2021 Doomben Cup betting preview & top tips | Saturday, May 22
| What | 2021 Doomben Cup |
| Where | Doomben Racecourse – 75 Hampden St, Ascot QLD 4007 |
| When | Saturday, May 22, 2021 | 3:18pm AEST | Race 7 |
| Prizemoney | $700,000 |
| Distance | 2000m |
| Status | Group 1 |
| Race Conditions | Weight For Age |
| 2019 Winner (2020 Cancelled Due To COVID) | Kenedna (8) | Trainer: Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | Jockey: John Allen (57kg) |
| Watch Live | |
The Group 1 Doomben Cup (2000m) is the feature race at Doomben this Saturday as the Queensland Winter Racing Carnival continues. Before the scratching of Fifty Stars, the $700,000 event had attracted a strong field of 12 gallopers that included seven Group 1 winners. After a dominant win in the Group 2 Hollindale Stakes on the Gold Coast a fortnight ago, Zaaki is the $2.80 favourite ahead of the All-Star Mile winner Mugatoo ($4.80) and Cox Plate winner Sir Dragonet ($5), while the rest of the field are $15 or worse. Shared Ambition is the likely leader in the race going off his last two runs, while we expect to see Zaaki prominent again along with Toffee Tongue and Brandenburg from the deep. HorseBetting.com.au’s Queensland tipster has found his best bets for Doomben Cup, as well as a a $100 betting strategy for the race.
2021 Doomben Cup betting tips
The punters got the plunge bang on in the Group 2 Hollindale Stakes a fortnight ago, backing the Annabel Neasham-trained Zaaki from $6.50 into as little as $3.70 before the jump. The six-year-old gelding was having just his third Australian start when he bolted in at the Gold Coast to win by 2.25 lengths eased down. After jumping well, James McDonald put him into the race early, which allowed him to settle a bit closer and be well within striking distance in straight, and we expect to see a carbon copy of that on Saturday. McDonald will do the steering again from barrier nine, and with little speed in the race, he should be able to settle in the first four or five in the run. He does meet Mugatoo 2.5kg worse off than when they met in the Doncaster Mile, but that was Zaaki’s first Australian start over 1600m and it was too short. He gets conditions to suit him on Saturday and will be hard to beat.
Mugatoo has been the sleeping giant for the last month or so after finishing sixth in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes. If he brings that form here, he will take some serious beating. The Kris Lees-trained six-year-old gelding won the $5m All-Star Mile at Moonee Valley just three starts ago and has since finished fourth in the Doncaster Handicap before his sixth in the Queen Elizabeth. The son of Henrythenavigator has had just the one trial since, which should have brought him on enough to be fresh here first-up over the 2000m trip. Jumping from the inside alley, Hugh Bowman should have him in the first half of the field. He looks hard to beat at weight-for-age level, as we saw in the All-Star Mile, but he will need some luck from the gate and might be a touch short on fitness coming off a month-long break.
Best bet for 2021 Doomben Cup
| $100 betting strategy | |
|---|---|
| $100 win | Zaaki |
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