Every punter has a Caulfield Cup Tip at this time of year but leading form experts Dominic Beirne and Ralph Horowitz both believe that the Chris Waller-trained duo of Hawkspur and Royal Descent are the horses to beat in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m).
Royal Descent is considered one of the two leading chances in tomorrow's Group 1 Caulfield Cup. Photo by: Steve Hart
Hawkspur is the current favourite in 2013 Caulfield Cup betting markets at odds of $4.80 but there has been plenty of support for Royal Descent since the barrier draw was conducted and she is now into Caulfield Cup odds of $6.50.
Beirne, one of Australia’s biggest bookmakers in the 1980s and still one of the country’s most respected form students, believes that the 2013 edition of the Caulfield Cup is one of the most open in recent years but has Hawkspur and Royal Descent at the top of his market.
“There is only two lengths between nine horses and it does become a bit of a luck in running scenario because I can’t find a reason why any of these nine horses would fail,” Beirne said on RSN this morning.
“I think it is goes to be an extremely competitive race.
“I have only half a dollar between Hawkspur and Royal Descent so I have them extremely close.”
While Beirne believes that Hawkspur and Royal Descent deserve to be the top two in betting, his value Caulfield Cup tip is Gai Waterhouse-trained Julienas who is available at odds of $21 after being awarded the final position in the field by the Melbourne Racing Club.
“The big value in my opinion is Julienas who at his past three starts at this distance won twice and was runner-up last start in The Metropolitan in Sydney,” Beirne said.
“He makes his only luck at the front, or just behind it, and I think that Julienas is going to look the winner at the top of the straight.”
Horowitz has been involved in the Melbourne racing media for over two decades and in recent times have worked with sectionals guru Vince Accardi and become one of the most high-profile form students in Australia.
Horowitz has had a big opinion of Royal Descent and Hawkspur throughout the 2013 Spring Racing Carnival and said on RSN that he is more than happy to centre his Caulfield Cup betting strategy around the two favourites.
“I’m really zeroing in on the favourites,” Horowitz said.
“I think that they both had a bye last week; luck of running didn’t come the way of Hawkspur and luck of running didn’t come the way of Royal Descent.
“We have seen some genuine quality from them both this preparation and I can’t see anything in their CV that says they shouldn’t be entitled to win here.
“They are both proven at the trip and they both have gun jockeys on.
“I’m really loving the two horses.”
Beirne and Horowitz each use different methods to assess the prices of every horse in the field but agree that Silent Achiever is the biggest danger to their Caulfield Cup tips.
“I think the market move for Silent Achiever, which has come in pretty dramatically in the last week, is warranted and she has an outstanding chance,” Beirne said.
