The 2011 Australia Day Cup is scheduled to take place at Warwick Farm Racecourse this Wednesday January 26th giving punters a thrilling stakes showdown to get in on the Australia Day racing and betting action.
This year is the first time Australia Day races have run at Sydney’s Warwick Farm Racecourse, with the programme usually taking place at Randwick.
Ten top gallopers have been accepted for the Australia Day Cup final field this year with the Chris Waller-trained Strike One the first horse in the market.
Drawn ideally in barrier two for Wednesday and due to be ridden by champion hoop Nash Rawiller, seven-year-old Danehill Dancer gelding Strike One is coming off a gallant second to Spechenka in the Group 3 Summer Cup (2400m) at Randwick on Boxing Day.
Strike One, however, has been allocated a hefty 58kg to carry in the Australia Day Cup a big increase from the 54.5kg they had on their back in the Summer Cup.
Another highly-rated runner in this Wednesday’s Australia Day Cup is Redoute’s Choice five-year-old Bid Spotter.
Also drawn well in barrier three, the Graeme Rogerson-trained Bid Spotter is allocated 55.5kg and finished second in the Listed Frank Underwood Cup last start on January 15 giving them some nice lead-up form.
The Races.com.au team’s pick for the Australia Day Cup, however, is promising four-year-old Jeune gelding Agent Bauer.
Prepared by Gwenda Markwell at Kembla Grange, Agent Bauer has won four of their past five career starts, their last victory by an emphatic six and a half lengths, and looks in a great position to step up to stakes company for the first time.
Well-weighted with just 53kg, Agent Bauer will jump from barrier nine on Wednesday and could be at juicy odds when Australia Day Cup betting opens at Luxbet so keep an eye on the market.
The 2011 Australia Day Cup is set to run as Race 6 at Warwick Farm on Wednesday, and for punters that also follow the Melbourne racing scene, Caulfield will host an excellent Australia Day race programme as well.
For the complete Australia Day race odds and to lock your selections in at the best prices, make sure you avoid the TAB and jump onto Luxbet instead!
2011 Australia Day Field, Barriers & Weights
| # | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Wgt. (kg) | Hcp. Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | STRIKE ONE (GB) | Chris Waller | Nash Rawiller | 2 | 58 | 96 |
| 2 | BID SPOTTER | Graeme Rogerson | Brenton Avdulla (a) | 3 | 55.5 | 91 |
| 3 | BAKUP (NZ) | John Steinmetz | Nathan Berry (a) | 5 | 53.5 | 87 |
| 4 | LANG (NZ) | Gwenda Markwell | Taylor Lovelock-Wiggins (a) | 10 | 53 | 82 |
| 5 | WARRINGAH (GB) | Chris Waller | Glyn Schofield | 6 | 53 | 79 |
| 6 | BROM BROM | Joseph Pride | Tim Clark | 1 | 53 | 78 |
| 7 | AGENT BAUER | Gwenda Markwell | Christian Reith | 9 | 53 | 70 |
| 8 | MR LATAR | Garry Frazer | Corey Brown | 4 | 53 | 70 |
| 9 | HALFWAYTOLONDON | Ken Callaughan | Blake Spriggs (a) | 8 | 53 | 63 |
| 10 | TIDE | Guy Walter | Kerrin McEvoy | 7 | 53 | 62 |
