2021 Moreton Cup betting preview & top tips | Saturday, June 5
| What | 2021 Moreton Cup |
| Where | Eagle Farm Racecourse – 230 Lancaster Rd, Ascot QLD 4007 |
| When | Saturday, June 5, 2021 | 1:53pm AEST | Race 5 |
| Prizemoney | $600,000 |
| Distance | 1200m |
| Status | Group 2 |
| Race Conditions | Set Weights + Penalties |
| 2019 Winner | Brave Song (8) | Trainer: Peter & Paul Snowden | Jockey: James McDonald (56kg) |
| Watch Live | |
The final spot for next weekend’s Stradbroke Handicap is up for grabs on Saturday with the running of the $200,000 Group 2 Moreton Cup at Eagle Farm. HorseBetting’s Queensland form analyst has previewed the race and offers his top three picks and a $100 betting strategy for the 1200m event. Splintex ($2.90) holds the key to the betting, with Varda ($4.80) the main danger after a brilliant win in the Chief De Beers Quality a fortnight ago at Doomben. Expect them to run along a little bit here, with the likes of Wisdom Of Water, Splintex, Special Reward and Stampe all natural leaders.
2021 Moreton Cup betting tips
Varda’s win in the Chief De Beers two weeks ago was simply too good to ignore, coming from last to swoop down the outside and win by three-quarters of a length over Kylease. The four-year-old daughter of Lonhro will no doubt take a liking to the big Eagle Farm track, and with only 53.5kg and Kerrin McEvoy on her back again, she can storm home over the top of a hot tempo. The somewhat underrated mare has won six of her 14 starts and has been runner-up on a further three occasions, so the $4.80 appeals greatly. Should James Cummings and Godolphin choose to pay the late nomination for the Stradbroke Handicap next Saturday, she would have to be right in contention.
Mark Newnham’s Splintex should relish dropping back from a 1.5-length defeat in the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 to a Group 2 at set weights, but we are slightly concerned that this is an afterthought for the four-year-old entire. The son of Snitzel doggedly won the Hall Mark Stakes two runs back at Randwick over the 1200m and then boxed on gamely in the Doomben 10,000 three weeks ago. Drawn well in barrier one, Josh Parr is going to punch up along the rails to lead or box seat, and providing he can keep kicking, Splintex will be hard to beat. The stable have confirmed during the week that if he wins, the paddock beckons, so they won’t be trying extra hard to win their way into the Group 1 feature next Saturday.
Chris Munce very nearly won his way into the Stradbroke with Stampe back in December when the four-year-old was narrowly defeated by Master Jamie in The Gateway, a ballot-exempt race, so we have no doubt that should he win here, he will be backing up. The gelded son of Whittington is a two-time winner at Eagle Farm, with the dry track being the key to his success. Drawn in barrier four under Larry Cassidy, the gelding should get a gun run in the one-one, stalking the leaders everywhere they go. If there’s going to be a home-town victory, it will be this bloke.
Best bet for 2021 Moreton Cup
| $100 betting strategy | |
|---|---|
| $100 win | Varda |