Saturday Racing Tips Caulfield 24/02/24

There are eight Group class races on the 10-race Caulfield card on Saturday and the business has been brisk at the horse racing bookmakers in the days leading up to it after the final acceptors were known. Mr Brightside will be the star of the day in the Futurity Stakes but at $1.50, we are happy just to watch him rather than get involved from a betting point of view. We do have three picks on the afternoon who we feel can salute and have them all combined into a multi tip. Things only get better this autumn from here so sit back and enjoy.

(Note: Odds provided by Bet365)

Best of the Day	Caulfield Race 2 #7 Midtown Boss	Win: $3.20 Bet Now	Place: $1.65 Bet Now
Next Best	Caulfield Race 5 #2 Immediacy	Win: $4.80 Bet Now	Place: $2.00 Bet Now
Roughie of the Day	Caulfield Race 9 #8 Benedetta	Win: $9.00 Bet Now	Place: $3.25 Bet Now

Caulfield Race 2 - Sportsbet Make It Look Easy Handicap (1100m)

Selections:
#7 Midtown Boss (BEST BET) - $3.20
#13 Kin - $6.00
#2 Swiss Exile - $12.00
#11 Hanchi - $5.50

BEST BET - #7 Midtown Boss
Was a smart gelding for Mark and Levi Kavanagh but has really taken off in his two runs since joining the Matt Laurie stable. He smashed in on his debut for Laurie over this 1100m distance at Flemington on New Year’s Day, ripping the field apart by two and a half lengths. He was a touch unlucky to bump into a similarly upwardly mobile type in Rey Magnerio at this track on his most recent start. That was a BM84 like this one but that winner will be seen later on this card in the Group 1 Oakleigh. That shows the task Midtown Boss had in front of him that day and he can get back to the front here.

THE DANGER - #13 Kin
Was one place behind Midtown Boss over this track and distance last time out and meets that rival from a half kilo better. She is a consistent type, a little over a length behind that rival and while the swing at the weights entitles her to finish a little closer on this occasion The main issue comes from the fact that she is only 2/18 in her career with seven placed efforts. For all her consistency, that suggests that she is better used as an exotic filler rather than a win bet.

VALUE BET - #2 Swiss Exile
Another with a modest win rate, just 1/16, but most of last season saw his form coming against a stronger level of opponents than these. There are plenty of placed efforts in both Group 3 and Listed company in his 2023 form but he has not been seen in race action since last June. He has hit the frame in three of his four starts when fresh so he should be in the mix here but he is entitled to be a little straighter for the return.

Caulfield Race 5 - Stow Storage Autumn Classic (1800m)

Selections:
#2 Immediacy (NEXT BEST) - $4.80
#9 Socks Nation - $5.50
#8 United Kingdom - $5.00
#5 Caracas - $4.60

BEST BET - #2 Immediacy
This is a big step up in class from the BM64 he won last time out on the Hillside course at Sandown but he is 2/2 so far in his career and the visual impression that he has made suggests that he is going to be able to do more than hold his own here. That Sandown win was over this distance, one of only two in the field to salute over 1800m. He deserves to be followed as a three-year-old until he gets beaten and at this stage of their careers, there are no outstanding three-year-old runners in here.

THE DANGER - #9 Socks Nation
Officially the highest rated in the field, she represents the powerful Ciaron Maher stable. She has sat on the pace so far so it will be interesting to see if they are still very forward with her now that she steps out in distance. A fluent winner over 1500m at Moonee Valley last time out, she needs respect on that form but after six starts, she has had more bites of the cherry than any other runner in the field so she might find that a less exposed rival like the next best has her measure.

VALUE BET - #8 United Kingdom
The market suggested he was ready to do the business on debut, punters falling over themselves to bet him all the way down to $1.35. He was held up right at the back of that Geelong maiden after a slow start and showed his signs of inexperience when asked to go and win the race up the straight. The longer trip looks a big plus for him and he has untapped potential after just that one start.

Caulfield Race 9 - Sportsbet Oakleigh Plate (1100m)

Selections:
#2 Asfoora - $6.00
#15 King’s Gambit - $4.60
#8 Benedetta (ROUGHIE OF THE DAY) - $9.00
#1 Kallos - $13.00

BEST BET - #2 Asfoora
A touch disappointing when she was turned over on her first start of the prep over this track and distance. That was a Group 2 race and she has a strong record first up but that said, a mare can always be excused from a slightly below-par run. She was runner-up to Imperatriz in the Moir Stakes at Moonee Valley last September which shows the level that she is capable of running to when she is at her peak and connections have said that a win here could make this her last run in Australia with a trip to Royal Ascot planned.

THE DANGER - #15 King’s Gambit
Being the sole three-year-old in the contest means that he gets a huge weight pull with his older rivals. He was a Group 2 winner back in the spring at Rosehill over 1200m over a field that included Ozzmosis back in third. That is his biggest win but arguably his career-best run came last autumn when he was third in the Golden Slipper at that same track behind Shinzo. He has not raced since the aforementioned Group 2 win but he has moved well in a pair of trials at Warwick Farm, looking ready to get back to business. 

VALUE BET - #8 Benedetta
She is not a massive roughie price by any means but she does look over odds on what she has done and on what jockey Daniel Stackhouse has done to get down to this weight to ride her. In the last eight years, Stackhouse has only ridden at a weight as low as this on six occasions so it shows what a chance he feels the mare has on her first try at Group 1 level. She has six wins in the first 10 starts of her career and looks well set for this task. Not renowned for being a good trial horse, her recent efforts in practice can be taken with a pinch of salt and she is a fair price for a mare of her ability in this contest.

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