Dan Morton’s reigning WATC Derby winner Alaskan God is favourite in the rescheduled Perth Cup 2023 taking place this weekend at Ascot.
Trap For Fools carries the top-weight in Saturday’s rescheduled 2023 Perth Cup field. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
After a shocking race fall that resulted in the death of mare Chili Is Hot on New Year’s Day, the original running of the Group 2 $500,000 Perth Cup (2400m) was abandoned.
It will now re-run a fortnight later this Saturday, and the punters in updated Perth Cup betting are rallying around local Playing God four-year-old Alaskan God.
The galloper hasn’t won since his Group 2 WATC Derby (2400m) success over the mile and a half last April but remains top elect at $4 and firming through Ladbrokes.com.au to return to winning form this weekend.
Alaskan God jumps from barrier 13 with Victorian jockey Patrick Moloney in the saddle and will relish the step-up in distance after a lead-up fourth in the Listed GA Towton Cup (2200m) here on December 10.
Morton also saddles-up Stafford’s Lad ($23) in the Perth Cup field this weekend with the 72-start veteran drawn barrier two with Chris Parnham engaged for the ride.
Occupying the second line of updated Perth Cup betting markets at $5 is Adam Durrant’s last start winner Truly Inspired chasing a fourth win from five starts.
Fred Kersley comes aboard the in-form Dundeel six-year-old who remains lightly-raced having had just 10 career starts to date.
Truly Inspired boasts a 50% winning strike rate at the Ascot track (6:3-0-0) and comes off a narrow lead-up win here on December 24 in the Listed ATA Stakes (2200m).
The horse drops a kilo from 54kg to 53kg and looks a genuine winning Perth Cup chance with the light weight.
In a tight top-half of the markets a further three stayers are also under double-figures for the win including the $6 third elect Buster Bash in gate five with Shaun Mcgruddy riding.
The David Harrison-trained Trade Fair five-year-old is a five-time winner at the track from 10 starts.
After a disappointing second-last when 15th to Trix Of The Trade in the Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m) here last November he improved to win the GA Towton Cup by over three lengths last time out with 56.6kg.
This weekend he chases back-to-back wins looking for his first over further than 2200m, is likely to sit on the pace again giving them something to chase and is in on 56kg.
Rounding out the single-figure Perth Cup horses are the Neville Parnham-trained evergreen eight-year-old grey Neufbosc ($7) coming off a string of good placings against similar fields and the Japanese-bred second emergency Mystery Island ($9.50) right down in the weights out wide in gates 15 and 17 respectively.
The 2023 Perth Cup re-run takes place as Ascot Race 9 at 5:19pm (AWST) on Saturday.
Click here for the latest Perth Cup 2023 betting odds courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.
2023 Perth Cup Final Field & Barrier Draw
| No | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Penalty | H Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2x3x095x00 | TRAP FOR FOOLS | Grant & Alana Williams | Brad Rawiller | 7 | 58kg | 104 | |
| 2 | x421131101 | BUSTER BASH | David Harrison | Shaun McGruddy | 5 | 56kg | 100 | |
| 3 | 11111×6084 | ALASKAN GOD | Daniel Morton | Patrick Moloney | 13 | 53kg | 92 | |
| 4 | 6705432609 | BAD WOLF | Ashley Maley | Ms Natasha Faithfull | 16 | 53kg | 85 | |
| 5 | 222×488835 | CHILI IS HOT | Graeme Ballantyne | 14 | 53kg | 83 | ||
| 6 | 089×005629 | COCKNEY CREW | Lou Luciani | Troy Turner | 6 | 53kg | 88 | |
| 7 | 173×085574 | COME RIGHT BACK | Adam Durrant | Patrick Carbery | 20 | 53kg | 86 | |
| 8 | 0142×87194 | DOM TO SHOOT | Sean & Jake Casey | Ms Jerry Noske (late alt) | 12 | 53kg | 92 | |
| 9 | x22131x983 | HOLY ENCHANTMENT | Stephen Miller | Steven Parnham | 9 | 53kg | 77 | |
| 10 | 3677×00233 | NEUFBOSC (FR) | Neville Parnham | Brad Parnham | 15 | 53kg | 94 | |
| 11 | x600x00008 | PLATOON | Neville Parnham | Laqdar Ramoly (a) | 1 | 53kg | 90 | |
| 12 | 1524×74666 | PURE DEVOTION | Adam Durrant | Clint Johnston-Porter | 3 | 53kg | 86 | |
| 13 | 4×2112121 | QUEEN ALINA | Daniel & Ben Pearce | 10 | 53kg | 72 | ||
| 14 | x896110997 | STAFFORD’S LAD | Daniel Morton | Chris Parnham | 2 | 53kg | 92 | |
| 15 | 216×441161 | TRULY INSPIRED | Adam Durrant | Fred Kersley | 11 | 53kg | 88 | |
| 16 | 7315×96852 | UTGARD LOKI | Adam Durrant | Ms Holly Watson (a) | 19 | 53kg | 91 | |
| 17e | x086275086 | BROTHER PADDY | Coreen Maynard | Chris Nicoll | 18 | 53kg | 74 | |
| 18e | x515122351 | MYSTERY ISLAND (JPN) | Donna Riordan | Beau Mertens | 17 | 53kg | 72 | |
| 19e | 2355038188 | COOLTH | Neville Parnham | 4 | 53kg | 72 | ||
| 20e | 0860380700 | HE’S A PARKER | Summer Dickson | 8 | 53kg | 74 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
