Bring it on...Spring 2012 fever has got away to an early start! Betstar has released its opening markets on next year's three spring "majors" and Alan Eskander says Mark Kavanagh's unbeaten filly Atlantic Jewel holds the key to how the markets are likely to shape up. AJ created a huge impression in her only campaign which ended with a soft victory (by 7 lengths) in the Grp 2 Wakeful Stakes on Derby Day. Eskander says he didn't hesitate to make her a clear fav at $5 in early markets for
Bring it on...Spring 2012 fever has got away to an early start! Betstar has released its opening markets on next year's three spring "majors" and Alan Eskander says Mark Kavanagh's unbeaten filly Atlantic Jewel holds the key to how the markets are likely to shape up. AJ created a huge impression in her only campaign which ended with a soft victory (by 7 lengths) in the Grp 2 Wakeful Stakes on Derby Day. Eskander says he didn't hesitate to make her a clear fav at $5 in early markets for the 2012 Cox Plate. He told PPD: 'It was hard to know what to do with her because she's basically only raced against three-year-old fillies apart from her maiden win, but her wins this spring were breathtaking. If she recovers completely from her injury and makes natural improvement, she looks like our next rising superstar...This year's Cox Plate proved our weight-for-age ranks are pretty thin and I'm expecting the season's star three-year-olds like Helmet and Manawanui to be the pacesetters next spring and that's why they dominate our opening Cox Plate market.'
Eskander rates AJ's stablemate December Draw and Melbourne Cup placegetter Lucas Cranach as equal favs (at $17) for the Caulfield Cup but the Jewel is on the second line of betting (with At First Sight and Induna) for that race as well. Eskander says: 'We all know the super record that four-year-old mares have in the Caulfield Cup and Kav may be tempted to go down that path with her so we're not prepared to take any chances with her at this stage.'
Unsurprisingly, internationally-bred stayers dominate the Melbourne Cup market with Lucas Cranach heading the list at $17 ahead of this year's winner Dunaden, runner-up Red Cadeaux and NZ mare Scarlett Lady. Alan Eskander says: 'Lucas Cranach will have another 12 months of acclimatisation under his girth when next year's race comes around and that will stand him in good stead. I really liked what I saw with him this year in both Cups and he'll get his chance to turn the tables next year. The two horses that fought out this year's race, plus Americain, are all up near the top and how can you go past them on what they did this year.' VRC Derby runner-up Induna is the highest-rated locally-bred stayer on the third line of betting at $26 and Eskander says the son of Elusive Quality is capable of matching it with the foreigners. (www.betstar.com.au)
And while we're talking about betting...Jockey Peter Robl returns to race riding next Saturday at Canterbury. Robl's been suspenjded for 12 months after being found guilty of betting. He says: 'Not a day goes by when I don't regret what I did.' Robl's fellow punter/jockey Blake Shinn is expected to be back riding in December.