Western Australia’s TABtouch Masters kicks off this Saturday with the running of the 1600m Railway Stakes, worth $1M! Despite the lack of East Coast raiders, due to the Government regulations, this looks to be an incredible edition of the Railway Stakes, with four of the capacity 16 runners having won in their last start.
Looking at the market, Dabble has a clear favourite, Western Empire. The four-year-old gelding comes into this on the back of five consecutive wins and is the only runner in single figures, priced at $1.75.
However, we know with horse racing that anything can happen and Western Empire isn’t just a lock. So, we have dissected each of the horses’ chances for you! Read on below to find out runner by runner preview of the 2021 Railway Stakes along with The Shark’s Railway Stakes best tips.
1. Valour Road (17) – $19
Jockey – Brad Rawiller
Trainer – Simon Miller
While others might just be starting or building into further races, Valour Road is ready to peak here in the Railway. He has finished top three in each of his three runs this prep and has won three of his four 4th up runs previously. He has also won his only run at the distance, which came 4th up at the end of last prep.
2. Massimo (11) – $13
Jockey – Clint Johnston-Porter
Trainer – Chris & Michael Gangemi
Massimo has come back to life this preparation. Two close 2nds followed by a win in the Lee Steere Stakes show that he has the muster to win this, however he hasn’t even placed from two runs at the distance. He is clearly one of the main chances to topple the favourite, especially considering he has good 4th up form, but he is the third favourite and finished behind two horses in this race over 1600m to end last prep.
Bold display from Massimo to notch up 9th win – 3rd at stakes level – in the Group 2 @WAROA Lee Steere S. at Ascot. By Oakland Park’s Sessions & a ¾ brother in blood to G1 winner Exosphere, Massimo was sold to Gangemi Racing for $150k at the 2021 @inglis_sales Digital June Sale pic.twitter.com/5a5jcOsiLz
— Aushorse (@Aushorse_TBA) November 6, 2021
3. The Velvet King (9) – $21
Jockey – Kyre Yuill
Trainer – Darren McAuliffe
We are surprised to see The Velvet King with the same odds as Valour Road, considering the latter finished over 3L ahead of him two weeks ago. He is yet to finish better than third from six runs at either Group One or Two level and only has one win from seven tries at the distance.
4. Dance Music (15) – $34
Jockey – Brad Parnham
Trainer – Simon Miller
Dance Music is another where we are confused by the odds on offer. He won 1st up, beating Massimo, before finishing third behind that gelding and Valour Road two weeks ago. That is nothing to scoff at, considering he has finished top three in each of his last nine runs. He has only missed a top two finish over 1600m once from four tries, with two of those being wins. He just has to overcome the wide draw and find cover or not get stuck three wide up the front, considering he likes being on the pace.
5. Too Close The Sun (2) – $26
Jockey – Joseph Azzopardi
Trainer – Lindsey Smith
You could tell that he needed the run in the Lee Steere, when finishing almost 5L off the pace, but his second up record is something to behold. He has four wins and a third from six runs and has come second in his only run at the distance. He has also drawn very nicely in barrier two and could be one of the main dangers at massive odds.
6. Comfort Me (16) – $23
Jockey – Peter Knuckey
Trainer – Rhys Radford
Comfort Me brings some completely different form, winning back to back BM72 races, but this is a big step up from that. He has won 4th up and has won at the distance, but would need to improve sharply, especially considering he has drawn wide.
7. Dig Deep (7) – $71
Jockey – Patrick Carbery
Trainer – Daniel & Ben Pearce
He has never missed a place when 3rd up from a spell and meets Kaptain Kaos 3.5kg better at the weights, after finishing less than 2.5L off him last start. He has actually won at Group Two level but is yet to fire at the distance.
Kaptain Kaos leaves rivals in disarray with command performance to capture the Listed Iron Jack Northam Cup. A 5th stakes winner for the late Lonhro stallion Demerit, the ultra consistent Kaptain Kaos (7 wins & 4 placings from 12 starts) has won $300k in stakes. @PerthRacing pic.twitter.com/NJYcl9F5s8
— Aushorse (@Aushorse_TBA) October 24, 2021
8. Kaptain Kaos (10) – $19
Jockey – Lucy Warwick
Trainer – Michael Grantham
He’s been up a long time but he has been great this preparation. From six runs, Kaptain Kaos has four wins, a third and a fourth, however the fourth was in his most recent run, indicating he may be in need of a break. He is 1/1 at 1600m and has only missed the top three once from five runs at Ascot, but this is a big step up here.
9. Kay Cee (6) – $34
Jockey – Steven Parnham
Trainer – Neville Parnham
It has been a while between drinks for Kay Cee, not only not winning in her last seven runs, she hasn’t even placed in her last seven runs. All her form is on good tracks and she has finished top 3 in three of her five runs at the distance, so she may be able to bounce back with just 53kg on her back.
10. Kissonallforcheeks (1) – $10
Jockey – Chris Parnham
Trainer – Daniel Morton
Kissonallforcheeks is another that has had a fantastic preparation, with two wins and a second from four runs. Chris Parnham obviously works wonders with her, riding her four times for three wins and a second. The query is a strongly run 1600m but her only try at the distance was on a Heavy8 and she was clearly great over 1500m last start.
⚜️Another stakes winner for Written Tycoon with Kissonallforcheeks (ex Rosie Rocket) finding the line in time in the G3 RJ Peters Stakes at Ascot.
Bred in WA, she was a $120k @mmsnippets Gold Coast Yearling purchase for trainer @MortonRacing from @NewhavenPark.
Congrats all! pic.twitter.com/68V1cktt5g
— Yulong Investments (@YulongInvestme1) November 13, 2021
11. Naughty By Nature (12) – $81
Jockey – Jordan Turner
Trainer – Jason Miller
She may have great 3rd up stats, 4:2-0-2, but she was 5L off Western Empire last start and only gets a 2kg weight advantage here.
12. Notorious One (4) – $14
Jockey – Shaun O’Donnell
Trainer – Chris & Michael Gangemi
Has been up for six runs this time around, but Notorious One has won three of them and is yet to miss a place. He finished 2nd behind Western Empire last start, in the Asian Beau Stakes, but was over 2L off, meets him at equal weights again and has no advantage at the barriers.
13. Platoon (14) – $61
Jockey – Jason Brown
Trainer – Neville Parnham
Happy to leave Platoon out of consideration in his 40th career start. He hasn’t finished better than fourth this prep and hasn’t won 4th up from four tries.
14. Son Of Bacchus (8) – $41
Jockey – Jason Whiting
Trainer – Rhys Radford
Here is another one with confusing odds. Son Of Bacchus finished 0.3L off Kissonallforcheeks last start but here, despite meeting at equal weights again, he is $41 while that horse is $10. He has form at the distance and only runs well on good tracks, so it is confusing to see the price discrepancy here, and if you think Kissonallforcheeks is a chance to win, you have to factor Son Of Bacchus into your exotics.
15. Tellem We’re Comin (13) – $51
Jockey – Troy Turner
Trainer – Daniel Morton
After carrying 59kg last start, when just over 4L off Massimo, Tellem We’re Comin drops to 53kg for the Railway. He has great 3rd up form, with four wins and a third from seven runs at the distance but he hasn’t placed from four tries at group level.
Winner of the G2 Western Australian Derby earlier this year, Western Empire (#Iffraaj) cruises to victory in the G3 Asian Beau Stakes at Ascot 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/GbinxKEEWG
— Darley in Europe (@DarleyEurope) October 30, 2021
16. Western Empire (3) – $1.75
Jockey – William Pike
Trainer – Grant & Alana Williams
He is an exceptional talent that has only missed the place once from 11 career starts. That was just his third career run and he finished 4th in the G2 WA Guineas, before he’d even broken his maiden. He has now won five straight races, including at G2 and G3 level, plus the Pike/Williams combo has won the last three runnings of this race.
17e. Media Baron (5) – $126
Jockey – Jade McNaught
Trainer – David Harrison
Has had six runs this prep and not finished better than 4th. The good old adage, needs luck to get in and then luck if he does.
Final Word
There is no surprise that Western Empire is a clear favourite for the 2021 Railway Stakes, and we completely agree that he deserves to be. However, we can’t sit here and offer up a $1.75 pick and feel comfortable about it. So, we are going with an exacta, with Western Empire as a standout winner, with some nice value behind him and hope for a result.
We are chucking in Valour Road, who hasn’t missed a place this prep and has exceptional 4th up stats. We also like Dance Music to run a big race, considering he has placed in nine straight starts and has finished top two in 3/4 runs at the distance. Son Of Bacchus is another that is over the odds, based on his run behind Kissonallforcheeks last start, and we have to chuck in for some value. We round it out with Tellem We’re Comin, who drops 6kg from his last start and has spectacular third up form.
So there we have it, Western Empire to win with four roughies potentially coming second, meaning there are just four combos to bet on! Considering the place odds of our four horses range between $4.60 and $8, we should be able to find a bit more of a profit than backing Western Empire straight up.
Best Railway Stakes Tip: Exacta – (16 / 1,4,14,15)
There are other feature races going on around the country! We have provided you with a runner-by-runner preview of the $1M The Gong at Kembla Grange, so don’t miss out preview and best tip for the big race!
If you need more news, information and predictions, head over to our Railway Stakes page for all your punting needs!
*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of Dabble.
