Tag: Chautauqua

Darley Classic Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The $1million Darley Classic looks the pick of the weekend action at the Spring Carnival with a fascinating clash of some of the top sprinters in the world.

The International flavour is due to the surprise raid by Ireland’s Slade Power, officially the top six-furlong  sprinter in Europe. There has been quite an agitated debate going on over the past week about the loading procedure for this race and whether or not Slade Power should be allowed to go in last.

The Australian authorities have stuck rigidly by the book and insisted that no special allowances can be made. At one point it seemed that the horse may even be withdrawn but some sort of compromise appears to have been reached. Neither side has admitted to backing down so let’s hope that it goes smoothly. Slade Power can get upset in the stalls and is usually loaded last in Europe.

Assuming he gets out of the gates without a problem, he then has to face a turning track and some of the fastest horses on the planet. The bookmakers in the UK have him at around 4-1 while he is almost twice those odds in Australia. I fear that the Australian odds may be closer the mark as he has some seriously good horses in opposition.

Lankan Rupee had to overcome a wide draw to win the Manikato Stakes last time, holding off the chasing pack in a bunch finish. Buffering had previously beaten Lankan Rupee but the places were reversed here using some bold early tactics to get across to the lead. The unluckiest horse of all appeared to be Rebel Dane who flew home in fourth, the second time running that he has finished fast but to no avail. Craig Williams will be hoping it is third time lucky but don’t expect to see him until very late on.

Lankan Rupee was restoring his reputation as the world’s leading sprinter in the Manikato Stakes but he faces a new challenger in the flying grey Chautauqua. This horse has been prepared by Team Hawkes and looked a superstar in the making when bolting up by four lengths in the Group 2 Gilgai Stakes. It is difficult to know how that form matches up to the Manikato but he was on a tight rein with two furlongs to run and that is a rare sight in a six-furlong sprint at Group  level.

Chautauqua @6-4 Sportsbet

Rebel Dane @20-1 Sportsbet (each-way ¼ odds, 1,2,3)

Lankan Rupee wins dramatic Manikato Stakes

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The prelude to the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley on Saturday did not disappoint as Lankan Rupee re-instated his name at the top of the world’s sprinters.

Officially rated the best in the world at the start of the season, Lankan Rupee had suffered two shock defeats going into this race. He was beaten by Angelic Light in the McEwen Stakes before being denied by the front-running Buffering in the Moir Stakes.

Connections had insisted that the horse was approaching his best for this race but a wide draw in barrier nine presented jockey Craig Newitt with a dilemma. Should he sit in behind and hope for the gaps to appear or take the bull by the horns and go from the gate. He chose the latter and blasted from the stalls before crossing over in front of old rival Buffering.

He held off the chasing pack in a dramatic finish which saw eight horses covered by barely half a length. Buffering had tried to get to him by never looked likely to do so while Angelic Light got within a short-head at the finishing line. Famous Seamus was just a nose away in third spot with the luckless Rebel Dane fourth and Terravista fifth.

Lankan Rupee then had to survive a dual protest before connections could claim the $1 million prize. Angelic Light’s jockey Damien Oliver and Famous Seamus’ rider Tim Clark both objected on the ground that Lankan Rupee had caused severe interference only 100m from the start. Oliver told the stewards that his mount was nearly brought down while Buffering was also seriously hampered on his inside.

Lankan Rupee has now earned more than $3 million and is set to clash with the likes of Earthquake, Rubick and Chautauqua in the Darley Sprint at Flemington next month. That race is also the target of Europe’s leading sprinter Slade Power, owned by bookmaker Paddy Power.

The five-year-old disappointed on his only previous start outside Europe when only tenth in the Hong Kong Sprint last year. He has won all three starts since culminating in the July Cup at Newmarket. He has shown his flexibility by winning on a variety of different tracks and going but it is an ambitious raid by Ed Lynam’s five-year-old. No doubt the connections of all of those packed in behind Lankan Rupee will also fancy at a crack at the champion sprinter next month.

Sportsbet quote Lankan Rupee at 5.50, the same price as Slade Power, with Chautauqua the clear favourite at 2.80.