EXPERT RACING TIPS: CAULFIELD
CAULFIELD PREVIEW AND TIPS | EXPERT TIPS | THURSDAY DECEMBER 26TH 2024
RAIL: 2m | TRACK: Good 4
Expecting very strong Northerly winds that will make leading and being exposed without cover a negative.
Best Bets
Jackson Oldham
BACK: 2. Centennial Park (WIN) for 2 units (Rated at $2.44)
Centennial Park showed great improvement from his debut run to last start at Geelong, where he accelerated and dropped his rivals, including Eagle Express who was well backed here last start. Maps well just behind the speed with cover.
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Jackson Oldham
LAY: 5. Ersa (WIN) for 3 units (Rated at $5.20)
Ersa won well enough first-up but was slightly flattered considering the second-horse was three-wide no cover the trip and ran off the track late. She was under riding from the 500m and despite being held-up key stage, I thought staying at 1500m second-up was a negative too.
lay
3. Make It Sweet
5. Stupendous
4. Dictionary
7. Disturbia
Betting Strategy
Make It Sweet has a clear best peak last start rating and maps to get a good run on speed out of the wind. The jockey is the negative, is 1 from her last 50 and 0/30 at the Metro’s over the last 12 months.
8. Castellar
5. Dreamzel
4. Aminatu
6. Azeezle
Betting Strategy
Castellar ran a very solid rating at this track and distance only eight days ago, the quick back-up suits and he should get a good run wide, blending with cover against a few on-pacers who may not be suited.
4. Mantua
5. Elba
6. Rumours abound
3. Lady Di Di
Betting Strategy
Mantua on top, appears the best horse in the race with the best form, yard important considering the gap between runs and if he is a fraction soft I wouldn’t fancy his chances running out a strong 1100m.
Rumours Abound ran a standout figure in Sydney last start but was rails in run in a race that was extremely rails in run advantaged.
2. Centennial Park
7. Colour Our World
3. Sigiriya Rock
1. Cachink
Betting Strategy
BACK: 2. Centennial Park (WIN) for 2 units (Rated at $2.44)
Centennial Park showed great improvement from his debut run to last start at Geelong, where he accelerated and dropped his rivals, including Eagle Express who was well backed here last start. Maps well just behind the speed with cover.
4. Autumn Slide
3. Keep Your Cool
6. Stylish
5. Ersa
Betting Strategy
LAY: 5. Ersa (WIN) for 3 units (Rated at $5.20)
Ersa won well enough first-up but was slightly flattered considering the second-horse was three-wide no cover the trip and ran off the track late. She was under riding from the 500m and despite being held-up key stage, I thought staying at 1500m second-up was a negative too.
10. Vienna Vixen
4. King’s Capital
6. Xiryab
11. Princess Nefertiti
Betting Strategy
Tricky race, Vienna Vixen is yet to prove she wants 1500m but is bursting to win and gets a massive positive jockey switch, has to go on top but no value at under $3.
Ziryab ran a career best rating first-up last prep, late market? King’s Capital was given no chance last start and stuck on well, no knocks bar a potentially sticky map.
2. Riot And Rose
3. Marble Arch
6. Regal Vow
8. Place Of Gold
Betting Strategy
My market is very similar to the actual market, no real opinion other than Dashing who appears unders if the wind is still strong.
9. Mrs Chrissie
1. It’sourtime
3. Taunting
4. Ashford Street
Betting Strategy
Mrs Chrissie picked up the pieces first-up at Ballarat and although a similar thing is likely to unfold here, she is too much of an unpredictable commodity to back at her current price.
CAULFIELD TIPS AND PREVIEW | RACECOURSE
SUMMARY
Known locally as ‘The Heath’, Caulfield Racecourse is located approximately nine kilometres from the Melbourne CBD, on the boundary of Caulfield and Caulfield East in the city’s south eastern suburbs. Together with Sandown and Mornington racecourses, Caulfield is operated by the Melbourne Racing Club (MRC). It is widely considered Melbourne’s second most prestigious racecourse behind Flemington, hosting around 25 meetings each season including some of the country’s most famous and historic races, headlined by the Group 1 Caulfield Cup. For the best Caulfield tips, previews and all the form, head to the Betfair Hub.
FAST FACTS
Six internationally-trained horses have won the Caulfield Cup. They are: Taufan’s Melody (1998) for British trainer Lady Herries; All the Good (2008) and Best Solution (2018) for Godolphin’s Dubai trainer Saeed bin Suroor; Dunaden (2012) for French trainer Mikel Delzangles; Admire Rakti (2014) for Japanese trainer Tomoyuki Umeda; and Mer De Glace (2019) for Japanese trainer Hisashi Shimizu.
KEY EVENTS
Together with the Melbourne Cup, Cox Plate and Golden Slipper, the Caulfield Cup makes up the four majors of Australian racing. It is the world’s richest turf handicap over 2400m and dates back to 1879. It was won in 2021 by Incentivise and in 2020 by Verry Elleegant, the two horses which then ran the quinella in the 2021 Melbourne Cup. In autumn Caulfield also hosts Victoria’s premier contest for juveniles, the Blue Diamond Stakes. A total of 12 Group 1 races are staged annually at Caulfield, with the prestigious Caulfield Guineas and the equivalent for fillies (the Thousand Guineas) both held the week before the Caulfield Cup. From three-year-old contests to handicap races for experienced stayers, Betfair’s leading team of tipsters bring you their Caulfield best bets for each and every meeting at The Heath.
TRACK PROFILE
The track is triangular-shaped, with a total circumference measuring of 2,080m and a home straight of 367m. Some horses struggle to handle the tight turns and contours of the track, with interference also common particularly in the Caulfield Cup which features 18 runners.
In 1995/96, the track was widened to 30m around the entire circumference and the straight was lengthened by 43m. The current surface has been cambered from the outside running rail, with the crown of the track at the outside running rail. The banking on the final turn into the home straight is four per cent, while the other turns have an equivalent banking of two per cent. Given the quirks of the track it pays to follow our tipsters when they bring you their Caulfield best bets free of charge on the Betfair Hub.
HISTORY
Originally the Victorian Amateur Turf Club (VATC) raced at Ballarat, but in 1876 the club moved to Caulfield for its Melbourne base having owned the land since 1859. Feature races were soon held at Caulfield, with the Caulfield Cup making its debut in 1879. The inaugural event was won by Newminster, whose name adorns one of the barns at Racing Victoria’s quarantine facilities in Werribee. During World War II, Caulfield was utilised as an army barracks so racing was moved to Flemington for the duration of the conflict.
