South Australia’s premier race, the Group 2 $300,000 Adelaide Cup (3200m), takes place over the two miles at Morphettville Racecourse on Monday with the top-weights dominating betting on the popular staying showdown.
Persan heads the 2023 Adelaide Cup field, weights and betting markets for Morphettville on Monday. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
A field of 16 assembles for the Adelaide Cup 2023 and heading the line-up and weights with 59kg is the Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained Persan.
Last year’s winning hoop, Ms Jamie Kah, has the prized mount on the Pierro six-year-old as Persan looks to make history as the heaviest-weighted Adelaide Cup winner in over 20 years.
He looked strong over 2500m in the Listed Torney Cup running fifth fresh with 60kg on February 17 and will build on that getting up to the 3200m for the first time since his unplaced run in the 2021 Melbourne Cup.
The latest Adelaide Cup odds online at Ladbrokes have Persan installed as the $4.40 favourite and firming, while his stablemate Grand Promenade is rated the danger on the second line of betting at $4.80.
John Allen partners the 58.5kg second top-weight from a wide barrier 13 draw with Grand Promenade presenting fit third-up and ready to fire.
The British-bred Champs Elysees seven-year-old was eye-catching in the traditional Adelaide Cup lead-up on February 25 running under a length back third at the track in the Group 3 Loird Reims Stakes (2600m).
He has won third-up previously and looks set to peak on Adelaide Cup Day with support from the punters to do so.
Despite the size of the Adelaide Cup field just one other runner is currently at single-figures to win with Robert Hickmott’s Lord Reims Stakes winner Highland Jakk at $8 to do the double.
Teo Nugent continues associations in the saddle of the in-form Jakkalberry six-year-old who comes back from 56kg to just 53kg in the Adelaide Cup weights.
The proven two-miler in the mix meanwhile jumping from gate seven with Zac Spain to ride is the Phillip Stokes-trained Amade ($12).
Stokes chases his third straight Adelaide Cup trophy having prepared back-to-back winners with Good Idea (2021) and Daqiansweet Junior (2022).
This year he looks in with a winning hope again saddling-up rising 10-year-old Amade who may be getting on in age, but who is still racing right up to this level.
The OTI Racing galloper comes off a third second-up in the Listed Victoria Gold Cup (2100m) at Sandown on Blue Diamond Stakes Day with 56kg.
He has a kilo more on his back for his assignment on Monday, but will relish getting out over further boasting a superior 3200m record of three wins and a second from four previous runs at the distance.
The other key double-figure hopeful at $11 chasing a hat-trick of wins is the Symon Wilde-trained Aurora’s Symphony jumping from barrier one with Blaike McDougall aboard.
The six-year-old Glass Harmonium gelding is two-from-two this prep following a Colac Cup victory over 2000m with 59.5kg before success in the Apple Isle on February 22 taking out the Group 3 Launceston Cup (2400m) when drawn the rails.
The Adelaide Cup 2023 is scheduled as Morphettville Race 7 on Monday’s nine-race card with a start time of 4:15pm (local).
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