Perth Cup Preview and Tips 01/01/25

It’s the beginning of a new year and while there may be so many Group One races for us to feast our eyes on, we are kicking 2025 off with a $1 million Group Two, not too shabby if you ask me! Ascot Racecourse takes centre stage this New Year's Day with the Perth Cup and there’s a stack of quality runners expected to line up.

Following on from several of the major races last year, we have another open field. Diamond Scene is currently the narrow favourite with PlayUp and the likes of In Good Order and Sentimental Hero aren’t very far behind. Who will come out on top and claim the lion’s share of the $1 million in prize money? We will just have to wait and see!

My Wednesday tips have landed here at OnlyRacing and I’m hoping to start the year off with a big fat bang. In total, I’ve got five best bets for you to sink your teeth into, so there is something for everyone to get behind. Let’s get cracking and see which runners I believe will have a great start to 2025.

The 2025 Perth Cup should be run at a moderate pace. All of the runners with the barrier speed are jumping out wide, so look for them to use all their speed to get into a good position in the field. The likes of Serpentine, Socks Nation and Iowa all have barrier speed and are jumping from barriers 14, 13 and 12, respectively. 

The narrow pre-race favourite (at the time of writing), Diamond Scene, is jumping from barrier eight and I wouldn’t be surprised if he looks to lead or sit near the front. If he does, he’ll be in a much better position to win this one. Two of the other more favoured runners, In Good Order and Sentimental Hero, are likely to settle midfield.

This race looks to be a cracker with so many genuine contenders. However, I’ve sided with Sentimental Hero as my best bet for the Perth Cup. PlayUp has Sentimental Hero as the current equal favourite, with odds of $4.80. The gelding’s form coming into this one has been great and he has been at Ascot for the last three races now.

Last time out, he finished second in the Listed A.T.A. Stakes, which is considered an ideal lead-up race. The runner that beat him by 0.8L? The current pre-race favourite here, Diamond Scene. I think Sentimental Hero is good enough to turn the tables, especially considering he will carry 6kg less compared to his run last time out!

Serpentine is one of the more favoured runners in the market, but I still think we are getting great value with him. The Group One winner has been fighting it out recently in seemingly much more difficult races compared to a lot of the competition so that stacks up quite well. Bet365 has Serpentine as a $10 chance for the Perth Cup, which is a little surprising.

Yes, he hasn’t tasted success so far this prep, but he did finish second by just 0.5L in the Group Two Moonee Valley Gold Cup. He could have slotted in as my value bet for the Perth Cup, but I think he is more of a safe bet in my eyes. The barrier draw did him no favours but has the speed to overcome that.

I think Let’s Galahvant could surprise a few in this one. While the gelding is currently going around with odds of $12, thanks to Dabble, he does have a great soft record that I just can’t ignore. It looks like Ascot will be in the soft range and Let’s Galahvant has a record of 15:5-3-2 on soft tracks.

Went down in the Group Two Ted Van Heemst Stakes by a nose to In Good Order, who is on the equal second line of betting for the Perth Cup at the moment. Doesn’t have a lot of experience at Group Two level, with the Perth Cup being just his third attempt, but the soft barrier will help.

There are a few key reasons I think Diamond Scene is the narrow favourite and it would be very difficult to not include him in my set of tips for the 2025 Perth Cup. The gelding has won three of his last five races including the Listed A.T.A. Stakes, the Listed Luckygray Stakes and a BM78. QuestBet has Diamond Scene with odds of $4.00 at the time of writing.

A few runners are taking the step up from the A.T.A. Stakes to the Perth Cup and Diamond Scene proved too good in that one. Jockey Clint Johnston-Porter retains the ride and this will be the third race in a row in the saddle. If he can settle in the lead or near the front, he will be pretty difficult to run down.

I think Socks Nation is worthy of a shout. The mare has been running almost exclusively in Group Ones this prep and managed to finish third in both the Empire Rose Stakes and the Northerly Stakes. She has been in Ascot for a handful of races now but didn’t produce much in the Group Two Ted Van Heemst Stakes last time out. 

A wide barrier doesn’t really help her chances, but she does possess some great barrier speed, so it will be all about where she can slot in. Socks Nation is currently going around with odds of $13, thanks to Bet Right. Doesn’t have a lot of experience on soft ground, but her record is 3:1-1-0, which isn’t too bad.

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

Bookmaker	Tip	Odds
	Sentimental Hero (win)	$3.80
	Serpentine (place)	$3.25
	Let’s Galahvant (place)	$3.80
	Diamond Scene (place)	$1.74
	Socks Nation (place)	$4.00