Mick Price’s five-time Group 1 winner Lankan Rupee has opened the odds-on favourite in 2015 Schillaci Stakes betting to win first-up at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne this weekend.
First-up specialist Lankan Rupee is the odds-on favourite to win Saturday’s 2015 Schillaci Stakes at Caulfield. Photo: Adrienne Bicknell.
There are just five rivals for the $3.99 million earner to defeat in this year’s $400,000 Group 2 Mitsubishi Electric Schillaci Stakes (1100m), the weight-for-age sprint running as Caulfield Guineas Day Race 2 at 1:35pm (AEST).
Jumping from the outside barrier six with Craig Newitt in the saddle, the Redoute’s Choice six-year-old has an impressive first-up record of four wins and a second from six previous attempts that he will be looking to add to on the weekend.
His last win was first-up at Flemington back in February when winning his fifth elite level title in the Group 1 Lightning Stakes (1000m) before two disappointing runs including the ninth of 10 runners behind Chautauqua in the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) last time out at Randwick in early April.
Since then he has won a barrier trial over 800m at Cranbourne and looked very sharp, the bookmakers taking no chances with Lankan Rupee paying $1.30 in the latest Schillaci Stakes odds at Ladbrokes.com.au who are offering 50% extra on your first Fixed Odds winner on races 1 – 5 on the card!
There are two other single figure hopes in the current Schillaci Stakes betting markets with the ultra-consistent Shiraz ($6.50) and the early market mover Alpha Miss who has been well backed in from $11 to $7.50.
Jumping from barrier four with big race specialist Hugh Bowman in the saddle, Tony McEvoy’s Zariz six-year-old Shiraz won a host of races over the winter including the Group 3 Concorde Stakes (1000m) at Randwick on September 5 with Bowman aboard before Kerrin McEvoy rode him for a last start third to Rebel Dane in the Group 2 The Shorts (1100m) over this distance in Sydney.
He’s a gun over the 1100m with five wins, two seconds and a third from nine runs, but sees the Caulfield track for the first time on Saturday.
Robert Smerdon prepares the locally trained Lucky Owners mare Alpha Miss, the four-year-old not having won a race since March last year over the 1100m at Warwick Farm.
She had a strong campaign after that as a three-year-old, but has been sidelined for 12 months with Saturday her maiden run since last September’s Tea Rose Stakes when fourth to First Seal.
Showing she was fit and ready to return though on September 21 she ran a solid fourth behind Lankan Rupee in a trial when beaten just over two lengths.
The next best in betting and the only other livewire hope paying $17 for the upset is the rails-drawn I Love It who is another mare returning to racing in the Schillaci.
The John Salanitri-trained Artie Schiller five-year-old ran third to Miracles Of Life in the Group 1 Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) in Adelaide back in May before her last start ninth at the same Morphettville track only a fortnight later in the Group 3 Proud Miss Stakes (1200m).
She runs well fresh with three wins from four previous first-up attempts and from the inside alley should be flying on Saturday.
See below for the full Schillaci Stakes 2015 odds open online now at Ladbrokes.com.au who are offering an incredible Best Tote or SP + 20% on all 10 Caulfield races this Saturday!
