Punt Drunk : Classique Legend is set for an Everest return!

Punt Drunk Daily – 2/4/21

Good Morning punters and welcome to a Good Friday edition of #PuntDrunk even though it is a public holiday and there are only three horse racing meetings around the country today, we are 365 days a year and we do not stop! We have the Tancred Stakes to look forward to at Rosehill tomorrow as well as the Vinery Stud Stakes as we build towards The Championships kicking off at Randwick next weekend.


An unfit Melody?

Melody Belle

Over the past month it feels like in every black-type race we have seen popular runners in respective markets under an injury cloud. This time it is the New Zealand superstar mare Melody Belle who looks to be under a cloud of doubt in terms of her lining up in tomorrow’s Tancred Stakes. Racing NSW vets will be watching her like a hawk over the next 24 hours after presenting “tied up” on Wednesday morning. Being tied up is not what you would expect it to be, it is when a build up of lactic acid in the hind legs. Feel like they could have come up with a better name than “tied up” don’t you think? Anyway, Melody Belle is a $6 second favourite for the Group 1 event behind Sir Dragonet and lets hope we see her go around on Saturday as part of her farewell tour.


A Classique Everest awaits in the spring!

We know there is plenty of racing to be run and won between now and October 16 when The Everest is set to be run, but how can you not be excited for the field that may assemble? Think how good it will be to see Eduardo and Nature Strip scorch the turf again, and then have the likes of Gytrash, Libertini and Masked Crusader trying to run them down. Well add in the defending champ Classique Legend to that conversation. He was sent to Hong Kong following his breathtaking win in The Everest last year, but struggled to have an impact in HK. It looks like Classique Legend will be shipped back to Sydney following a three month ban from racing in Hong Kong due to a nostril bleed which incurred the automatic ban. Owner Bon Ho is expected to hand the grey back to Les Bridge in a bid to go back to back in the race worth a cool 15 million bucks. Could this year’s race be the best version of the race since its inception?


Punt Drunk’s best bet of the day

With limited racing being held around the country, we head west to the Listed Old Comrade Stakes where the Daniel & Ben Pearce-trained Dig Deep looks hard to beat. Having won impressively in the Listed Grandstand Cup over the 1500m here at Ascot on March 20 he looks well placed to bring up consecutive victories for the second time this campaign. From barrier one we expect Clint Johnston-Porter to box seat Dig Deep and when the opportunity presents itself hopefully he can charge through an opening and be too strong late.

Ascot – Race 8 – OLD COMRADE STAKES (1600m)#3 Dig Deep (1) $3.00 with Sportsbet

Punt Drunk

About Punt Drunk

Welcome to Punt Drunk! Our new daily column covering all the latest horse racing and punting controversies, dramas and headline news. Have a story or gripe or issue that just grinds your gears? Just hit us up in the comments or contact us page and our jaded, punt hardened Punt Drunk staff will give it the Punt Drunk treatment it deserves. Don’t expect pleasantries or typical racing media fanboy gloss from Punt Drunk – we’re on the punt and we don’t have time to bullshit; the next is about to jump…

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