The Hunter Preview and Tips 16/11/24

The Spring Racing Carnival may be coming to a close, but we have one last weekend of racing before our attention turns West for the remaining Group One races of the year. While there may be two Group One races in Melbourne on Saturday, there’s also The Hunter, which is a Group Two that takes place at Newcastle Racecourse.

The Hunter might officially be a Group Two, but it has Group One-level prize money, so there’s certainly a lot of interest around this race. The two Group One races that we see in Melbourne on the same day are the Sir Rupert Clake Stakes and the Thousand Guineas. Both of which feature high-quality fields.

I have tips articles here at OnlyRacing for those two Melbourne races, but for this article specifically, my Saturday tips are for The Hunter. So, strap yourself in as we see a great field of runners fight it out for Group Two glory. You can find all my best bets for The Hunter right here.

The three scratchings we’ve seen so far take the field down to 12 runners and I expect the race to be run at a moderate tempo with three runners with fast barrier speed looking to lead the race. I think that honour will go to Felix Majestic, with Coal Crusher right behind. With only 12 runners, it may be easier for the field to slot into their favoured position.

Briasa is the favourite at the time of writing and the gelding will likely settle off pace with cover and use his excellent turn of foot to have a shot at running over the top of them. Far Too Easy, who is on the second line of betting with PlayUp, will probably look to use the same tactics as Briasa.

I’ve only got eyes for Briasa and it’s clear to see why he is the favourite here. The gelding only has six runs under his belt, but he has won five of them and if you look at the one race he didn’t win, he was just 0.6L off the leader, in fourth place. Right now, you can get odds of $2.70 for Briasa with PlayUp.

Only has to carry 53kg on his back, which is the lightest weight in the field and while he draws a wide barrier, he has more than enough class to overcome that, especially in a small field. Last time out, he dominated, winning by 3.3L and this is no doubt a step up, but that arrogant win will set him up well for this one.

Going against the markets here when it comes to my safe bet as I think Coal Crusher looks like the perfect candidate. Coal Crusher looks to win The Hunter again, after claiming victory in this race last year. The gelding comes into The Hunter with odds of $12, thanks to our friends at Bet365.

Coal Crusher hasn’t won since his victory in The Hunter last year, but he has been there or thereabouts. He was in with a shout in the Sydney Stakes, just going down to Overpass on The Everest Day. His performance in the Russell Balding Stakes last time out was certainly nothing to write home about and I’m expecting a bounce-back performance here.

There’s value to be found with Phearson here, I’m surprised he is currently going around with odds of $23 with Dabble. His run last time out on paper wasn’t the best, but he did run on nicely behind the likes of Bella Nipotina. I don’t think this race looks to be as difficult as that one, so hopefully he’ll have a better chance here.

Has a decent amount of barrier speed and could be one of the first runners. If he gets to stretch his legs out front, he has a good chance at a top-three finish at good odds. Gets an ideal draw as well, won’t have to do any work jumping from barrier one, leaving some important gas in the tank for the closing stages.

I think Royal Merchant could surprise a few in this one and that’s why the Group One winner is going down as my danger for The Hunter in 2024. Royal Merchant is currently on the fourth line of betting, with odds of $12, thanks to QuestBet. She finished 4.3L the leader in fifth place last time out in The Invitation.

I think she’ll improve sharply from that one as she gets back in trip and also drops 4.5kg in weight. A lot of her better results have come when she gets in light at the weights and she gets barrier two, so there are a few things that are working to her advantage here. Keep your eye on her in the market as I wouldn’t be surprised to see her shorten before the race.

I think I’ve managed to find a decent enough roughie that is worth a small play, especially at the odds. With Bet Right, the gelding currently has the second highest odds and I understand why he isn’t in single digits, but $31, really? He has placed at Group One level before and think he could potentially squeeze a top-three finish here.

Didn’t like what he did at Caulfield last time out, but I’m going to put a line through that one because I don’t think that’s an accurate representation of what he can do. Been back to the trials since his last run and I reckon that has done him a world of good. Willing to give him another chance, especially considering the odds that are on offer.

All my The Hunter horse racing tips and their odds can be found here:

Bookmaker	Tip	Odds
	Briasa (win)	$2.70
	Coal Crusher (place)	$3.25
	Phearson (place)	$5.00
	Royal Merchant (place)	$3.30
	Coastwatch (place)	$8.50