The Championships have arrived with two big weekends of racing of the highest calibre taking place at Royal Randwick on April 12th and 19th.
This Saturday will see four Group 1 races with the Doncaster Mile the feature on the card. The $3 million prize pool has attracted a full field of 22 runners, and with history providing a range of different winners and form lines, picking a winner is not an easy task for punters.
Leading the betting is Messene ($4.80), the five-year old gelding with nine wins from 12 starts, including the last seven in a row. Certainly his toughest test and considering Messene is untried in what is expected to be slow to heavy conditions, it might be better to look elsewhere.
Boban ($21) is awfully tempting at juicy double figure odds, but won’t enjoy the soft going with the top weight, so again we’re going to avoid.
Last year’s winner in this event, Sacred Falls ($13), was an impressive fourth in the George Ryder and has to be considered, while Streama ($26) and Speediness ($21) were also strong from the same preparation.
However the late money has come for the French import Weary who showed his liking for a wet track with victory in the Doncaster Prelude on Saturday, with odds smashed in from $15 to around $6 and second favouritism at the time of writing.
Verdict: There’s great opportunity to find some value in this race which is why we’re going to take Royal Descent ($13) as our top pick. She hasn’t missed a place in four starts at the track and ran on well in the G1 Coolmore Classic last start after drawing wide. The wide barrier is again a concern here, but a strong tempo should allow Nash Rawiller to bring her home with a strong late run. Above all, she’ll relish the wet ground.
Other feature races
TJ Smith - This should be an absolute cracking race with incredible depth in the field and a number of great chances. Despite the wet, it’s hard to go past the form of Lankan Rupee ($3.90) who is the top sprinter in the country. Small bet on Tiger Tees if it gets really wet for some value.
Australian Derby – We’ve followed Thunder Fantasy ($7) the last few starts with some brave runs just narrowly falling short. Criterion snuck up the inside to take the win in the Rosehill Guineas, and has been installed as favourite here, but Thunder Fantasy arguably ran just as impressively from a wider run.
Sires Produce - Peggy Jean ($4) is a wet tracker who appears to be set for this one.
Take note: The above tips are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always bet responsibly. Happy punting!
