Tag: Sacred Falls

Cox Plate Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The $3million Group 1 Cox Plate takes place at Moonee Valley Racecourse this Saturday. Sportsbet are repeating their generous Caulfield Cup offer of refunding stakes if your horse finishes 2nd, 3rd or 4th in the big race.

The favourite is the Robert Hickmott-trained Fawkner who looks to have drawn nicely in barrier four. He is bidding to become the first seven-year-old to win the race since Makybe Diva in 2005, coincidentally from the same stall. Racing in the familiar Lloyd Williams colours, the son of Reset claimed the Caulfield Cup last year when holding off the fast finishing Dandino.

He chalked up another Group 1 victory when beating Criterion in the Caulfield Stakes last time out. That was over the same distance as Saturday’s race and he has to be respected. The form of the Caulfield Stakes is often a good guide here and the first five are all in the field.

Side Glance has been a good money-spinner for the Andrew Balding stable and set a leisurely pace before quickening up turning for home. Fawkner always had him in his sights and held off the late run of Criterion with Sacred Falls catching the eye in fourth. Zac Purton may have ridden a fine race in the Caulfield Cup but he did not cover himself in glory on Sacred Falls. He was well out of his ground on the turn for home and will surely keep closer to the pace on Saturday. Barrier nine is not ideal but he must go well.

The biggest sufferer in the draw was Aidan O’Brien’s Adelaide who is in the thirteen stall. He won the Group 1 Secretariat Stakes at Arlington and ran well when third to Ectot in France last time. He looked unlucky that day but the winner did not advertise the form in the Arc and it is going to take a mighty effort to win from the outside.

Sacred Falls is trained by Chris Waller who also saddles Foreteller and Royal Descent. Foreteller looks held having finished eighth at Caulfield while Royal Descent has finished runner-up in her last four races. She is partnered by Glen Boss from barrier three and should run her usual game race. Fawkner and Sacred Falls look the big two here with Adelaide’s chances depending on how he copes with his wide berth.

Sacred Falls @6.00 Sportsbet*

*Special bet – stakes refunded up to a maximum $100 if 2nd, 3rd or 4th

Warwick Stakes Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The highlight of Saturday’s racing in Australia is the Group 2 Warwick Stakes at Royal Randwick.

Eight Group 1 winners are included in the field of ten for the $175,000 prize but the horse that interests me most is not one of them. Weary began life with Harry Dunlop in the UK and produced a 40-1 surprise on his debut at Newbury in 2012 under Hayley Turner. France was his next port of call where he showed that he could handle heavy ground by accounting for Kamran over seven furlongs.

He met with defeat for the first time against Zenji in similar conditions at Longchamp in a Listed race. Dunlop brought him back across the water to contest the Racing Post Trophy but he finished down the field behind Kingsbarns. As a four-year-old, he finished second to Olympic Glory and fourth to Baltic Knight achieving a rating of 110.

He ran possibly his best race when fourth to the brilliant Moonlight Cloud over seven furlongs at Longchamp in July 2013. This is a real gem for racing “anoraks”: He actually ran under the name Sir Patrick Moore before he was bought to race in Australia and renamed after a famous Australian army figure called Weary Dunlop. He was cleverly named, being by Astronomer Royal out of America Nova.

Weary has finished first and second at Rosehill and has also run well on all three previous visits to Randwick. His close fifth in the Group 2 Missile Stakes was his first run since April and he is entitled to improve significantly on Saturday. He has a little bit of ground to make up on Messene but that horse is not certain to enjoy the ground. The latest reports suggest that it may be barely fit for racing by the weekend if the deluge keeps up.

The going has already led to Boban being withdrawn by Chris Waller, the trainer of Weary. He also runs another leading candidate in Doncaster Mile winner Sacred Falls who has good form in heavy ground but the trainer has hinted that it may be too much to expect him to win first time up.

David Payne’s Australian Derby winner Criterion is reported in good shape for his first real test in all-aged company. Tiger Trees has a reputation for being something of a mud lark but his barrier ten draw has put me off him a little. Australian punters betting on the race with Ladbrokes can get their money refunded as a free bet if their selection finishes second in the Warwick Stakes up to a maximum of $50.

Weary @5.50 Ladbrokes, SP Paddy Power