All Thoroughbreds are deemed a year older on January 1st of every year. The Cox Plate this weekend has one of the Ante Post Melbourne Cup favourites in Speed Gift entered. A maximum field of 14 will go to post. On Wednesday we have the Geelong Cup with Crime Scene from Godolphin and Basaltico from Luca Cumani. The Masters Touch, Racing with Etienne de Mestre, Winner of 5 Melbourne Cups by Keith W
The Australian Racing simulcast is a bit different from racing cards you may be used to. The simulcast features racing from two separate tracks with each of the two tracks being a separate wagering card. The Melbourne Cup market is settling down prior to the Caulfield Cup. Daffodil looks the most interesting horse to the bookmakers. Trained by Kevin Gray this 4 year old mare was just out of the money in the Kelt Capital Stakes at Hastings on her most recent outing. Prior to this she won the Windsor Park Plate under Hayden Tinsley. 20/1 with Coral but as low as 12/1 with other firms.
Scratchings - Riding changes for this meeting. NSW Randwick TRACK RATING Dead 5 - Pen: 6.55 at 25/1 RAIL 4m out 1000m-WP, True Remainder FORECAST Possible Shower - 31C Randwick Races - free form with video comments, racebook, stats for this track and a punters' worksheet. When they win, most will then come back in a Class 1 handicap, which means non-winners of two races lifetime . The best pointer to use when handicapping an Australian race - given that many races in the past performance lines will read Hcp (Handicap) or Mdn (Maiden) - is to note the value (purse) of the race or the track class. Entries for the Melbourne Cup usually close during the first week of August. The initial entry fee is $600 per horse. Around 300 to 400 horses are nominated each year, but the final field is limited to 24 starters. Following the allocation of weights, the owner of each horse must on four occasions before the race in November, declare the horse as an acceptor and pay a fee. First acceptance is $960, second acceptance is $1,450 and third acceptance is $2,420. The final acceptance fee, on the Saturday prior to the race, is $45,375. Should a horse be balloted out of the final field, the final declaration fee is refunded.
A strong field of 24 with Allez Wonder added, another Bart Cummings horse ridden by Michelle Payne. This race looks ultra competitive, will the Aussies prevail or is the Cup like the Ashes going to England. In 1865, Adam Lindsay Gordon wrote a verse in which the Melbourne Cup winner was called Tim Whiffler. Two years later in 1867 two horses with the name Tim Whiffler ran in the Melbourne Cup. (The year before in 1866 two horses with the same name, Falcon, also ran in the Melbourne Cup.) To distinguish between the two Tim Whifflers they were called "Sydney" Tim Whiffler and "Melbourne" Tim Whiffler. "Sydney" Tim Whiffler actually won the Cup. The 1910 Melbourne Cup was won by Comedy King, the first foreign bred horse to do so. Subsequent foreign bred horses to win Cup were Backwood 1924; Belldale Ball 1980; At Talaq 1986; Kingston Rule 1990; Vintage Crop 1993; Jeune 1994; Media Puzzle 2002; Makybe Diva 2003, 2004, 2005
Seabiscuit returned to the racing wars in 1940 and finally won the Santa Anita Handicap, after losing two previous runnings by a whisker. The Cup is run at Flemington which in 1861 was a recognised venue for race-meetings conducted by the Victoria Turf Club. It is located on former river flats adjacent to the Maribyrnong River, 15 minutes by road from the central business district. Flemington was fairly rough and ready in the early days with no running rails or recognised course proper, however the Melbourne Cup quickly caught on as the race on the Australian Racing Calendar and a carnival boasting garden parties, gaiety and ladies showing off their latest finery. Cup Day was renowned for its carnival atmosphere with shooting galleries, lawn parties and social engagements predominantly engaged at the Flemington Racecourse.
We suggest you have a small wager on Basaltico both for this race and for the Melbourne Cup. If he wins the price will be slashed but remember he will not be guaranteed a Melbourne Cup entry, so keep stakes small. It is of critical importance to matchup those running styles in every race to see which horse or horses have the right running style to succeed today! The last Melbourne Cup trophy manufactured in England was made for the 1914 event. It was a chalice centred on a long base which had a horse at each end. A large rose bowl trophy was presented 1915-1918 and the current loving cup design was introduced in 1919.
The last Melbourne Cup trophy manufactured in England was made for the 1914 event. It was a chalice centred on a long base which had a horse at each end. A large rose bowl trophy was presented 1915-1918 and the current loving cup design was introduced in 1919.
The twentieth century was welcomed in with Melbourne Cup victory going to Clean Sweep and by Federation in 1901, a new era was about to unfold in Australian turf history. This was an era which saw the likes of Walter Hickenbotham (1888, 1890, 1896 and 1905) continue to shine as a leading trainer, the emergence of a young James Scobie who would also train four Cup winners (1900, 1922, 1923 and 1927) and the arrival of Bobbie Lewis who would ride in 33 Melbourne Cups for four wins, four seconds and one third. This record would only be equalled by Harry White who rode four Cup winners in 1974, 1975, 1978 and 1979.
Melbourne Cup Sweep Form - By 1880, 100,000 people made the journey to Flemington to witness Grand Flaneur secure Australia's greatest race prize. With a Melbourne population of only 290,000, this attendance was quite phenomenal. These were flourishing times for Melbourne as the city continued to grow post gold rush period. Melbourne was alive and seen as fast and furious compared to its more subdued rivals in Sydney. There was strong building development with many other services emerging.
The Melbourne Cup is Australia's major Thoroughbred horse race. Billed as The race that stops a nation, it is a race for three-year-olds and over, over a distance of 3,200 metres. Makybe Diva is the six-year-old mare (at the time of the 2004 Melbourne Cup) who entered the Australian horse racing record books by being the first mare to win two consecutive Melbourne Cup races (2003, 2004). “Phar Lap’s effort to win the 1930 Melbourne Cup carrying more than 62 kilograms undoubtedly made him a household name throughout Australia,” Mr Hulls said. "Wilburn was admired by many early on and scored big in his last. Northern Causeway matches up with 3yo based on stats and latest win against quality fields from the NW and S Cal at Hastings. J W Blue may win this weekend."
This weekend we have the Caulfield Cup with lots of Melbourne Cup pointers. Rain is forecast so we need to be looking for horses that do not mind some softer going. Roman Emperor is a horse at a big price and an each way bet on the Caulfield Cup at 33/1 with Ladbrokes looks value. Another result for the bookies. Produced sets a suicidal pace and folds, with Flying Tessie supplementing her win on Geelong Cup day with a win on Melbourne Cup day.
Emancipation Stakes |
Horse Racing New Zealand |
Geelong Classic |
Jungle Mist Classic |
JC Roberts Stakes |
Quezette Stakes |