WINNO’S INTERSTATE WHISPERS: CAULFIELD CUP DAY

By Darren Winningham | Friday, October 19, 2018

WINNO’S INTERSTATE WHISPERS:

CAULFIELD CUP DAY SATURDAY 20 OCTOBER 2018

CAULFIELD RACES

The Caulfield Cup – one of the great races on the Australian Racing program.

I just love this day.

I have a simple rule – if they have won here or run a great race here I back them and put them in.

That is thrown into chaos in recent years with the overseas horses who assault the Melbourne Carnival now but his year I think we may just get to retain the Cup!

NB: As this form assessment was made prior to race-day, please check final fields and track conditions for any changes on the day.

Caulfield

R1 - Khulaasa (1)
R2 - Yulong January (3) from 1,4,8
R3 - Bons Away (3) from 6.4.2
R4 - Grey Shadow (4) from 3,5,8
R5 - Verry Ellegant (6) from 10,2
R6 - Thinkin' Big (1) from 3
R7 - Trap For Fools (3) from 7,5,6,2
R8 – Caulfield Cup (see below)
R9 – Invincibella (3) from 6,11,7,1
R10 – Mr Sneaky (8) from 6,5,1

2018 Caulfield Cup

The field is littered with some overseas horses as usual.

I think the best of them are Best Solution (1) and The Cliffofmoher (2). They both have solid form. However, I think whatever they do this weekend they will be better for the run and will probably firm in Melbourne Cup markets.

The horse I have gone for is at $41 – Jon Snow (4). This stallion was an unlucky ninth in the Caulfield Cup last year when he copped a hiding in the straight and was nearly knocked out of the race. He picked himself up and managed to still make some ground late. His runs leading into this race have been good and I think fourth up over the 2400 metres he is ready to prove hard to beat in the feature race on the program.

Red Verdon (9) is raced in the same interests of Red Cadeaux who was always competitive in Melbourne. Hong Kong’s leading jockey Zac Purton has been booked for the ride. My spies tell me this one has been working well since arriving in Australia and should take some beating. Zac has tasted success in the Cup. He won it in 2014 aboard the Japanese trained Admire Ratki.

Lloyd Williams has Homesman (13) in the race. He upset a few punters earlier in the week when last week’s winner Yucatan was withdrawn from the Cup on Monday night. Maybe this runner can get the chocolates for his stable and maybe some punters will forgive him! He led them up in the Caulfield Stakes last weekend before fading. That run was at WFA – he drops in weight under the handicap conditions of this race and gets in nicely this weekend. Ben Melham has been booked for the ride as well. He has a superb relationship with the gelding – 3 rides for2 wins and 1 second. Will he improve these statistics?

Darren Weir has a couple of runners that have grabbed my attention.

Kings Will Dream (14) who won the Mornington Cup earlier this year and has been racing well since resuming from a spell. Craig Williams who comes off a winning treble here last weekend rides the gelding for the Weir team and I think he will be ridden in behind the speed from his nice barrier.

The other Weir runner that I like is Night’s Watch (17) who went around last week as well in the Caulfield Stakes. Prior to that he won the Naturalism over 2000 metres in dominant fashion. He has had four starts here at the Caulfield track and won three of them. Ben Allen is in the saddle and he gets in with a light weight. He has drawn poorly in barrier 18 – this may not be a drama as they may let him get back with some genuine speed in the race and make a long-sustained run entering the straight. Look for this runner to be storming out wide late down the centre of the track.

Finally, the Chris Waller runner Youngstar (18) who won the 2018 Queensland Oaks and then took on the boys in the Queensland Derby and I think did not appreciate the heavy going but still managed a superb third. Kerrin McEvoy has a massive opinion of this mare and she was flying home along the rails in the Group 1 Turnbull won by Winx a fortnight ago. That run suggested that she is ready to turn up here this weekend. If she gets any luck she is a threat to these older horses.

Selections – 4,9,13,18 rough chances 1,2,14 & 17

Jockey Challenge

Well it looks an open field this weekend. Regan Bayliss – Damian Lane – James McDonald all have some decent rides. I am going for Regan Bayliss to get home in the last race!

Early Quaddie (races 3 to 6 NSW only)

3,4,6 / 3,4,6 / 2,6,10 / 1,3,10 - cost is $81 to $1

Quaddie (races 7 to 10)

3,5,6,7 / 4,9,13,17,18 / 3,6,7 / 5,6,8 - cost is $180 to $1

Value Quaddie (races 7 to 10)

3,7 / 4,9,13,18 / 3,6 / 1,5,6,8 - cost is $64 to $1

Treble (races 8 to 10)

4,9,13,17,18 / 3,6,7 / 1,5,6,8 - cost is $60 to $1

******************************************************************************************************

RANDWICK RACES

We will be racing on a heavy track – just be careful!

If they start coming down the outside rail like late last week I will be pulling up stumps and focussing on Caulfield.

Randwick

R1 - Time to Reign (6) from 1,8
R2 - Quackerjack (1) from 5
R3 - Doctor on Ice (14) from 5, 7
R4 - High Bridge (4) from 7,3,2
R5 - All Too Soon (5) from 2,3
R6 - Roosevelt (7) from 8.10, 9
R7 – Epidemic (5) from 8,10,9
R8 - Maximus (6) from 4.3
R9 - Mahalangur (15) from 14,2,4

Early Quaddie (races 2 to 5 NSW only)

1,5 / 5,7,14 / 2,3,4,7 / 2,3,5 - cost is $72 to $1

Quaddie (races 6 to 9)

7,8.9,10 / 5,8,9,10 / 3,4,6 / 2,4,14,15 - cost is $192to $1

Value Quaddie (races 6 to 9)

7,8 / 5,8 / 4,6 / 2,14,15 - cost is $24 to $1

Treble (races 7 to 9)

5,8,9,10 / 3,4,6 / 2,4,14,15 - cost is $48 to $1

Good luck and good punting!

Winno