2014 Winterbottom Stakes Form Guide & Preview

The 2014 Perth Summer Racing Carnival kicks off this Saturday at Ascot Racecourse. The Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) is one of three black-type races on the program, offering some of the best sprinters the chance at winning their share of the $750,000 total prize money.

Bel Sprinter will jump from barrier eight in the Winterbottom Stakes, which is the same gate Buffering won from last year. Photo by Steve Hart.

13 sprinters aged three-years-old and up are due to run the 2014 Winterbottom Stakes at 4:00pm (local time). Five of those horses have made the journey to Perth from the eastern states, including the Robbie Griffiths-trained Angelic Light.

The five-year-old mare is favourite in the Winterbottom Stakes betting market, offering odds of $3 at Ladbrokes.com.au.

Angelic Light is in great form following a successful spring campaign in Melbourne which included a win in the Group 2 McEwen Stakes (1000m) and a fast finishing second placing in the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m). She’ll get an ideal start from barrier five with champion hoop Damien Oliver in the saddle.

She is followed in the Winterbottom Stakes betting by Moment Of Change ($4.20), Sidestep ($7), and Magnifisio ($8.50).

That’s how the bookies see the 2014 Winterbottom Stakes panning out but does the race’s history, form guide, and betting statistics offer any further insight into the winner? Read on to get all the crucial information so you can make the most informed bet possible.

2014 Winterbottom Stakes Form Fact & Betting Stats

Last year’s winner of the Winterbottom Stakes was the Robert Heathcote-trained Buffering who jumped from barrier eight with Damien Brown in the saddle
12 months ago Buffering came via back-to-back wins in the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) and Group 1 VRC (Darley) Classic (1200m)
#1 Moment Of Change ($4.20) is has followed her preparation but failed to place in either race
#2 Sidestep ($7) finished eighth in the Darley Classic while #13 Angelic Light ($3) finished runner-up in the Manikato

#3 Bel Sprinter ($12) will jump from last year’s winning barrier (8) which has brought home a total of four winners along with barrier 2 (Sidestep) and 5 (Angelic Light)
Barrier one is the most successful in the race’s past 30 years with five winners starting from the inside gate
#7 Tiger Pete ($101) will enjoy the inside run this year
Jason Brown is the most successful Winterbottom Stakes jockey since 1983 with seven placings from 17 starts who is this year aboard #12 Magnifisio ($8.50)

#6 Shining Knight (Group 3 Colonel Reeves Stakes, 1100m, Ascot, 04/11/14), #8 Éclair Bang Bang (Emirates Airline Handicap, 1400m, Flemington, 08/11/14), #11 Ysmael (BM72, 1200m, Ascot, 15/11/14), and #12 Magnifisio (Group 2 Lee Steere Stakes, 1400m, Ascot, 08/11/14) are the last start winners
#5 Testamezzo (58%) and #12 Magnifisio (52%) have the best Win Rates
Testamezzo also has the best Place Rate (92%) followed by Magnifisio (81%) and Shining Knight (80%)
Since half of the field in every Winterbottom Stakes makes the trek over to Perth for the first time, the eastern trained horses do not have any experience over the track
Those with the best track records are then: Watermans Bay (19:4-7-2), Testamezzo (7:4-2-0), Shining Knight (12:3-4-2), and Magnifisio (11:5-3-1)
However the tourists more than make up for it in experience over the 1200 distance
Those with the best records over the distance are then: Moment Of Change (14:2-4-2), Watermans Bay (16:4-3-1), Magnifisio (12:6-3-1), and Angelic Light (8:3-3-1)