Caulfield Cup Preview and Tips 19/10/24

It doesn’t get much bigger than this! Another weekend of high-quality racing with several key races for racing fans to enjoy. There are three Group One races, with the Caulfield Cup, King Charles III Stakes and The Everest (which only just received an upgrade to Group One status). 

On top of this, we have two other key races, The Kosciuszko and The Silver Eagle. OnlyRacing will provide tips for all of the previously mentioned races this Saturday and this article focuses on the Caulfield Cup. Spring Racing Carnival is only getting hotter from here and we are just over two weeks out from the all-important Melbourne Cup.

I can’t wait to share my Saturday tips for you for the 2024 Caulfield Cup. As we’ve come to expect, we see a high-quality field for the Caulfield Cup and I’ve gone through every runner and analysed their chances. All my best bets for the Caulfield Cup can be found here.

The speed map shapes up to be an interesting one, with the likes of Eliyass and Deny Knowledge likely going to press forward. Deny Knowledge led throughout and won the Might and Power Stakes, so another run like that is probably in order. The rail is out 3m at Caulfield, so all runners should get their chance.

With the rain in Melbourne, the track is looking on the softer side of things, which will certainly have an impact on the race pace. The current favourite, Buckaroo, will look to settle near the back of the pack and wait for the perfect time to strike. Another one of the more favoured runners, Land Legend, will look for a spot midfield.

Last week was a massacre for the favourites, but that hasn’t deterred me in this one. I think the best horse in the race is Buckaroo and there is some pretty stiff competition, but he is the deserved favourite. Buckaroo is currently paying $3.90 to win the race, thanks to our friends at PlayUp.

The step up in distance is a bit of a query but you really can’t knock his performances since he was gelded. Back-to-back wins in the Group Two Chelmsford Stakes and the Group One Underwood Stakes before going down by just 0.2L in the Group One Turnbull Stakes last time out. Buckaroo should be up to his eyeballs in this one.

Other than Buckaroo, I think Zardozi is a pretty safe bet and I can even see her winning this one if Buckaroo isn’t at his best. Mares historically don’t have a good record in this race though, with only five mares winning since 1996. However, if anyone can buck the trend, it’s Zardozi.

The mare is currently paying $7.50 to win the Caulfield Cup, thanks to Bet365. She has only had two starts in her career so far at the 2,400m distance and she has finished second on both occasions. Last time out, she went down in The Metropolitan by just 0.1L. The build-up to the Caulfield Cup has been great and she has every chance of winning this race.

I’ve put down Warmonger as my value bet for the 2024 Caulfield Cup because I’m a little surprised he is still in double digits in terms of odds. The 4YO gelding is currently going around with odds of $12 to win, thanks to Dabble. Hasn’t done much so far this prep, so that’s probably why he is flying under the radar a little bit. 

Those two races, however, were over shorter distances and I think Warmonger does some of his best work over the 2,400m. Also, 4YOs have a pretty strong record in the race, winning 14 of the last 30 editions and the soft track looks to suit runners coming from the back.

I think Sayedaty Sadaty could raise a few eyebrows in the Caulfield Cup on Saturday. The youngest horse in the race will carry the lightest weight of them all on his back, just 50kg. Sayedaty Sadaty presents some pretty good value as well, with odds of $16.50 to win with QuestBet.

This will be his first race in Australia, so it’s a watch-and-see in this one, but I would kick myself if I didn’t have at least something on him here. He last raced at Goodwood Racecourse in the UK where he finished third behind the current Melbourne Cup favourite. Those form lines look pretty strong to me!

I can’t stay away from the runners carrying the lightest weight of them all! For my best roughie, I’ve sided with Positivity, who is currently paying a whopping $31 to win the race and $7.50 to place, with our friends at Bet Right. Yes, she is a little outclassed here, but you can’t really fault her prep so far.

Do I think she can win this one? Probably not. But she’s in with a good shot of snagging a top-three finish. Gets a decent barrier as well and she is due some luck, so hopefully she gets some here, with the right breaks at the right time. Might be a bridge too far, but she’s good enough to have a little something on her.

All my Caulfield Cup horse racing tips and their odds can be found here:

Bookmaker	Tip	Odds
	Buckaroo (win)	$3.90
	Zardozi (each-way)	$7.50/$2.90
	Warmonger (place)	$3.80
	Sayedaty Sadaty (place)	$4.70
	Positivity (place)	$7.50