Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes betting, form and free tips
PUNTERS have all but written off the Queen Elizabeth Stakes as a good betting race, but there is value to be found outside of Winx.
The champion mare has and will continue to attract all the attention in the betting market as the $1.10 chance. It looks to have a mortgage on the $4 million feature which has only nine runners in total and features no real competition to Winx.
Ladbrokes.com.au is kind enough to offer $2 for Winx (max bet $25) which is a great price, but we’ll look to find value elsewhere in the field which includes the likes of Hartnell, Happy Clapper and a wealth of European imports which should appreciate the conditions.
2017 Queen Elizabeth Stakes betting market
1. Hartnell – $11
2. Exospheric – $41
3. Happy Clapper – $21
4. The United States – $17
5. Sense Of Occasion – $101
6. Harlem – $126
7. Singing – $251
8. No Doubt – $331
9. Winx – $1.10
Understandably there hasn’t been much market movement throughout the week. There was a $70,000 bet on Winx at $1.10, but that was unable to shift the market.
The only runner to move in the betting has been The United States which opened at $15, but has drifted out to $17.
Queen Elizabeth Stakes best bet – Happy Clapper
It’s highly unlikely that Winx will suffer defeat against a field of this quality, but there’s still some good place money on offer.
Happy Clapper is currently paying $1.95 at Sportsbet to place – granted there will likely be only two positions to fill. That is decent money considering its effort for second in the Doncaster Handicap last week where it chased hard after It’s Somewhat.
The Patrick Webster-trained six-year-old tried to defy the track bias by running the leader down, but punters should take confidence out of that race.
Backing up only seven days later won’t be easy, especially on a heavy track, but it always finds its best form in the autumn and it has a better turn-of-foot than most of its rivals this Saturday.
Queen Elizabeth Stakes upset hope – Harlem
We doubt that Lindsay Park would enter a runner they didn’t think could at least finish in the first three, which makes Harlem an upset chance this Saturday.
The French import finished third in the Blamey Stakes at its first Australian start after running well in France last year. The son of Champes Elysees finished second and third in consecutive starts behind One Foot In Heaven, which is very strong form.
It didn’t fire when eighth in the Grand Prix Saint Cloud, but it has won and placed second up and having Craig Williams in the saddle is a big bonus.
The five-year-old is currently paying $126 to win the race, but we’re interested in the place odds. CrownBet is currently offering $10 to place which is a value price for a runner which could go under the radar – as many European imports do.
Bet without Winx in the field tip – Hartnell
We’re expecting bookmakers to open a “bet without Winx” market and Hartnell will be the clear favourite if they do.
The John O’Shea-trained gelding is a 10-time winner from 31 starts which finished second behind Winx in the Cox Plate and it deserves some respect in the market.
Its current place odds of $1.35 isn’t good enough to entice us to bet, but it should be paying around $1.60 to win without Winx in the field and that could gain attention from punters.
It bounced back to form when second in the Ranvet Stakes behind Our Ivanhowe after running poorly in the Chipping Norton, but the spaced in between runs would have helped and it could be the fresh horse on the scene.