Apollo Stakes betting tips & best odds | Randwick 13/2/2021
| What | Apollo Stakes |
| Where | Royal Randwick Racecourse – Alison Rd, Randwick NSW 2031 |
| When | Saturday, February 13, 2021 | 5:05pm AEDT | Race 7 |
| Prizemoney | $250,000 |
| Distance | 1400m |
| Status | Group 2 |
| Race Conditions | 3YO+ weight for age |
| 2020 Winner | Alizee (57kg) | Jockey: Hugh Bowman | Trainer: James Cummings |
| Watch Live | |
2021 Apollo Stakes preview – Saturday, February 13
The Group 2 Apollo Stakes is the feature race at Royal Randwick this weekend. Of the 10 high-quality gallopers that have accepted for the $250,000 weight-for-age race, eight have a Group 1 to their name.
Caulfield Cup winner Verry Elleegant tops the market ahead of Funstar and Kolding. Dreamforce will go forward and lead from barrier two, while we anticipate that Kolding and Funstar will be prominent from their midfield gates.
It is tricky to split a few of the top chances, but we are siding with the class of the field in Verry Elleegant. While she is a better mare when she steps out in trip, she won the Group 1 Winx Stakes first up over 1400m in the spring and has won another two races at this trip. She has trialled well leading up to this and maps to get a nice run in transit from barrier four under James McDonald. She had a big Spring Carnival which culminated in a four-length defeat in the Melbourne Cup, so she will have had to come through that well to be fresh enough to win this, but we think we are getting the right price about her to find out.
Verry Elleegant’s stablemate Kolding put in a terrific first-up performance a fortnight ago in the Expressway behind Savatiano at a distance short of his best, so he should be a big improver in this on Saturday. The Ocean Park gelding is a winner second up and has won five times at Randwick in the past. Drawn out in barrier seven under Hugh Bowman, the five-year-old is likely to land in the one-one and get a great run just off the pace. Up to 1400m will suit, and getting back onto a drier track should see him extremely competitive in this.
Mugatoo could represent a bit of value first up after an awesome spring campaign which wrapped up with a second in the Metropolitan and a fourth in the Cox Plate. The import by Henrythenavigator has won three of his five first-up runs and has not been out of the top two in both starts at this track. Kerrin McEvoy has a fantastic partnership with the Kris Lees-trained gelding, and he’ll no doubt only strengthen the partnership in 2021. The 1400m might be a bit sharp for him, but if he can go back to near last from barrier 10 and get going early, he could be hitting the line very well late out wide. He is one of the horses to follow this Autumn Carnival as he heads towards the likes of the Tancred Stakes or Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Best bets for 2021 Apollo Stakes
| $100 Betting Strategy | |
|---|---|
| $50 win: | Verry Elleegant |
| $30 win: | Kolding |
| $20 place: | Mugatoo |
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