Daily horse racing news – Tuesday, 24 November 2020
We’re four sleeps away from the Winterbottom Stakes, which saw a capacity field of 16 and one emergency accepted on Monday. On the topic of WA racing, a former Perth Cup winner has been retired, whilst a place getter in this year’s VRC Derby has been shipped off to Hong Kong following an impressive debut campaign.
Trekking headlines the Winterbottom Stakes acceptances
Trekking is the headline act for this year’s Winterbottom Stakes, where the Godolphin galloper will be looking to add to his $5.1 million in prize money. He gets William Pike on board for this assignment, and the Wizard of the West will be looking to add a second Group 1 in a week. The top weight has shortened to $2.20 in the all-in market at Sportsbet, with Celebrity Queen ($8.50) the only other horse in single digits. If his spring campaign so far is anything to go by, Trekking should prove extremely hard to hold out as he chases a third Group 1 victory.
Material Man retired
The 2017 Perth Cup winner, Material Man, has been retired after finishing fifth in Saturday’s Railway Stakes. The nine-year-old gelding won 16 races and handed connections nearly $2 million in prize money throughout his career, which included two runner-up performances in the Kingston Town Classic. The decision to retire the 37-start veteran came after he suffered a recurrence of an old ligament injury on Saturday.
Hit The Shot off to Hong Kong
The runner-up in this year’s VRC Derby, Hit The Shot, has been sold to Hong Kong for what is reported to be over $1 million. John Size will take on the training duties for the emerging star. With his three-year-old campaign off to a flying start, some big features are on the agenda for once he settles into Hong Kong.
Crowds seem a long shot for Jericho Cup
Victorian racing minister Martin Pakula has announced on radio that it is highly unlikely we will see fans at the races this week, which means the Jericho Cup at Warrnambool will be another feature event staged behind closed doors. It looks as though crowds will be back at the races in the not-too-distant future with Victoria getting closer and closer to a ‘COVID normal’ status, which will be a big boost for the industry as bookmakers and punters return to trackside.
Tuesday racing tips
Newcastle’s six-race card takes top billing on Tuesday, while Kyneton has a juicy nine-race program set to kick off at 12:40pm AEDT. Check out our free betting tips below.