Saturday Racing Tips October 22 - Cox Plate, Spring Champion Stakes & The Invitation

The Cox Plate, Spring Champion Stakes and The Invitation all take place. Get our previews for all three races.

She’s Extreme is flying without winning and after her solid performance in the Flight Stakes all I could think was how far does she win by in the Spring coming out of the Golden Rose and the Flight Stakes, over the Caulfield Guineas. Only downside is no Tommy Berry, but she’s a proven contender and already a group 1 winner, she just runs super in my opinion. Renaissance Woman figures really well here on the week back up, which is always a positive sign with these testing tracks. She got through a wet track and 2000 metres just last week and came out a winner as well, if she hasn’t regressed, she is in it up to her neck. Elliptical, comes off a scintillating second behind Golden Mile in the Caulfield Guineas and just figures as a horse screaming for this sort of race, but I am not a huge Melbourne form kind of guy. Williamsburg is off a strong line of form in his own right with a win and a narrow loss in his last two starts and will be the one to watch late. 

Top Selection: She’s Extreme

Anamoe is head and shoulders above the rest as the best middle-distance horse in the country and can certainly set that tag in stone with a big win in the Cox Plate this weekend. However, he brings a whole lot more weight this year than last, plus he doesn’t love wet tracks or Melbourne as well, so could an upset be on the cards? If he is to be knocked off, I think El Bodegon is the one to do it. He is the wildcard of the race as an international raider and could certainly bring a completely different form line into the race. He is proven over the distance and in the wet, he’ll flash home late and get up, I think. Zaaki has the prime location in the first barrier and will get to hog the rail, which could prove to be the deciding factor in getting the win. On the other hand, I’m Thunderstruck has a terrible barrier and will get all the way to the back and give them a decent start, which will make it very difficult, but he can flash home with the best of them, over the odds for sure. 

Top Selection: El Bodegon

Nimalee is the one I want to be with here, comes out of the Epsom Handicap and that is usually a very strong form factor. However, so did Icebath and even though Nimalee was beaten home by Icebath I think she had the better run. She finds both a race and a draw here that will let her sustain a strong pace throughout and prove hard to get past come the final stages. Espiona is a tricky one to place, but I want to avoid her at all costs, especially with no James McDonald, if she wins, happy to watch her do it without my money on her. Finally, the best value of the race probably goes to Forbidden Love as we know she will just swim and has a boatload of talent, despite not showing it this Spring. Considering the likes of races she has been trying to contest I would count this as a drop in class for her, and she can bounce back if she brings her best. 

Top Selection: Nimalee