In-form mare Savapinski from the stables of Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott is the red hot favourite in ATC Cup 2017 betting to salute in the Festival Stakes Day showdown this weekend in Sydney.
Consistent mare Savapinskiis favourite in 2017 ATC Cup betting at Rosehill Racecourse in Sydney on Saturday. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
The four-year-old daughter of Savabeel is one of 10 hopefuls engaged for Rosehill Race 6 at 3:40pm (AEDT) on the weekend and is drawn in barrier seven for this season’s Listed $125,000 ATC Cup (2000m).
Jockey Brenton Avdulla retains the ride on Savapinski on Saturday after guiding the consistent mare to victory last start at Flemington on Emirates Stakes Day, November 11, in the Group 2 Matriarch Stakes (2000m) over the same distance.
This weekend she heads to Sydney for the first time since her fourth to Dixie Blossoms at Randwick in the Group 3 Angst Stakes (1600m) in early October and presents fit and ready to fire over the distance.
The bookies agree and Savapinski sits top of the latest ATC Cup odds at Ladbrokes.com.au paying $2.25 and firming to make it five wins from eight career starts in her Rosehill Gardens debut.
A further three summer stayers are also at single figures in the ATC Cup betting markets including Black On Gold ($4.50) drawn a treat in barrier four for jockey Kathy O’Hara.
Chris Waller’s four-year-old son of Sebring is scheduled for a win looking at his lead-up form this time in that reads first, second, first, second.
Two back he saluted over 1800m at Rosehill in the Topaz Preview before his brave second in the November Topaz (1900m) last time out.
This weekend Black On Gold comes back from 55kg to the 53kg minimum in the ATC Cup weights and gets a chance to salute at his pet track.
Sydney’s leading horseman, Waller has also accepted for Montauk who jumps from the outside barrier.
Montauk was racing competitively during the winter in similar grade races including a Listed Winter Cup (2400m) second at Rosehill and subsequent Listed Grafton Cup (2350m) third in July.
The More Than Ready gelding was last seen running a flat seventh under a big weight over the Doomben mile on November 4.
He gets the chance to atone back in Sydney on the weekend, despite not having won any of his 13 previous Rosehill starts, on the back of a three length winning Warwick Farm trial over 1200m on November 21.
Montauk also comes down from 58.5kg last start to just 53kg and could prove a nice value ATC Cup bet at generous odds of $20.
The others under $10 for the win meanwhile are Broadside ($6) and Green Sweet ($9) drawn in barriers three and one respectively.
One of two other Waterhouse & Bott-trained runners in the race alongside the short priced favourite, Broadside is first-up on Saturday with Tim Clark riding the Raise The Flag six-year-old.
Winner of the Group 3 Newcastle Cup (2300m) in mid-September, the Kiwi expat also finished just a quarter length back for third in Rosehill’s Group 3 Colin Stephen Quality (2400m) that month.
He was stepped right up in grade on September 30 at Royal Randwick and was far from disgraced finishing three lengths back for fifth behind Foundry in the Group 1 The Metropolitan (2400m).
The ATC Cup shapes-up as a far easier assignment for Broadside who has been kept fit with a subsequent winning 1200m Randwick trial in mid-November.
Drawn the rails, Green Sweet is a Jean Dubois-trained import having just his fourth Australian race start, the six-year-old first-up since April.
See below for the full ATC Cup 2017 field, barriers, jockeys and weights with the latest Sydney Saturday racing odds also now available through Ladbrokes.com.au.
