Lucia Valentina is available at 2014 Caulfield Cup odds of $4.60 and is a clear favourite in betting markets for the Group 1 event after the barrier draw was conducted at Crown Casino yesterday afternoon.
Lidari has been one of the best backed runners in 2014 Caulfield Cup betting markets in the past 24 hours. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Lucia Valentina was available at a quote of $4.80 before the barrier draw and was initially wound into $4.40 after drawing barrier 12 before she drifted back out to $4.60 this morning.
The Turnbull Stakes winner will likely jump from barrier ten once the emergencies are removed and that gate produced last year’s winner Fawkner as well as talented mare Ethereal in 2001.
The market mover in 2014 Caulfield Cup betting markets following the barrier draw has been Japanese stayer Bande, who is set to take up the running in the early stages of the race without too many issues after drawing barrier ten.
Bande has been one of the best-backed runners in Caulfield Cup betting over the past month and the Authorized entire was backed from $9 into $8 at the completion of the barrier draw, which pleased connections of the progressive galloper.
“I am really proud to be here at the moment and we have been really lucky today,” trainer Yoshito Yahagi said through a translator.
“Bande likes Australia and we are really happy about it here.
“We didn’t want outside or too much inside, so actually we wanted to be in the middle, so we are happy about it.”
Fellow Japanese stayer Admire Rakti is one the third line of Caulfield Cup betting markets and remained steady at a quote of $10 after he was allocated barrier eight at the barrier draw last night.
Admire Rakti has not recorded a race win since he took out the Group 3 Diamond Stakes (3419m) at Tokyo in February last year, but he has performed well in races like the Group 1 Japan Cup (2413m) and Group 1 Tenno Sho (3218m) and rivals connections admit they are concerned by the Heart’s Cry entire.
There has been consistent support for Turnbull Stakes runner-up Lidari since he gained a start in the 2014 Caulfield Cup field following the withdrawal of My Ambivalent and he is now into a quote of $15, while there has also been a sprinkling of support for Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock-owned Seismos ($26 into $21), Craven Plate winner Moriarty ($26 into $21), and imported stayer Stipulate ($21 into $19).
The big drifter in Caulfield Cup betting has been last year’s runner-up Dandino, who is now out to odds of $15 after he was the big loser of the Caulfield Cup barrier draw yesterday.
Dandino will jump from the outside barrier and is sure to need a lot of luck from the wide draw, but jockey Craig Williams remains confident and feels that the Dansili gelding is in good enough shape to overcome the outside gate.
“It does mean that we need a lot more luck, but I am really happy with Dandino this year,” Williams said yesterday.
“I was really happy and very confident with him last year and I will go into the Caulfield Cup this year with the same confidence.
“We will sit down and work out the barrier draw, but most importantly my horse is in really good order.”
Australian Oaks winner Rising Romance also drew an awkward barrier and is out to 2014 Caulfield Cup odds of $15, while the odds of Sea Moon ($41 out to $61), The Offer ($21 out to $26), Who Shot Thebarman ($13 out to $15) and Big Memory ($17 out to $16) also lengthened following the barrier draw.
