Port Macquarie racing preview & quaddie tips | Wauchope Cup Day
| What | Wauchope Cup Day |
| Where | Port Macquarie Race Club – 283 Oxley Hwy, Port Macquarie NSW 2444 |
| When | Sunday, June 18, 2023 |
| First Race | 11:45am AEST |
Country racing heads to the Mid North Coast of NSW on Sunday afternoon, as Wauchope Cup Day has been relocated to Port Macquarie due to the state of the track. The feature race on the program has drawn a strong field of 14 gallopers, and with a total of 120 acceptances for the meeting, it’s sure to be a cracking day of racing. The rail is in the true position the entire circuit, and with clear skies forecast heading into the weekend, we’re expecting the course to be in a Good 4 condition when the first of eight races get underway at 11:45am AEST.
Wauchope Cup Tip: Poseidon Ruler
It’s a wide-open edition of the Wauchope Cup (1500m) but we think Poseidon Ruler should be hard to beat given his form heading into Sunday. It’s been a long campaign leading into this contest, but the five-year-old gelding seemingly improves with every start, being a consistent figure in the regularly scheduled Midway races at the city circuits in NSW – including his latest effort at Rosehill on June 3, indicating this son of Tycoon Ruler still has plenty of racing to give this time in. He was forced to head towards the rear of the field from barrier 12 on that occasion and chased home strongly behind Uzziah to go down by one-length on the line. It was a sensational effort and now finding the extra 100m in Open company, Poseidon Ruler has been placed beautifully by the John Bannister barn. He draws (1) to get a very soft run throughout the journey and provided jockey Georgina McDonnell can get Poseidon Ruler to press forward from the gate, he’s going to look the winner at some stage.
Wauchope Cup
Race 7 – 
#5 Poseidon Ruler (1)
5yo Gelding | T: John Bannister | J: Georgina McDonnell (57.5kg)
Best Bet: Orlabent
Orlabent was impressive when breaking his maiden status last start at Wyong on June 1, and we’re confident this lightly-raced three-year-old can continue on his winning ways in the final race at Port Macquarie. The Kris Lees-trained gelding couldn’t have been more impressive in his victory going on to score by a conservative 2.5 lengths. Not only was the margin significant, but the fashion in which Orlabent put his opposition away was emphatic, doing so under very minimal riding when snapping up the leader. He now has the extra 100m and barrier 12 to contend with, but as the in-form Aaron Bullock is set to take the reins, we’re not phased by the task set for this very progressive sprinter. Bullock will look to set them alight turning for home, and with a positive ride from the outset, we’d be shocked if Orlabent wasn’t in the frame to finish the program.
Best Bet
Race 8 – 
#1 Orlabent (12)
3yo Gelding | T: Kris Lees | J: Aaron Bullock (60kg)
Next Best: Procrastinator
Procrastinator is set to make his resumption from a 133-day spell and we’re happy to side with him as he searches for his third career win. This son of Eurozone has only had five career starts to date, all of which have seen him come out of hotly contested form races providing many subsequent winners. He seems to be putting it all together as of late, and his barrier trial on June 5 at Newcastle indicates a galloper set to return in fine form for this first-up assignment. Jon Grisedale takes the reins and from barrier five should find the back of race rival Debussy every step of the way. They look the main two chances in the race and we could entertain a bet on both returning geldings. Procrastinator gets the nod, though, and with an ideal run in transit, he’s just too hard to oppose.
Next Best
Race 5 – 
#6 Procrastinator (5)
3yo Gelding | T: Gregory McFarlane | J: Jon Grisedale (55kg)
Port Macquarie quaddie tips for Wauchope Cup Day 2023
Port Macquarie quadrella selections
Sunday, June 18, 2023
- 1-6-7
- 1-2-3-9-11
- 1-2-4-5-6-13
- 1-6
Investment: $180 for 100%