Leading racing analyst Daniel O’Sullivan does not have a clear 2015 Queen Of The Turf Stakes tip, but he believes that Team Snowden-trained Gypsy Diamond represents value in betting markets for the Group 1 event at Royal Randwick tomorrow.
Smartform Racing’s Daniel O’Sullivan likes the chances of Gypsy Diamond in the 2015 Queen Of The Turf Stakes. Photo by: Steve Hart
Catkins, First Seal and Noble Protector are the clear standouts in 2015 Queen Of The Turf Stakes betting markets and are taking strong form into the race, but O’Sullivan told RSN that he believes all three have question marks over them and he is happy to take them on this weekend.
“On what they have done recently Catkins and Noble Protector are both coming out very similar on their performance ratings,” O’Sullivan said.
“Noble Protector has the consistency in those two ratings and she could perhaps go a bit higher and is absolutely no risk at running the 1600 at this level here, but the issue with her is the sting out of the ground and from my understand she was purchased overseas and bought here to race with a view to finding more firm tracks.
“She could run well and truly below what she has been this preparation purely because she doesn’t like the sting out of the ground.
“Catkins has come back in career best form and has strong consistent ratings that are right up to the level to win this, but she is a slight query at the Randwick mile.
“First Seal has been going well, but she doesn’t have the same consistency as Catkins and Noble Protector, but can certainly produce it if things go her way.
“I am just not sure that is the right scenario that you want to be charging in to play.”
Gypsy Diamond failed to fire during the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival, but she has returned to a semblance of her best form in autumn in the Group 3 Liverpool City Cup (1300m) at Warwick Farm on February 28, the Group 3 Newcastle Newmarket Handicap (1400m) on March 18 and the Group 2 Emancipation Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens on March 28.
The Not A Single Doubt mare finished second behind Diamond Drille in the Group 1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) last year and O’Sullivan believes that she could go close in the 2015 edition of the race if she produces a similar effort this weekend.
“I think the best outsider in the race is Gypsy Diamond,” O’Sullivan said.
“She was only two lengths behind Catkins last start and she hit the line well.
“She wasn’t going any good last spring, so if you knock out that form and go back to the autumn her two peak ratings both came over a mile on tracks with the string out of the ground and one of them was in this race last year.
“She is only about one and a half lengths off that last start and if she can take that little bit of improvement from last start then she could come into a figure that will be right in the mix here and at $26 she is a horse that I would definitely be including in quaddies.”
Noble Protector is currently available at 2015 Queen Of The Turf Stakes odds of $3.30 with Ladbrokes and is a narrow favourite from First Seal ($3.50) and Catkins ($4.60), while Gypsy Diamond is available at a quote of $26.
