Godolphin trainer James Cummings has said that this year’s Coolmore Stud Stakes is one of the best ever and should have just as much relevance as the Golden Slipper, and we completely agree. This is an incredible field of three-year-old talent, with 16 colts and 1 filly lining up for the $1.5M sprint down the straight at Flemington Racecourse.
Sportsbet currently, as of Thursday afternoon, has Extreme Warrior marginally ahead of In The Congo, with the pair priced at $4.20 and $4.40 respectively. Extreme Warrior couldn’t have been better in his last start win in the Blue Sapphire, while In The Congo has had a five week break since his Golden Rose win! However, the talent doesn’t stop there as there are plenty of fast horses and group-level winners scattered throughout.
While those two have dominated the market, there are plenty of chances and we have analysed each and every runner for you! Read on below to find out runner by runner preview of the 2021 Coolmore Stud Stakes along with The Shark’s Coolmore Stud Stakes best tips.
1. Shaquero (2) – $51
Jockey – Luke Nolen
Trainer – Chris Waller
Shaquero has won two Group races to date but is yet to fire this campaign, going up against the older horses and finishing no better than 5th in two races. It isn’t the sort of form you want going into a race against the best sprinters of the age group.
2. Artorius (4) – $8.50
Jockey – Glen Boss
Trainer – Anthony & Sam Freedman
Artorius drops down from 1600m after finishing third to Anamoe in the Caulfield Guineas. He did win the Blue Diamond over this trip at Caulfield, but will be spotting the leaders a fair distance, and they are hard to run down.
3. Ingratiating (8) – $23
Jockey – Daniel Moor
Trainer – James Cummings
After an impressive third in last Friday’s Manikato Stakes, Ingratiating is on the quick back-up here. The Godolphin camp are very pleased with how this colt is travelling right now and think he is back to his best, which would be good enough here. If you are happy to forgive his Danehill run, where he had excuses, then this price is definitely overs.
A golden moment for IN THE CONGO in the Golden Rose! @GaiWaterhouse1 @clarkyhk @aus_turf_club pic.twitter.com/0eB7mZhqEI
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) September 25, 2021
4. In The Congo (12) – $4.40
Jockey – Craig Williams
Trainer – Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
Last start winner of the Golden Rose, In The Congo has had some incredible contests this prep. He has finished in the top two in all four of his runs and has been freshened specifically for this race, having a five week break since his win in the Golden Rose. He will be leading the way, will take some catching and while he is actually yet to win at 1200m, a 0.3L second to Anamoe is the worst result in those two races.
5. Home Affairs (13) – $11
Jockey – James McDonald
Trainer – Chris Waller
Where others are deep into their preparations, Home Affairs comes to the Coolmore Stud Stakes just third up. He was impressive when winning from the front first up, beating Paulele by 1.6L in the Heritage Stakes and then wasn’t disgraced in The Everest, finishing 5L back from Nature Strip after being up on the pace in a blisteringly run race. That form is definitely good enough to win this and, as mentioned, he should be peaking third up in his grand final.
6. Paulele (6) – $7
Jockey – Damien Oliver
Trainer – James Cummings
Paulele put the three-year-old sprinting crop on notice with an impressive 2.4L first up win in the Rosebud, but then just fell short of In The Congo in their rematch three weeks later. He then couldn’t catch Home Affairs in the Heritage Stakes and was sent for an easy kill in the Roman Consul, building back some winning confidence rather than contesting The Everest. His best is good enough, but he is now fifth up after a long, tough prep and may be feeling it.
7. Kallos (15) – $11
Jockey – Fred Kersley
Trainer – James Cummings
Kallos is the last of the three Godolphin runners but has certainly made a name for himself. Following on from a maiden win at Hawkesbury, Kallos came to Melbourne and beat a lot of this field down the Flemington straight in the 1100m Danehill. He raced up on speed and kicked away from the pack, winning by 2L, which is a very positive sign for his chances here.
8. Ranch Hand (16) – $35
Jockey – Brett Prebble
Trainer – Chris Waller
After beating Ingratiating in the Poseidon Stakes, Ranch Hand put his hat in the ring for this race but following a poor running in the Danehill, the market seems to have cooled off. There were others that finished off the Danehill better than him and the market reflects that here.
9. Extreme Warrior (9) – $4.20
Jockey – Jye McNeil
Trainer – Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)
Well, what a win that was in the Blue Sapphire Stakes. After an impressive 4.2L win in a maiden at Echuca, not many expected Extreme Warriors to step up in grade and win again, this time finishing 3.8L ahead of Profiteer, who was then 3.2L ahead of Minsk Moment in third. His time there was only less than a second slower than Nature Strip’s win in The Everest, indicating that he has some serious jets.
Statement made. 👊
Extreme Warrior made light work of Profiteer to win the G3 Blue Sapphire Stakes.@MickPriceRacing @RosemontStud pic.twitter.com/UrlVmb7dun
— Racing.com (@Racing) October 13, 2021
10. Extreme Flight (3) – $27
Jockey – Damien Thornton
Trainer – Anthony & Sam Freedman
Extreme Flight has won three straight races, which is an impressive feat for a three-year-old. However, his last two were at 1400m and he hasn’t really beaten much, at least nothing that would make him a factor here.
11. Sword Of State (7) – $46
Jockey – Luke Currie
Trainer – Jamie Richards
There was a lot of promise surrounding Sword Of State, who came across to Australia having won six of his seven career starts in New Zealand. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to compete in his two runs over here, carrying an absurd 60kg first up and then was unable to find another gear when going down by 4L to Paulele in the Roman Consul.
12. Bruckner (1) – $35
Jockey – John Allen
Trainer – Ciaron Maher & David Eustace
Bruckner has only missed the place once from his five career starts and he was very impressive behind Kallos in the Danehill. However, he did have an easier run, with cover, and Kallos still managed to kick away in the final 100m.
13. Overpass (5) – $46
Jockey – Craig Newitt
Trainer – Bjorn Baker
While Overpass has three career wins, his best career performances are finishing 1.9L back from Paulele in the Roman Consul last start and finishing 3.1L back from Tiger Of Malay in the 1400m Sires Produce last prep. The fact he ran a relatively strong 1400m race last prep is a positive, but how can he make up the two lengths on Paulele now?
14. Marine One (11) – $35
Jockey – Dean Yendall
Trainer – Ciaron Maher & David Eustace
Marino One has won both starts since changing over to the Maher & Eustace camp, however he has run at 1000m in both of those and hasn’t beaten much. It is hard to use his form from last prep, since he has changed camps, but he was 2L off General Beau on two separate occasions, who was then 2L off Kallos in the Danehill.
15. Minsk Moment (17) – $61
Jockey – Michael Dee
Trainer – Chris Waller
The fourth Waller-trained colt is another to come out of the Blue Sapphire, where he finished 7L back from Extreme Warriors. It is hard to see how he is any chance of competing here based on that effort.
16. Battleton (10) – $81
Jockey – Rachel King
Trainer – Bjorn Baker
Battleton is on the quick backup after finishing second in last week’s Brian Crowley Stakes, beating short-priced favourite Able WIllie home but still a length off Mazu. Considering Mazu was more than a couple of lengths off In The Congo and Paulele a few runs back, Battleton can’t be considered.
17. Gimmie Par (14) – $41
Jockey – Blaike McDougall
Trainer – Peter Moody
The only filly in the race running for one of the hottest trainers in the game, Peter Moody’s Gimmie Par shouldn’t be an afterthought, considering she ran second to Ingratiating last prep and won first up before a valiant fourth in the Danehill. She does get a 1.5kg weight swing on Kallos from that race but meets Bruckner at the same weight differential and he had a length on her in that one.
Final Word
This really is a cracking edition of the Coolmore Stud Stakes, with plenty of live chances. Extreme Warrior and In The Congo have dominated the market so far, both coming off impressive last start victories. If you want to find these two, the data suggests that you can, given four of the last 11 favourites have come out on top.
In saying that, three of the last 11 Coolmore Stud Stakes have been won by horses priced with double-figure odds, and we have found one that fits that category. NSW-trained horses have won 8 of the last 13 editions of the race, and there is a horse that has beaten some of his rivals first up, contested the best sprint race in the world second up and comes here ready to fire in his Grand Finals.
Impressive!
Home Affairs blitzes them in the Heritage Stakes.
Everest horse for Coolmore? pic.twitter.com/LvWGUeE5kz
— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) September 25, 2021
Chris Waller rarely has a back weekend, let alone two in a row, so we expect him to have Home Affairs fit and firing for the Coolmore Stud Stakes. James McDonald jumps on board, which is always a positive, and while his main competitors seem to be deep in their prep, Home Affairs is just third up, indicating he should be ready to peak. Given Sportsbet will be offering a bonus back to fifth, we will definitely take the extra security since it is a massive and talented 17-horse field! However, given how much we rate this colt, we like our chances that we will come out with a big-odds winner, or a bonus bet as a worst case scenario.
Best Coolmore Stud Stakes Tip: Home Affairs – Win ($11)
Don’t stop there, the Coolmore Stud Stakes is one of just seven feature races across both Flemington and Rosehill this Saturday! We have done a runner-by-runner preview on all seven, so you just need to read, agree, place your bets and watch the winnings come in:
- Golden Eagle – Analysis Here!
- Victoria Derby – Analysis Here!
- Kennedy Cantala Stakes – Analysis Here!
- Empire Rose Stakes – Analysis Here!
- Classique Legend (Winner) Stakes – Analysis Here!
- Rosehill Gold Cup – Analysis Here!
If you need more news, information and predictions, head over to our Coolmore Stud Stakes page for all your punting needs!
*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of Sportsbet.
