Underwood Stakes Preview and Tips 21/09/24

Racing returns to Caulfield Racecourse after an epic Memsie Stakes a couple of weeks ago. This time, it’s the Underwood Stakes and the field has already been reduced to 12 runners, at the time of writing, as Kovalica has been scratched.

Still, the 12 runners that remain are of high quality and even include the 2019 Melbourne Cup winner, Vow And Declare, but he is one of the roughies in this one. For the Underwood Stakes, there’s a total of $750,000 in prize money on the line.

I’ve put together my Saturday tips for OnlyRacing and I can’t wait to share with you who I think is going to come out on top. Just like all the other Group One races on the calendar, I’ve got five tips for you to sink your teeth into, including a nice roughie as well, so there’s something for everyone.

Unlike the Makybe Diva Stakes last weekend, this is a difficult speed map for me to sort out. Last time out, Buckaroo was ridden with intent and they might look to do the same here, considering he got the win in that one. 

Deny Knowledge loves to keep things fast, so the race tempo is likely going to be on the faster side. In saying that, he is first-up, so fitness may be an issue here. Another one of the front runners could be Bois D’Argent.

Place Du Carrousel currently sits on the second line of betting, with odds of $4.60, thanks to PlayUp. But I think this is her race to lose. In Autumn, she ran second to Via Sistina in the Ranvet Stakes and then never really got going in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes. She is still young and thanks to the WFA conditions, has 2kg less on her back than most of the field.

Every run she has is more experience and I think she’s ready now for the big one. If her recent trial is anything to go by, she is ready to hit the ground running. She’s got lots of options as well, as she is jumping from a middle barrier. I’m expecting a top-three run from Place Du Carrousel at the very least.

If someone is going to dethrone Place Du Carrousel, it’s going to be Pericles, so he goes in as my safe bet for the Underwood Stakes on Saturday. Pericles is currently the favourite, paying $3.20 for the win with Bet365, at the time of writing. You won’t really find a more consistent runner, but he has yet to break through at Group 1 level.

He has played the bridesmaid on three occasions now at Group 1 level, is Saturday today he finally breaks through? I understand why he has gone up as the favourite, with a couple of good trials and then a second in the PB Lawrence Stakes, along with a win in the So You Think Stakes. But with 2kg more and a wide barrier, I’m giving the win to Place Du Carrousel.

I think I’ve managed to find a little bit of value with Fawkner Park for the Underwood Stakes on Saturday. He is currently paying $7.50 for the win, thanks to Dabble and I think this is overs. I don’t think he is favourite material, but still, he should be around the $5.00 mark, so get while the getting is good people!

There is one race in particular he is focusing on, the Caulfield Cup. Even though the Underwood Stakes isn’t his main target, he is still a high-quality horse that could easily win this one. We haven’t seen him in a while, which is probably why we are getting the price on offer, as there’s a bit of an unknown around him. Expecting him to put in a good run here.

If the top two in the market aren’t on their a-game, the one who can swoop in and knock them both off is Buckaroo. I think Buckaroo is the real danger to watch in the Underwood Stakes because he has a couple of runs under his belt and don’t forget about his performance in the Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes. He is paying $5.75 to win with QuestBet.

He hasn’t managed to win a Group 1 in nine attempts, but I think he has got a good shot here. Has to contend with a wide barrier, but I think this could work in his favour, especially if it means he can stay out of trouble in the early stages of this one. Not convinced he can win this one, but certainly worth including in wider exotics.

For my best roughie, was there ever going to be anyone else? My soft spot for Coco Sun continues! She is currently paying $13 for the win with Bet Right and if she can continue her awesome form from her last prep, she’ll be in this up to her eyeballs. I like her enough to even have a small each-way play on her.

In the Australasian Oaks, she was 0.3L off the pace, finishing in third place. She made amends the next time out, in the South Australian Derby, winning by 1.3L, for her first win at Group 1 level. In the WFA Underwood Stakes, she’ll go around with the least amount of weight on her back and Jamie Kah knows how to get the job done.

All my Underwood Stakes best bets and their odds can be found here:

Bookmaker	Tip	Odds
	Place Du Carrousel (win)	$4.60
	Pericles (each-way)	$3.20/$1.70
	Fawkner Park (place)	$2.45
	Buckaroo (place)	$2.00
	Coco Sun (each-way)	$13/3.60