Ascot Racecourse in W.A. hosts one of the summer’s highlight races on New Year’s Day with a full field of stayers set to face off in the Perth Cup 2018 on Monday.
Jockey Chris Parnham rides Ted Van Heemst Stakes placegetter Zarantz in the 2018 Perth Cup field. Photo:Adrienne Bicknell.
Due to run as Ascot Race 8 at 5:05pm (AWST), this season’s Group 2 $500,000 Perth Cup (2400m) has the capacity 16 starters plus an emergency in Sunset Superman (9) engaged for the mile and a half classic.
Heading the Perth Cup field and weights with 59kg is the in-form Alan Mathews-trained Pounamu who chases his third win on the trot.
Two back the Authorized six-year-old enjoyed an upset elite level success taking out the Group 1 Kingston Town Classic (1800m) at big odds.
The grey made it two straight with a weekend victory last Saturday taking out the traditional Perth Cup lead-up, the Group 2 Ted Van Heemst Stakes (2100m).
Monday’s challenge for Pounamu is not only the step-up to 2400m but also the handicap conditions as he now gives the weight away to his rivals with Patrick Carbery retaining the ride from gate eight.
Runner-up to Pounamu in both the Kingston Town Classic and the Ted Van Heemst Stakes, Material Man is the other heaviest-weighted of the Perth Cup horses this summer with 56.5kg.
Drawn a treat in barrier three, the Justin Warwick-trained son of Vital Equine is looking to turn the tables over the 2400m with the weight advantage this time round.
Myalup-based horseman Warwick has also accepted for his veteran Helenus nine-year-old Angola ($21) whose lead-up run was a second to gun galloper Trap For Fools as a $41 roughie in the Listed G.A. Towton Cup (2200m) on December 9.
Material Man ($4.60) and Pounamu ($5.50) currently occupy the second and third lines of Perth Cup betting respectively at Ladbrokes.com.au with markets topped by the aforementioned Trap For Fools ($4.20).
Well-weighted with 54.5kg and drawn to win in barrier four, Lindsey Smith’s in-form stayer has won eight of his past nine starts including his latest six on the trot.
The Poet’s Voice four-year-old byed the Ted Van Heemst Stakes having won the Listed A.T.A. Stakes (2200m) just three days earlier carrying 57kg to victory ahead of his maiden Group test since the Group 2 WATC Derby (2400m) flop running 12th as a three-year-old back in April.
The only other runner allocated above the 53kg minimum is the Adam Durrant-trained Zarantz (54.5kg) who has Chris Parnham aboard from gate 10 on the back of third in the Ted Van Heemst Stakes trifecta.
Zarantz is at $9 Perth Cup odds, while the Grant & Alana Williams-trained WA Oaks runner-up from April Royal Star ($8) is the last of the single-figure fancies.
The Bob Peters-raced mare is out to atone for her failed fifth in the A.T.A. Stakes, the four-year-old daughter of Redoute’s Choice chasing her first win since October.
Royal Star is ed in the Perth Cup 2018 field by stablemates Cosmic Storm and Falcon Crest drawn at opposite ends of the line-up in barriers two and 13 respectively.
See below for the full Perth Cup 2018 field, barriers, jockeys and weights before heading to Ladbrokes.com.au for all the best New Year’s Day racing odds online.
2018 Perth Cup Final Field & Barrier Draw
Ascot Race 8 – 01/01/2018
| # | Form (Last 10) | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | H. Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x4963x1611 | POUNAMU | Alan Mathews | Patrick Carbery | 8 | 59kg | 107 |
| 2 | 1114×14522 | MATERIAL MAN | Justin Warwick | Ms Lucy Warwick | 3 | 56.5kg | 102 |
| 3 | 6112111111 | TRAP FOR FOOLS | Lindsey Smith | Alan Kennedy | 4 | 54.5kg | 98 |
| 4 | 26122×0753 | ZARANTZ | Adam Durrant | Chris Parnham | 10 | 54.5kg | 98 |
| 5 | x417x07x02 | ANGOLA | Justin Warwick | Troy Turner | 16 | 53kg | 90 |
| 6 | x111895554 | BOLLYWOOD BLITZ | Neville Parnham | Steven Parnham | 14 | 53kg | 87 |
| 7 | 1511×46004 | COSMIC STORM | Grant & Alana Williams | Shaun Mc Gruddy | 2 | 53kg | 93 |
| 8 | 4×50537272 | DARK ALERT | Joe Miller | Peter Knuckey | 1 | 53kg | 90 |
| 9 | 356×008546 | DARK MUSKET | Graeme Ballantyne | Daniel Staeck | 15 | 53kg | 74 |
| 10 | 22×1892723 | FALCON CREST | Grant & Alana Williams | Joseph Azzopardi | 13 | 53kg | 90 |
| 11 | 0806672027 | JUICING CARROTS | Raquel Reid | Mr Craig Staples | 17 | 53kg | 70 |
| 12 | 419×879183 | NOT AGAIN KEN | Mark Wright | Shaun O’Donnell | 11 | 53kg | 84 |
| 13 | 612×152265 | ROYAL STAR | Grant & Alana Williams | Clint Johnston-Porter | 5 | 53kg | 84 |
| 14 | 4322216568 | SHINTA MANI | Sharon Miller | Jason Whiting | 12 | 53kg | 84 |
| 15 | 1×21145321 | STAR VALUE | Daniel O’Connor | Lee Newman | 6 | 53kg | 75 |
| 16 | 251×453403 | TOPPA DAWOZZA | Gary Crispin | Jason Brown | 7 | 53kg | 70 |
| 17e | 27×9979885 | SUNSET SUPERMAN | Brett Pope | TBA | 9 | 53kg | 62 |
