A nine-race card and a new king of the training ranks herald the start of the 2014/15 Melbourne racing season at Saturday's Moonee Valley meeting.

The nine-race program is a Racing Victoria initiative that will attempt to boost wagering with a extra restricted-class race.

A Benchmark 78 contest over 1600 metres is the added race on Saturday's card and the event will be worth $40,000, half the prize money for the rest of the meeting.

Ballarat horseman Darren Weir has made 11 entries for Moonee Valley, which will be the first meeting of his defence of the Melbourne trainer's premiership.

Weir broke the city trainers' stranglehold of the title when he won 86 races to beat the Caulfield-based Peter Moody by 22 wins.

Weir has entered two horses, Siwa Lady and Broken, in the Open Handicap (1000m) but that pair must overcome the Group Three Monash Stakes winner Lord Of The Sky.

Lord Of The Sky started the odds-on favourite but missed a place in Saturday's Group Three Bletchingly Stakes over 1200 metres but trainer Robbie Laing could him up at Moonee Valley.

"I might freshen him all this week, just keep him away from the track and then go to Moonee Valley on Saturday over 1000 metres," Laing said.

"I'll claim three kilograms off his back and just let him run."

Apprentices have enjoyed success on Lord Of The Sky with Kayla Nisbet winning twice on the sprinter, who will compete as a four-year-old for the first time if he runs on Saturday.

Training partners Peter Morgan and Craig Widdison have entered the promising performer Star Rolling for the open sprint.

Star Rolling was placed twice at Group level in the autumn but has not raced since missing a place in the Group One Australian Cup on March 8.

Laing has entered Sunday's Sandown winner Tristram's Sun in two 1600m races including the added event and has Group Three winner Boomwaa nominated for a 1000m race for his first start as a three-year-old.