Group 1 racing heads back to headquarters this week with the running of the Turnbull Stakes at Flemington. WINX is a $1.16 favourite to win her 28th race in a row, and add to her already remarkable record. We chatted with Palmerbet CEO Grant Palmer to catch up on any early betting moves and get his best bet for the card.
WINX will step out in her first race in Melbourne this Spring on Saturday. What are you looking forward to seeing Grant?
WINX is just a fantastic drawcard for the industry and we are so lucky to have her and the publicity she generates. In last year’s Turnbull Stakes she was awesome, even by her own standards and blew her rivals away so quickly. Personally, I can’t wait to see her finishing burst and see if she can match last year’s performance. That is one thing that can go unnoticed with WINX, she is a 7-year-old mare and is racing as well as ever. It is remarkable.
Any early moves for Saturday Grant?
There has been a lot of early support for the Godolphin trained RANIER in the second race. We opened him up at $4.50 and the smart punters have snapped that up and he is now into $3.50. RANIER is yet to win a race but has been placed in all four-career starts and this looks his chance. He carries 56kg here after lugging 61kg around at Warwick Farm last start and the money suggests he will run well.
Have you got a best bet?
Another Godolphin runner, the import AVILIUS should be very hard to beat in the Group 3 Bart Cummings. Like many racing observers, I was surprised he didn’t run in the Metropolitan last week but James Cummings wants to win this week to gain automatic entry into the 2018 Melbourne Cup and avoid the ballot. AVILIUS has been getting better with each Australian start as he steps up in distance and the $2.10 looks a fantastic price. He will enjoy the wide expanses of Flemington and should make it four from four in Australia.
