2023 All-Star Mile preview & best bets | Saturday, March 18

The fifth edition of the All-Star Mile highlights the bumper 10-race program on Saturday afternoon at Moonee Valley, where a strong field of 15 will duke it out for the $5 million on the line. There are eight Group 1 winners in the lot, a horse that is chasing seven wins in a row, an import making his Australian debut, and a couple of fit and in-form runners looking to push some of the stars to their limits.

2023 All-Star Mile betting odds

Online bookmakers have it down to three horses that can take out this year’s All-Star Mile. Last-start Futurity Stakes winner Alligator Blood ($2.80) leads the market, with Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott looking to add the lucrative race to his already impressive record. Sharing the second line of betting is Mr Brightside ($6.50) and I’m Thunderstruck ($6.50), who are both needing to turn the tables on the ‘Gator on a track which may suit the favourite more. Cascadian ($15) and Sheeza Belter ($16) are seemingly the best of the rest.

2023 All Star Mile speedmap

There looks to be plenty of speed in this year’s All-Star Mile, with known front-runners Gentleman Roy, Keats and Alligator Blood all wanting to find the lead from the barriers. Throw in Nugget from barrier one, who led them up in the Futurity Stakes while Alligator Blood took a sit off the speed in a smaller field to what he faces on Saturday. From favourable draws, look for Mr Brightside and Laws Of Indices to hold prominent spots upon settling, while Pounding, Sheeza Belter and So Si Bon will need some luck from their wide barriers so they do not get trapped wide. I’m Thunderstruck, Cascadian and Alenquer are all expected to settle in the second half of the field and look to run on late.

Continue reading for HorseBetting’s top selections and $100 betting strategy for the 2023 All-Star Mile.

2023 All-Star Mile form and betting preview

Mr Brightside has had this race set as his autumn grand final for some time now, and third-up from a spell he looks ready to peak. The five-year-old gelding finished fourth in this race last year when held up for a run, producing some of the best splits in the race to suggest he should have at least placed. With Nugget drawn underneath him, he looks like he will gain a trouble-free run in transit one off the rail under new rider Luke Currie. This guy has two wins from as many starts at the Moonee Valley 1600m, including a smart win in the Group 2 Feehan Stakes during the spring. He will appreciate the genuine tempo that is sure to come from out in front, and based on what he has done this campaign in races run not to suit him, Mr Brightside looks the one to spoil Alligator Blood’s party.

I’m Thunderstruck is another who has had this race circled on his agenda a long way out. He has been slightly disappointing since his breathtaking win in last year’s Makybe Diva Stakes but now returns to the scene of one of his career peaks, finishing half a length of Anamoe after a luckless run in the 2022 Cox Plate. Theoretically, The Valley is a track which should not suit ‘Thunder’, but considering he has a win over subsequent Group 1 winner Tuvalu and that runner-up effort in the Cox Plate, it may be nothing but a myth. He finished half a length off Jacquinot in the CF Orr Stakes first-up and then simply didn’t fire when settled closer to the speed in the Futuirty. Having drawn five, look for Daniel Moor to have I’m Thunderstruck settled towards the rear of the field, and if he is within striking distance at the 400m mark, this fella has the turn of foot to blouse the front-runners and add an All-Star Mile to his two Group 1 wins and Golden Eagle success.

Purely because of the amount of speed drawn underneath him, we are happy to take on Alligator Blood. He was able to stalk Nugget wherever he went in the Futurity last time out and produced a strong turn of foot to hold off Mr Brightside and I’m Thunderstruck. He maps to not get everything his own way this time, and with Gentleman Roy wanting to cross him, the ‘Gator risks getting trapped three wide with no cover. While he has the ability to knock off the rest of this field with that type of run, he cannot be giving the likes of Mr Brightside and I’m Thunderstruck that much of an advantage.

Outside of the top three, any other result would be a shock. Tasmania’s pride, The Inevitable, looks set to add value for first-four players, while the likes of Cascadian, Gentleman Roy and Laws Of Indices all have the runs on the board to feature in the finish.

2023 All-Star Mile selections & best bets

• 4

  MR BRIGHTSIDE

• 1

  I’M THUNDERSTRUCK

• 2

  ALLIGATOR BLOOD

• 9

  THE INEVITABLE

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