Horse Racing

The 2010 Railway Stakes will take place at Ascot Racecourse tomorrow, Saturday November 20^th, kicking off the Festival of Perth Racing.

The richest race on the Western Australian racing calendar, the $1 million Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m) field features 16 top gallopers, with first emergency Clueless Angel gaining a start following the scratching of #15 Mekong Miss.

The red hot favourite to win the Railway Stakes this year is Colour Correct, the Ross and Clint Price-trained six-year-old heavily backed at $4.60 through Luxbet.

Colour Correct is drawn well in barrier seven and has the ideal lead-up form to become the Railway Stakes winner having claimed victory in back-to-back stakes races here winning the Group 3 Asian Beau Stakes (1400m) and the Listed Ascot Gold Cup (1800m).

Last year in the Railway Stakes Colour Correct ran third behind Sniper’s Bullet and Tarzi.

Both Sniper’s Bullet and Tarzi are also back in the 2010 Railway Stakes field, the defending winner drawn wide in barrier 15 and paying $10 to win their second successive Railway Stakes, and Tarzi also suffering a poor barrier with gate 17 and at longer odds of $18.

Sniper’s Bullet is one of only two eastern-trained raiders to trump the locals in the Railway Stakes from the past decade, the other being Mick Price’s Slavonic in 1999.

This strong record of local winners in the Railway Stakes could continue tomorrow with other interstate gallopers Black Piranha, Triple Honour, Gathering and Trusting all facing a tough test.

Black Piranha is the top-weight and will have to break a weight carrying record to win with 58.5kg on their back, as will the Chris Waller-trained Triple Honour with 58kg.

One thing in favour of $15 chance Black Piranha is his barrier 12 draw, the gate having produced two winners in the past decade with Northerly (2000) and Sniper’s Bullet (2009).

The only other gate that has produced more than one Railway Stakes winner in the past 11 years is barrier eight, from which Slavonic (1999) and Old Comrade (2001) both jumped from.

Quality mare Impressive Jeuney has drawn barrier eight for tomorrow, the last start Group 3 R.J. Peters Stakes (1500m) third placegetter currently paying $19 to cause at upset thorough Luxbet.

John Thompson’s stable-mates Trusting and Gathering stand a better chance of upsetting the home contingent.

Trusting is the second favourite in the Railway Stakes odds, the four-year-old backed into $6 from their opening quote of $6.50, after the Emirates Stakes fifth placegetter drew well with barrier five.

Gathering in barrier six has also seen some love from the punters, the four-year-old firming in from $18 to $15.

Four-year-olds have the best record in the Railway Stakes with six of the past 11 winners aged four, most recently El Presidente in 2007, which is another thing to consider when placing your bets on the great race through Luxbet.

The 2010 Carlton Draught Railway Stakes is set to jump at 6:45pm (AEDST) at Ascot tomorrow afternoon as Race 7 on the card.

Check out the field below and then head to Luxbet to get the hottest odds on your selections!

Railway Stakes 2010 Field & Barriers