Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes Preview and Tips 16/11/24

We have one final Spring Racing Carnival hoorah before our attention turns West for a couple of Group One races to close out the year. While the heat of the Spring might be dying down, there are still two Group Ones at Caulfield Racecourse this weekend. 

The Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes and the Thousand Guineas are the two main races of the day. Not to be outdone though, Sydney hosts The Hunter. Three races are still enough to get the heart pumping, especially when you look at the quality of the runners who are due to take part.

My Saturday tips have officially landed here at OnlyRacing and while I will cover all three races mentioned above, this specific tips article focuses on the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes. I like to make sure there is something for everyone, so I’ve put together five best bets for the race and you can decide which one works for you.

There are a couple of runners that I think will fancy taking the lead in this one, so I expect a medium race tempo here on Saturday. The likes of Gentleman Roy, Buffalo River and Tuvalu all have decent early speed and should slot in at the front of the field. 

According to PlayUp, we have a two-horse race, with only two runners listed in single digits. Another Wil will probably look to settle in just off the leaders, finding some cover before having a crack at them. Jimmysstar is more likely to settle near the rear of the field, with one final chance down the straight.

We have ourselves a two-way horse race in the 2024 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes and I like both of them. However, only one can go on top and I’m siding with Jimmystar for this one. This will be the gelding's first attempt at a Group One and he looks to be peaking here. Comes in as the narrow $3.10 favourite with PlayUp, at the time of writing.

Jimmysstar is tackling this one fourth-up and has won two from three, with a second place as well. Last time out he finished second to Another Wil in the Group Two The Damien Oliver but I think he can turn the tables this time. He gets a much better barrier and will have 3kg less on his back compared to Another Wil.

The best bet was a toss-up for me, so it was a no-brainer to put Another Wil down as the safe bet for the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes. Another Wil is on the second line of betting with Bet365, currently with odds of $3.80. As I already mentioned, Another Wil won The Damien Oliver last time out.

His overall record so far this prep is excellent as well, winning three from four races. The race he didn’t win was the Group One Toorak Handicap and he never really got going in that one, finishing 9.9L off the leader in seventh place. We saw him bounce back last time out though and jockey Jamie Kah sticks.

If you’re looking for value, there’s plenty to find in the 2024 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes, as 13 of the 15 runners currently have double-digit odds! On paper, her record at the 1,400m doesn’t look too crash-hot, but she has placed previously at this trip and has won a couple of times over the 1,600m.

I feel that the Group One winner hasn’t really been that lucky in this prep so far. We saw some of that bad luck in action last time out in the Group Three Sydney Stakes, where she got squeezed in the opening stages of the race and was pretty much out of it from then. Climbing Star is going around at odds of $18 with Dabble, so she’s my value play.

I think there are a lot of runners flying a little bit under the radar, thanks to the likes of Jimmysstar and Another Wil rightly stealing the spotlight. One runner in particular that I think could be a massive danger in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes is Charm Stone. At QuestBet, the mare is currently paying $15 for the victory.

She comes into this one third-up after over a year off and in her first run, she whipped out the best final 600m of the race. Then, three weeks later, she put in another decent performance finishing third (by just 0.3L) in the Group Three Rising Fast Stakes. Gets a kind barrier draw and only has 52kg on her back. She can surprise a few I think.

Okay so this is the longest of longshots, but I’ll be having a little something on Buffalo River for the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes on Saturday. He currently has some of the longest odds on offer, $41 to win thanks to Bet Right. However, if he can jump out of the blocks well and cut across to lead, he’ll be in with a shout. 

He can dictate the pace out the front and give them all something to chase down in the final stages of the race. Last time out, we almost saw him win the Moonga Stakes for the third time, but he ended up just being caught in the closing stages by Mighty Ulysses, finishing second by 0.4L. This looks a bit tougher, but he knows what to do.

All my Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes horse racing tips and their odds can be found here:

Bookmaker	Tip	Odds
	Jimmysstar (win)	$3.10
	Another Wil (each-way)	$3.80/$1.85
	Climbing Star (place)	$5.00
	Charm Stone (place)	$3.90
	Buffalo River (place)	$8.50