13/8/2004 edition

Bletchingly Stakes Day

Caulfield racetrack was exceptionally heavy for their Bletchingly Stakes Day meeting held on August 7. Spring Carnival racing is here already, in the first week of August, with plenty of quality gallopers resuming from spells both at Caulfield and Randwick.

Let's have a look at some of the results on the Heavy rated Caulfield track:

Princess Diamond was sent out equal $5.00 favourite in a Fillies and Mares Open despite finishing ninth in a Fillies Open at Caulfield two weeks earlier on a Heavy track. This time she finished seventh in the field of eight.

Super Elegant was $1.95 favourite in the Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes. The 7YO gelding didn't respond to Greg Childs' riding and finished fifth of nine. Super Elegant looked a standout, but racing has a habit of making obvious bets lose. Despite a good wet track record, maybe the track was too heavy for Super Elegant. The race looked right for an upset with seven of the nine runners resuming from spells. 9YO gelding Le Zagaletta, who hadn't raced since September last year, won starting at $14.00. It was a great training achievement by trainer Lee Freedman, though not too many punters would have been pleased about that.

Ashtaroth was sent out as $3.00 favourite in a Mares Open over 1100 metres after her effortless win by over three lengths in a storming last to first finish at the same track and distance two weeks earlier. Taking just $3.00 about a backmarker in a field of 11 on a very heavy track is asking for trouble. This time things didn't all go Ashtaroth's way, and she finished fourth, four lengths from the winner.

The last race of the day was a Welter Handicap run over 1100 metres. The obvious bet was Marwin Gold, who started at $3.10 favourite in the field of 10 and finished second, beaten a short head. The Tony McEvoy trained 8YO gelding Charming City was none too charming for punters when he won first up from a spell of nine months. He started at $21.00 and paid up to $27.60 on the tote.

The gelding had raced in the best of company in Hong Kong, including winning the $1.1 million Group 1 Chairman's Sprint a couple of years ago. 38 of Charming City's 41 race starts had been on Good rated tracks. The three starts on Dead and Slow rated tracks were unplaced runs, though against good company.

Charming City had never raced on a Heavy track. Horses that have never raced on a Heavy perform better as a group than horses that have raced on Heavy tracks and failed.

This was also also not the first time that Tony McEvoy has produced a Hong Kong galloper that wins at big odds here first up. They are worth looking out for.

This edition of Punt to Win:
Caulfield's heavy horse racing track - Bletchingly Stakes Day
Get those betting odds
Betting favourites in small fields
Money talks - Randwick, Caulfield betting tips from the track
Handicapping tips - weight and class
Future winners - unlucky horses
Punt to Win 6/8/2004
Punt to Win index

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