2021 Oakleigh Plate betting strategy & top tips | Caulfield R8
| What | 2021 Oakleigh Plate |
| Where | Caulfield Racecourse – Station St, Caulfield East VIC 3145 |
| When | Saturday, February 20, 2021 | 4:55pm AEDT | Race 8 |
| Prizemoney | $500,000 |
| Distance | 1100m |
| Status | Group 1 |
| Race Conditions | Handicap; minimum weight 50kg; maidens ineligible |
| 2020 Winner | Pippie (52kg) | Jockey: Linda Meech | Trainer: John & Chris Meagher |
| Watch Live | |
Also read: Full Caulfield racing preview
2021 Oakleigh Plate betting preview – February 20
A mammoth field of 18 will face the starter in the 2021 Oakleigh Plate, which brings together some of the best up-and-coming sprinters in work at the moment. The 1100m sprint is not for the faint hearted, and the third and final Group 1 on Blue Diamond Stakes Day looks to be one to remember. The winner of the 2020 Oakleigh Plate, Pippie, has gone on to more Group 1 success since, so this year’s victor could be one to watch.
Leading the field up was no disadvantage for Pippie last year, and this year looks to be a battle in two for the early supremacy. Ancestry (#6) from barrier three looks to be the one who will get there first, but the young colt Anders (#17) will make sure he has to work for it. It will be a battle of the fittest if either of them are to feature in the finish in the Oakleigh Plate.
With those two market leaders set to be going at one another throughout the race, you would expect them to be vulnerable in the home straight. If that is the case, then it looks perfectly set up for a horse like Dirty Work (#2) to pounce on the early leaders and claim his maiden Group 1 success with Kerrin McEvoy hopping on board for the first time. From barrier one he should not be too far away when the whips are cracking, and if he can show the turn of foot that has seen him finish close behind the likes of Nature Strip, Classique Legend and Hey Doc, he will be hard to hold out.
Having won the Bobbie Lewis Quality and Gilgai Stakes in the spring, Zoutori (#1) comes to the Oakleigh Plate first up from a 3.5-month spell. Boasting a formidable first-up record, he will be fighting out the finish in this year’s Oakleigh Plate. The Ellerton & Zahra-trained gelding has four wins when resuming from a spell in seven attempts and has only missed running in the top three once.
Outside of the top two in the weights, the wildcard in the race looks to come from WA galloper Celebrity Queen (#7). With only 53.5kg on her back and William Pike in the saddle, she will be the one charging home late. Throw in the likes of Portland Sky (#15) and Hanseatic (#16), and we are in for one hell of a race on Saturday.
| $100 Betting Strategy | |
|---|---|
| $50 win: | #2 Dirty Work |
| $15 each way: | #1 Zoutori |
| $20 boxed trifecta | 1 – 2 – 7 – 15 – 16 |
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