2021 Shaftesbury Avenue Handicap preview & tips | Flemington R3
| What | 2021 Shaftesbury Avenue Handicap |
| Where | Flemington Racecourse – 448 Epsom Rd, Flemington VIC 3031 |
| When | Saturday, February 27, 2021 | 1:30pm AEDT | Race 3 |
| Prizemoney | $160,000 |
| Distance | 1400m |
| Status | Group 3 |
| Race Conditions | Handicap; minimum weight 54kg; maidens ineligible |
| 2020 Winner | Blazejowski – 55.5kg (4) | Jockey: Craig Williams | Trainer: Greg Eurell |
| Watch Live | |
Shaftesbury Avenue Handicap racing preview – February 27, 2021
The Group 3 Shaftesbury Avenue Handicap is the first of the Group races to be run and won at Flemington on Saturday afternoon. The favourite for the 1400m race comes from the Maher & Eustace stable in Bam’s On Fire, who was only beaten 2.5 lengths in the Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes by Probabeel. The Harrovian will look to jump and lead throughout, with the likes of Sansom and Morvada expected to be close to the speed as well. The Shaftesbury Avenue Handicap is set to jump at 1:30pm AEDT.
How can you ignore a runner who has won his past 11 starts? The Harrovian (#2) has handled every challenge that has been put in front of him with great aplomb. With a date in the All Star Mile coming up, a win in the Shaftesbury Avenue Handicap would set him up nicely for the Moonee Valley feature. The Queenslander maps to get a quiet time of it in front under riding from regular jockey Brad Stewart, but he has been known to take a sit off the speed on occasion and has shown he is adaptable. This will be his first run back from a two-month spell, which should be no problem for a horse that has four first-up wins to his name. We are quite confident The Harrovian can get the job done.
Bam’s On Fire (#5) has been accepted in the Guy Walter Stakes in Sydney but looks set to run in the Shaftesbury Avenue Handicap with Jamie Kah on board. The 2.5-length defeat to Probabeel first up suggests she will shape up nicely on Saturday. The five-year-old mare has not won since April last year and is yet to taste success at Flemington, but she has a touch of class and should be fighting out the finish.
The resuming I Am Superman (#1) will look to build on an impressive spring campaign that saw him take out the Group 2 Shannon Stakes at Rosehill. He is another dual acceptor at Randwick on Saturday, but if he does run in the Shaftesbury Avenue Handicap with Kerrin McEvoy in the saddle, he will certainly be there or thereabouts.
2021 Shaftesbury Handicap betting strategy
| $100 Betting Strategy | |
|---|---|
| $80 win: | #2 The Harroivian |
| $20 boxed trifecta: | 1 – 2 – 5 |
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