The second Group race on the Cox Plate Day card this afternoon is Race 4, the $200,000 Group 2 Patinack Farm Crystal Mile (1600m), set to start at 2:40pm (AEDST).
The 2010 Crystal Mile has attracted a final field of 13 top milers, with Firebolt the warm favourite to win currently paying $4.40 at Luxbet.
The Roger James-trained Firebolt is a strong New Zealand galloper who took out the Shannon Stakes emphatically last month before finishing 11th in the Epsom Handicap last start.
Punters are tipping the gelding to bounce back from his flat Epsom performance, however the Races.com.au fancy another runner to the Crystal Mile today and are backing #8 Rockpecker.
Moonee Valley – Race 4 – Crystal Mile
- Races.com.au Favourite: #8 Rockpecker – Rated Special to Win at $9.00 Luxbet
- Best Horses to Add into a Trifecta: #9 Snow Alert, #2 Drumbeats and #1 Rock Kingdom – Luxbet
Seven-year-old Rockpecker is at a generous price of $9.00 to win the Crystal Mile, the Ken Fythe-trained gelding drawn ideally in barrier one. A tough runner that always gets into the mix, Rockpecker is coming off a second place to Gathering over 1400m at Flemington and can cause an upset at good odds.
Our three favourites in the field to include in exotic wagers are Snow Alert, Drumbeats and Rock Kingdom.
Drawn favourably in barrier two, the Chris Waller-trained Snow Alert is resuming after a short spell following two gallant second place finishes in the Wyong Cup and Newcastle Cup, which will see the five-year-old Red Ransom gelding fresh and back to his preferred 1600m distance.
Drumbeats is another Red Ransom five-year-old and top contender today, despite drawing wide with barrier 13. Was flat in the Toorak Handicap after being caught out wide, but had two earlier runs in Sydney this season that were impressive.
The Gai Waterhouse-trained Rock Kingdom is our other Place pick, dropping back in weight today giving them a good chance to finish in the money at just their second Moonee Valley start after an eighth place Cox Plate finish here 12 months ago.
Check out our comprehensive 2010 Crystal Mile Field & Preview.
There is lots of value to be found in Moonee Valley Race 4 today, so make sure you get your wagers at the hottest price by heading to Luxbet now!
Crystal Mile Field & Form
| No | Form | Horse | Handicap | Barrier | Age&Sex | Jockey | Trainer | Starts-Win-Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | X956X094 | Rock Kingdom | 57.5 | 12 | 5G | NRawiller | Ms G Waterho | 22- 6- 6 |
| 2 | 7544X310 | Drumbeats | 56.5 | 13 | 5H | CBrown | P Snowden | 16- 3- 5 |
| 3 | -30X6-07 | Gold Salute | 56.5 | 6 | 7G | MPegus | M A Riley | 28- 8- 8 |
| 4 | X331X090 | La Rocket | 56.5 | 7 | 6G | SBaster | D R Sutton | 31- 6-14 |
| 5 | 6X412113 | Poor Judge | 56.5 | 11 | 5G | DGauci | N Hilton | 25-12- 6 |
| 6 | 02X205-4 | Sound Journey | 56.5 | 9 | 6H | MRodd | M A Kavanagh | 23- 6- 4 |
| 7 | 1-4X6722 | Conquering | 56.0 | 10 | 8G | BShinn | C N Goggin | 71-21-19 |
| 8 | 30655X42 | Rockpecker | 55.5 | 1 | 7G | CraigWilliam | K J Fythe | 36- 7-13 |
| 9 | 2X73122- | Snow Alert | 55.5 | 2 | 5G | HBowman | C Waller | 26- 7- 8 |
| 10 | 534X8050 | The Sportsman | 55.5 | 4 | 8G | NHall | R F Cameron | 58-10-11 |
| 11 | 54X81815 | Gathering | 55.0 | 5 | 4G | CNewitt | John Thompso | 18- 3- 6 |
| 12 | -1021X10 | Firebolt | 54.0 | 8 | 5G | DNikolic | R C James | 22- 6- 8 |
| 13 | 8101X250 | Trader | 53.0 | 3 | 5H | MJWalker | A J Cummings | 9- 3- 1 |
