Spring Champion Stakes Preview and Tips 26/10/24

It may be Cox Plate Day down in Melbourne, but there is still a lot of racing happening further north in Sydney, with the key race being the Spring Champion Stakes at Randwick Racecourse. Along with the Spring Champion Stakes, we also have an invitation-only race, aptly named The Invitation, run at Randwick as well.

Each year, we see some of the best 3YOs step out and compete in the Spring Champion Stakes and this year is no exception. There are 11 runners that will line up for the right to call themselves the 2024 Spring Champion Stakes champion. There are two Group One races (plus The Invitation) on Saturday and I’ve got tips for all of them!

My Saturday tips for the Spring Champion Stakes are right here and I’ve taken the time to go through all 11 runners and evaluate their chances of success. All in all, I’ve got five best bets for you, so there is something for every type of bettor. Take a look at everything I’ve found here!

There doesn’t seem to be a lot of tempo in this year and I think the only runner who will really look to push forward is Firm Agreement. He draws one of the widest barriers of them all, so look for him to go forward quickly to find the rail.

The current narrow favourite, Swiftfalcon, doesn’t have a lot of early speed, so look for him to settle at the back of the pack. What he lacks in early speed, he makes up for in closing speed, so as long as he doesn’t get too far back, he’ll have every chance to run them all down.

It’s a fairly open field for this one, but one name that I keep coming back to is Henlein. Four out of the 11 runners currently have odds of $6.00 or less and Henlein specifically, is on the third line of betting, with odds of $4.60, thanks to PlayUp. The colt is very lightly raced as he only has five runners under his belt so far.

Wasn’t his best effort in the Group Three Gloaming Stakes, but I think a bounce-back performance is due here and he’ll enjoy the rise in trip. His run in the Group Two Stutt Stakes was much better. He came from the back, storming home to finish in second place. If he can put in another performance like that, he’s got my vote to win this one. 

The runner that I think will give Henlein the most trouble in the Spring Champion Stakes is Swiftfalcon. Swiftfalcon is the current narrow second-favourite at $3.80 with Bet365 and will jump from the widest barrier of them all. This limits his options somewhat and will probably look to settle near the back of the field, with one shot to run them all down along the straight.

Put in a come-from-behind performance, the same type of performance I expect from him again this Saturday, in the Group Three Gloaming Stakes. He came from near the back of the field to finish strongly and claim second by 1.8L. Jockey Jay Ford is in the saddle again and he’ll need to be on his A-game to steer Swiftfalcon to victory here.

Harlem Queen certainly needs to be respected in the market, but she is currently on the fourth line of betting with Dabble at odds of $6.50 and I think there’s a smidge of value there. The filly competed in the Group One Flight Stakes last time out, where she finished second by 3.3L behind Lady Shenandoah.

Harlem Queen will have 2kg less on her back compared to the boys and jumps from barrier seven, which I think gives her a few options. She’ll likely settle just behind the leaders and does have reasonably good closing speed, so hopefully she gets the right breaks at the right time and she could very well run over the top of them.

Duvana has been completely forgotten in the market. On one hand, I can see why. Some quality runners have had more difficult runs under their belt compared to Duvana. But the way this colt won the maiden two runs back at Goulburn was just too good for me to pass up. The 3YO is currently paying $19 to win the Spring Champion Stakes with QuestBet.

He is certainly a longshot to take this race out, coming from a dominant maiden win to 10th out of 12 runners in the Group Three Gloaming Stakes to this race. He gets a better barrier this time and if things go his way, I reckon he is one of the more dangerous horses in this race because many would underestimate him.

The $13 that’s currently on offer from Bet Right for Rag Queen to win the Spring Champion Stakes is a little confusing for me. I understand why she isn’t favourite, but double-digit odds? Really? With odds like that, she has to go down as my best roughie. She finally gets the step up in trip that she’s been waiting for. 

She comes through the ideal lead-up race, the Gloaming Stakes, like many of her other rivals and she performed well, finishing in fourth, 2.5L off the pace. She’ll carry 2kg less than the boys and I wouldn’t be surprised to see her odds shorten. Gets the blinkers on again, so that should hopefully keep her focused on the job at hand.

All my Spring Champion Stakes horse racing tips and their odds can be found here:

Bookmaker	Tip	Odds
	Henlein (win)	$4.60
	Swiftfalcon (each-way)	$3.80/$1.65
	Harlem Queen (each-way)	$6.50/$2.25
	Duvana (place)	$4.10
	Rag Queen (place)	$3.50