The Late Mail - today's big race tips
It’s a massive day of racing at Moonee Valley today with the running of the Group 1 $3 million Cox Plate over 2040m.
The Robert Hickmott-trained Fawkner is the $4.60 favourite and will be hard to beat coming off a last-start win in the Group 1 Caulfield Stakes.
But Criterion, trained by David Payne, has plenty of admirers and looks an enticing each-way bet at $7 after finishing second to Fawkner last start and meeting him 0.5kg better in the Cox Plate.
Here’s how our experts think the race will pan out.
JAY ROONEY
1 HAPPY TRAILS
2 Fawkner
3 Sweynesse
4 Criterion
ERNIE MANNING
1 CRITERION
2 Fawkner
3 Sacred Falls
4 Adelaide
BARRY FARMER
1 FAWKNER
2 Sacred Falls
3 Adelaide
4 Criterion
DAVID SHORTTE
1 FAWKNER
2 Criterion
3 Happy Trails
4 Side Glance
Latest TAB market: $4.60 Fawkner; $7 Sacred Falls, Criterion, Adelaide; $10 Royal Descent; $12 Happy Trails; $14 Silent Achiever; $15 The Cleaner; $17 Sweynesse; $26 Side Glance, Foreteller; $31 Almalad, Wandjina, $51 Guest Of Honour.
You can watch all the action from Moonee Valley on 7Two from 9.30am. The Cox Plate is on at 2.40pm.
Switching attention to today’s Ascot meeting, here are the best bets from thewest.com.au’s Jay Rooney.
RACE 4, NO.9: OAKHURST FLYER is in outstanding form. The Key Business six-year-old has run in the top three at her past eight starts, winning two of her past three. She followed up a close second to the in-form Fathnoxious with a defiant all-the-way win over Chilly Reception in the Country Cup (1500m) a week ago. She was headed in the straight but fought back to score by a head. Her two latest victories have come on the seven-day back-up and she lines up for the third Saturday in a row today. She rises in class but looks ideally placed with just 52kg after Lucy Warwick’s claim. Expect another bold performance.
RACE 6 NO.3: DJANGO is a smart type resuming. The Trade Fair three-year-old created a big impression as a juvenile, scoring dominant wins at his first two starts at Ascot before a solid fourth to Hobart Jones in the Karrakatta Plate (1200m). He returns from a long break with the WA Guineas (1600m) his main aim. He led comfortably and won well under little pressure from jockey Paul Harvey in a recent trial at Bunbury, beating Choisime by half a length over 1000m. Despite drawing barrier seven, there looks to be plenty of speed with Shengmu and Silver Trace the likely leaders. Django could get a sweet run behind a hot speed and with Harvey regaining top form, he looks an excellent each-way bet.
RACE 7 NO.2: BARAKEY looks ready to score back-to-back wins in the Prince Of Wales Stakes (1200m). The Key Business seven-year-old warmed up for his return with a Belmont Park jump-out and impressive Lark Hill trial victory. Without his raceday blinkers, Barakey looked awesome leading all the way to beat Platinum Rocker by a long head in a lightning-fast 55.92 seconds over 950m. He showed he was back to his best when accounting for rising star Smoko in the Goodwood Sprint (1300m) in August. Drawn ideally in barrier four, Barakey should lead and dictate terms. He should be too good.
FLEXI TRIFECTA
(COST $30 FOR 25 per cent)
RACE 6
1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9 all ways
FLEXI QUARTET
(COST $50 FOR 27.77 per cent)
RACE 1
1, 4, 8
1, 2, 4, 8
1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9
1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9
FLEXI QUADDIE
(COST $50 FOR 29.76 per cent)
RACE 5
1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
RACE 6
1, 2, 3
RACE 7
2
RACE 8
1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12
Check out The Form liftout, your comprehensive guide to the weekend’s racing, in today’s edition of The Weekend West.
