Flemington, Royal Randwick have strong Friday cards

Four Group 1 races, as well as key prep races for the rich Everest Stakes and Melbourne Cup, highlight racing at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne and Royal Randwick in Sydney, Australia on Friday evening.

The winner of the Group 3 Bart Cummings Stakes at 1 9/16 miles at Flemington receives an automatic berth in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup on Nov. 5. Berkshire Breeze, 40-1 in future-book betting for the Melbourne Cup, was the 3-1 favorite in early betting for the Cummings Stakes, a slight choice over 5-1 Point King.

Berkshire Breeze was third by slightly more than 1 1/2 lengths behind Point King in the Group 3 Archer Stakes at 1 9/16 miles at Flemington on Sept. 14. For the $342,200 Cummings, Berkshire Breeze will carry minimum weight of 119 pounds, while Point King will carry 122.3 in a field of 16.

:: Get free past performances, analysis, and picks for Australian racing

Point King is 20-1 for the Melbourne Cup. As of Thursday, the future-book favorite for the Melbourne Cup is 8-1 Jan Brueghal, winner of the English St. Leger Stakes in Britain on Sept. 14.

Flemington’s Friday program includes the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes at 1 1/8 miles. Buckaroo, winner of the Group 1 Underwood Stakes at 1 1/8 miles at Caulfield Racecourse on Sept. 21, and the 7-year-old Via Sistina, a two-time Group 1 winner in Australia this year, were 3-1 co-favorites in early betting.

The $513,400 Turnbull drew 16, including the French gelding Eliyass, who has won 9 of 11 starts in France and Australia and is 25-1 for the Melbourne Cup. The Turnbull is the first start in a Group 1 for Eliyass, who is undefeated in three starts in Australia.

Royal Randwick

The richest race in Australia this weekend is the Group 1 Epsom Handicap, a one-mile race worth $1.02 million.

The field of 20 lacks a favorite. As of Thursday, Ceolwulf, Kovalica, and Royal Patronage were joint favorites at 5-1.

Ceolwulf was second by slightly less than a half-length to Eliyass in the Group 3 King Town Stakes at 1 1/4 miles at Randwick on Sept. 21, closing from seventh in a field of 16.

Royal Patronage and Kovalica were first and third in the Group 2 Tramway Stakes at seven furlongs at Randwick on Sept. 7. Kovalica has not raced since the Tramway, while Royal Patronage was third by a little more than a length behind the odds-on favorite Fangirl in the $689,100 7 Sports Stakes at a mile on Sept. 21.

Kovalica is trained by Chris Waller, who has a remarkable seven of the 20 entrants in the Epsom.

The early betting was not much clearer for the Group 1 Metropolitian Handicap at 1 1/2 miles, which drew a field of 18.

The Waller-trained Unusual Legacy was the 5-1 favorite on Thursday, but was stuck on the also-eligible list. A winner of 5 of 9 starts, Unusual Legacy was second in a handicap at 1 3/16 miles at Rosehill Gardens on Sept. 28.

Waller’s Land Legend, sixth in the King Town; Etna Rosso, winner of the Group 3 Newcastle Cup at 1 7/16 miles on Sept. 20; and Zardozi, who was fifth in the King Town, were all 7-1 for the $513,400 Metropolitan.

Giga Kick, winner of the 2022 Everest Stakes, and Bella Nipotina, a two-time Group 1 winner earlier this year, are expected to dominate the Group 2 Premiere Stakes at six furlongs, a prep for the $13.7 million Everest Stakes at six furlongs at Randwick on Oct. 19. The Everest is the world’s richest sprint.

:: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets.

Think About It, winner of the 2023 Everest Stakes, is part of the Premiere field, but was 3-1 in early betting behind Giga Kick (3-2) and Bella Nipotina (8-5).

The shortest price of the day is expected to be the unbeaten Autumn Glow, who can win her fourth start in the Group 1 Flight Stakes for Southern Hemisphere 3-year-old fillies at a mile. Autumn Glow was 1-2 as of Thursday in a field of eight.

The 10-race Randwick program begins at 10:05 p.m. Eastern or 7:05 p.m. Pacific. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.