2015 Caulfield Guineas Betting Tips

We offer up horse racing tips in our look at the Beck Caulfield Guineas 1600m – Group 1

The $1 million feature race of the day which showcases the best 3 year old colts and geldings looks set to be a cracker with a field of 16 set to line up. We can expect the track to be in the range of a Good 3 and should give every horse its chance. The race looks to have a distinct lack of a natural leader which in turn would normally result in a slack tempo, therefore suiting those horses close to the pace. However, this is a capacity field of 16 with $1 million up for grabs and I fully expect a few riders to try and inject some speed into the race.

The likes of Lizard Island, Bassett, Shards, Rageese and Snoopy have all shown a tendency to race on the speed (or even lead) in previous runs, and in such a big field I expect those with good barriers to try and make use of that to avoid getting stuck in traffic. Connections of Dal Cielo have stated their desire to take a sit from barrier 8 so my gut feeling is that Rageese, with blinkers on first time, and Lizard Island, utlizing barrier 2, will be our pace setters.

Behind that pack I suspect Bon Aurum to be able to slot in and gain cover in midfield, along side the likes of Odyssey Moon, Snoopy, Last Bullet and Ready For Victory. There are plenty of backmarkers in the race, including two of the rougher chances Tanzino and Tulsa. All the hype since the barrier draws has been about the raging favourite Press Statement, who drew horribly in barrier 14 and is almost certain to be near the rear of the field.

For me, Press Statement is the clear top rater in the race despite his barrier draw. I still maintain he should have given Exosphere a good run for his money in the Golden Rose and we’ve seen what Exosphere has done since. He is just that much better than the rest of this field, and with Hugh Bowman on board our fears about a wide barrier draw can diminish significantly.

If Press Statement isn’t at his best or finds trouble for whatever reason, there is a host of chances behind him that can win. Bassett has form over Kinglike who has massive ability, and his win first up over 1100m was impressive. Ready For Victory wears the blinkers for the first time and that may be what’s needed to switch him on. He’s got huge amounts of talent and a lethal finish and with blinkers on he is definitely a winning chance. Dal Cielo will be better off with a sit and is a New Zealand Group 1 winner so rates as a rough winning chance, while a case can be made for Tarzino, Tulsa and Bon Aurum.

I think we will see a race with a genuine enough tempo which should favour those situated in midfield, but I suspect Press Statement’s overall quality will be enough to see him prove too strong for this field and continue Chris Waller’s dominance.