPM. Stable is known to flog athletes , you can only flog a horse so many times with diminishing returns.  


Jack Newman, can the guru and spiritual healer Gulliver  improve him 1.5m. He's mark is too tight, would need to improve 1.5m or move out some.

Massimo Acquaro meets most of the criteria, good top end and in the right stable.

Jake Ireland if he gets some ticks and moves out some in the 120, gets the bonus. He is my pick. Nick Fielder has laid out how to win Stawell. Get the ticks , move out , avoid fast tracks, win at a slow track. The stable has a love affair with Wangaratta, which is the fastest ( or 2nd) track in Victoria. Be careful when you show your cards.  

Jack Lacey, couldn't chase down a 44yo with 11.9 100 speed in the 70m. If you can't win from 7.5m in the 70m, then unless he comes back and wins from 5m next season over 70m will be long odds. Rpms in the 200m similar to another 41 yo Tancredi. Won't rule out but needs to improve 3-4m.

Dhruv Rodrigues Chico- improved a bit last season, if you're winning from those tight marks, needs to be faster first 30m. Finishing races very strongly. If he can't find 1m early , will definitely be run on Browning in the 100m.

Paris will host the Olympic Games 2024 so Chloe Mannix-Power will need to decide between track or Stawell.  She ran inside 12s on the soft grass track, that puts her in the 11.6-11.7 range for the 100m. There is lots of depth with girls vying for 4x100 spots. 11.6-11.7 doesn't make the team. But with improvement , she can get down to 11.4s -11.3 which will be pressing for the 4x100 spot. Not sure if Australia will qualify , Tim will know more in this regard ?

Ellie Beer maybe better suited to the 400 and track. Also maybe didn't back up after nationals. From the stable I would like to see Jessica Thornton next year , ran 2nd from 2m at Terang, rpm inside 12s for the 100m. Very injury prone but very talented.

What did happen to Morris? Did anyone see if he pinged a hammie in the warm up? Must have been something to be allowed to scratch by the stewards.

One consideration for next year is the timing of Easter.

Given Stawell will be quite early, and the full domestic schedule of Track Classics, the Open & u20 Nationals will likely be one or two weeks after Stawell. It will also be an Olympic and World Juniors year, so there will probably be far fewer backies from either the adults or strong juniors turning up. That may impact those you consider for 2024.

Tom wrote:One consideration for next year is the timing of Easter.

Given Stawell will be quite early, and the full domestic schedule of Track Classics, the Open & u20 Nationals will likely be one or two weeks after Stawell. It will also be an Olympic and World Juniors year, so there will probably be far fewer backies from either the adults or strong juniors turning up. That may impact those you consider for 2024.

I know that the likes of Chico and Despard will be running next year. But would guys like Tarrant and Doran run at Stawell if it’s a couple weeks before nationals? I know the pros are a bit of an after thought for those ‘rubber runners.’

Keep an eye on Brian Wright runners at Terang next year. He's shown his cards. Tried to do with Leonard King and Hamish Lindstrom, both second at SG after winning Terang.

Will Cobden or Mortlalke be slow or fast tracks ? The rules means that some trainers will avoid fast tracks to avoid breaking ceiling or start times.

They're both very similar to Terang, but seven weeks earlier than Warrnambool/Terang weekend so likely to be slower.

What will Morris starting mark be next season.
Also check out the finish of the Womens gift Hastings may have cost herself two placings by not lunging on the line, very poor finish , so has she saved her mark slightly by doing what she did.And what is her starting mark next season.
Look for Tom Templeton to jag a bonus next season and be right up there.

Hey all. Yes unfortunately Saye did his hamstring about 10m from the line in the semi to be clear. Very unfortunately that his body didn't allow him to show his best. There were no indications prior to the race. Just not his time. Congratulations to all runner over the weekend. See you on track next season.

SA Whisperer wrote:What will Morris starting mark be next season.
Also check out the finish of the Womens gift Hastings may have cost herself two placings by not lunging on the line, very poor finish , so has she saved her mark slightly by doing what she did.And what is her starting mark next season.
Look for Tom Templeton to jag a bonus next season and be right up there.

Lucky I didnt follow your advice pre Stawell and mortgage the house to jump on Hastings SA Whisperer. I think she did the real damage in the heat, running down in 13.53sec I know she was looking for a seeding, but with her best 2 rpm’s well under ceiling, a Waverley win and a Stawell gift final her mark is gone. Maybe she cost herself $840 by not throwing herself at the line like Henderson and Watson did but nothing would have saved her mark. Tim would be best to ask to get the correct Start Mark for next season. I would expect upwards of 3m though

Thatsthestats wrote:

SA Whisperer wrote:What will Morris starting mark be next season.
Also check out the finish of the Womens gift Hastings may have cost herself two placings by not lunging on the line, very poor finish , so has she saved her mark slightly by doing what she did.And what is her starting mark next season.
Look for Tom Templeton to jag a bonus next season and be right up there.

Lucky I didnt follow your advice pre Stawell and mortgage the house to jump on Hastings SA Whisperer. I think she did the real damage in the heat, running down in 13.53sec I know she was looking for a seeding, but with her best 2 rpm’s well under ceiling, a Waverley win and a Stawell gift final her mark is gone. Maybe she cost herself $840 by not throwing herself at the line like Henderson and Watson did but nothing would have saved her mark. Tim would be best to ask to get the correct Start Mark for next season. I would expect upwards of 3m though

Who would have thought you could run 13.70 in the final and finish 6th.
I didnt lose my cash either, the betting ring was the poorest I have ever seen it. $1.70 before heats had started didnt get me in.
So Hastings has ran one of the fastest times at Stawell , two years in a row now, maybe at 20 years of age , its time to start looking around for a Coach who can take her to the next level.You are correct , she will never see a mark like she had for a very long time , so she needs a coach who can improve her and I dont think that has happened enough over the last 12months.Too much emphasis has been winning Stawell instead of at the age of 20 representing Aust.She has hardly competed this season and you dont improve by doing that.

SA Whisperer wrote:

Thatsthestats wrote:

SA Whisperer wrote:What will Morris starting mark be next season.
Also check out the finish of the Womens gift Hastings may have cost herself two placings by not lunging on the line, very poor finish , so has she saved her mark slightly by doing what she did.And what is her starting mark next season.
Look for Tom Templeton to jag a bonus next season and be right up there.

Lucky I didnt follow your advice pre Stawell and mortgage the house to jump on Hastings SA Whisperer. I think she did the real damage in the heat, running down in 13.53sec I know she was looking for a seeding, but with her best 2 rpm’s well under ceiling, a Waverley win and a Stawell gift final her mark is gone. Maybe she cost herself $840 by not throwing herself at the line like Henderson and Watson did but nothing would have saved her mark. Tim would be best to ask to get the correct Start Mark for next season. I would expect upwards of 3m though

Who would have thought you could run 13.70 in the final and finish 6th.
I didnt lose my cash either, the betting ring was the poorest I have ever seen it. $1.70 before heats had started didnt get me in.
So Hastings has ran one of the fastest times at Stawell , two years in a row now, maybe at 20 years of age , its time to start looking around for a Coach who can take her to the next level.You are correct , she will never see a mark like she had for a very long time , so she needs a coach who can improve her and I dont think that has happened enough over the last 12months.Too much emphasis has been winning Stawell instead of at the age of 20  representing Aust.She has hardly competed this season and you dont improve by doing that.

Some good points there SA Whisperer. Hastings definitely has the talent to make it in the amateurs. She has age on her side, that’s for sure. Despard, Chico and Goodwin were able to make the transition to being topline amateur runners after snaring a decent $40k payday to kick their careers off. I’m sure Tarrant and Pasquali will head down the same path.

Hamstring injury ? -Maybe after the adrenaline came down the hamstring started to stiffen up.