Caulfield racing tips, value bets & odds | Saturday, September 18
| What | Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes Day 2021 |
| Where | Caulfield Racecourse – 22 Station St, Caulfield East VIC 3145 |
| When | Saturday, September 18, 2021 |
| First Race | 12:30pm AEST |
| Feature Race | Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes – Race 8 |
| Watch Live | |
A bumper nine-part card is scheduled for Caulfield on Saturday afternoon for the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes meeting, and HorseBetting’s Victorian horse racing analyst presents his best bets and top quaddie numbers for the day. The track is rated a Good 4, the rail is out 6m for the entire circuit, and racing is set to get underway at 12:30pm AEST.
Race 1 – BM78 Handicap (1200m)
The opening event on the Caulfield program pits the smart duo The Gauch and Hela against one another. We have settled on The Gauch at the price ($5) considering Hela will no doubt want further than the 1200m having last competed in the Australasian Oaks over 2000m. The Gauch returned with a fourth-place finish behind He’s A Balter over 1100m on August 28 and was clearly doing his best work late despite laying in. The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained son of Deep Field has two wins from two starts at 1200m, including a win over the smart Pintoff at this track and distance and we expect to be too hard to beat come Saturday afternoon.
Selections: 2-4-3-10
Race 2 – Handicap (1100m)
If we are confident with The Gauch in the opener, how do we go past He’s A Balter in the second? He has won three in a row and four of his past five runs and the Will Clarken-trained on of Spirit of Boom looks well placed to put up a picket fence on Saturday. He is two from two at 1200m, including his last start win over this track and distance. He’s A Balter will jump from barrier seven once again and with Linda Meech retaining the ride, we expect him to settle midfield and when asked for an effort approaching the home turn he should put himself in the race and should be continuing his purple patch.
Selections: 7-5-4-2
Race 3 – Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m)
Our best bet of the day on Saturday steps out in the Thousand Guineas Prelude, when the James Cummings-trained Heresy competes in what looks to be a thin version of the Thousand Guineas Prelude. Having finished behind the likes of Gimmie Par and Artorius, Heresy has clearly been racing against harder fields than the one she faces at Caulfield. She tends to do her best racing where she can fly home on the back of a genuine tempo, which is what she gets the chance to do in the Prelude. Damien Oliver will make sure she is moving approaching the home turn and we expect the Street Boss filly to be too hard to hold out and bring up a deserved win.
Selections: 1-2-3-6
Race 4 – Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m)
Lightsaber from the Peter Moody stable finished a length off Brucker and Artorius in the Group 3 McNeil Stakes on August 28 and appreciate the step up to 1400m third up from a spell. Having won over 1400m already when third up in his short career, the three-year-old son of Zoustar looks well placed to take out the Prelude for colts and geldings. From barrier seven, we expect Luke Nolen to use Lightsaber’s early barrier speed to his advantage and have him settled outside the leader and with race fitness on his side we expect to see Lightsaber announce himself as one of the three-year-olds to follows moving forward.
Selections: 2-1-3-5
Race 5 – Super Vobis 3YO Plate (1000m)
We reach the halfway mark at Caulfield in a genuine clash of three-year-old sprinters who are sure to light the Caulfield track up with genuine speed. With a hot tempo expected and plenty of the runners looking to take up the running, we have settled on the Annabel Neasham-trained Ashema who is expected to take a sit off the hot speed. The three-year-old I Am Invincible filly will be having her first start in Melbourne on Saturday and having chased home the likes of Profiteer and Paulele in her career thus far, she clearly has a touch of class about her. Having trialled up nicely in the leads up, we anticipate she will be too hard to hold out first up from a four-mont spell.
Selections: 10-3-2-1
Race 6 – Mares BM90 Handicap (1400m)
In the opening leg of the quaddie, the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr-trained Annavisto looks an absolute lock to find herself back into the winner’s stall. Having chased home the smart Turaath at Caulfield on August 28, she seemingly should have finished closer than what the half-length shows. She threw away all chance of winning by continually laying in throughout the home straight, but on Saturday gains a second chance to claim victory against a field that is no harder than last time out. From barrier five, Johnny Allen will have her settled in the moving line with cover and we expect it will only be bad luck that gets Annavisto beaten on Saturday.
Selections: 3-5-7-6
Race 7 – Naturalism Stakes (2000m)
The Group 3 Naturalism Stakes is the first of the feature events for the stayers over 2000m and we are hoping the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Knight’s Order can pick up where he left off last campaign with another win. Having won the Listed Winter Cup and Group 2 Brisbane Cup during the spring, the six-year-old son of So You Think clearly has above average staying ability. Despite not running a drum in four first up starts, he will need to defy his own record, but considering the way he won his previous two starts in his last campaign suggests he is the one to be with at odds. From barrier 16, Michael Dee will have Knight’s Order settled outside the leader and if he is raring to go first up may just prove too hard to run down in what is a cracking edition of the Naturalism.
Selections: 5-6-4-11
Race 8 – Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m)
The Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke is the feature event on Saturday at Caulfield, and we expect the 2020 winner Behemoth to make it back-to-back wins in the race and add yet another Group 1 win to his glowing CV. Having won the Memsie Stakes last time out with plenty left in the tank, the David Jolly-trained son of All Too Hard looks incredibly hard to beat. He is set to resume his rivalry with Beau Rossa (who ran second in the Memsie) and is set to come up against Probabeel once again. From barrier three, Craig Williams will have Behemoth settled off the leader’s heels and with Beau Rossa drawn underneath him could keep him pocketed once more. Alongside Probabeel, Behemoth is the class runner in the race and in a race where many may doubt his chances, we expect the big fella to be too hard to beat once again.
Selections: 1-2-5-17
See our full runner-by-runner preview of the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes
Race 9 – How Now Stakes (1200m)
The Group 3 How Now Stakes is arguably the most open event on the Caulfield card, but the Scott Westover-trained Enchantingly is the one we want to be with in the final leg of the quaddie. The five-year-old Chosir mare steps up from BM68 grade straight into a Group 3 race, but on raw talent alone we simply cannot dismiss her chances. Having bolted in her last start by 7.5 lengths at Morphettville on September 4, she is clearly a horse on the way up. With 55kg on her back, Luke Currie will look to take up the running and if she can handle the occasion, there is no reason why she cannot make the step up into Group 3 class and leave with the victory.
Selections: 13-9-4-3
Saturday quaddie tips for Caulfield
| Caulfield quadrella selections | |
|---|---|
| Leg 1: | 3-5-7 |
| Leg 2: | 4-5-6-11 |
| Leg 3: | 1-2-5-17 |
| Leg 4: | 3-4-5-9-13 |
| Investment: | $180 for 100% |