2023 Australian Cup preview & best bets | Saturday, March 25

The Group 1 Australian Cup over 2000m headlines the action out of Flemington on Saturday afternoon. Five Group 1 winners, four last-start winners and nine runners with over $1 million in prizemoney help make up the field of 16 for the final Group 1 in Melbourne for the 2022/23 racing season in what looks to be one of the more even editions of the race in recent years.

2023 Australian Cup Betting Odds

Online bookmakers have made Godolphin’s Cascadian a $4.20 favourite for Saturday’s Group 1 having run on strongly for second in the All-Star Mile last weekend. Outside of the veteran, Right You Are, Mo’unga and Nonconformist all share the second line of betting at $7. Every other runner is quoted as an $11+ shot in the 159th running of the Australian Cup.

2023 Australian Cup Speed Map

The key speed influence in this year’s Cup is Marocchino who will look to cross from barrier 13 and take up the running, whilst Smokin’ Romans will look to kick up from barrier five and hold the rail to keep Marocchino one-off. Look for Right You Are to lob in the one-one, whilst Numerian will look to use his rails draw and lob in the box seat throughout. Hezashocka, Cascadian, Pounding and Bank Maur will look to settle midfield in a bid to find cover. Emissary, Regal Power and Nonconformist will come from the rear and be the ones hitting the line with intent late on.

Continue reading for HorseBetting’s top selections and $100 betting strategy for the 2023 Australian Cup.

2023 Australian Cup Preview & Form

Nonconformist was simply a jaw-dropping winner in the Group 2 Blamey Stakes first-up from a five-month spell and we expect he will get his Group 1 moment on Saturday. The Grahame Begg-trained six-year-old has placed on two occasions at the highest level, the most notable being when finishing second behind Incentivise in the 2021 Caulfield Cup. His win in the Blamey was arguably his best performance since that Caulfield Cup run which may suggest the penny may have dropped. The slight query is he has never won when second-up, but considering he has three wins a minor placing from six starts at 2000m, he looks the one to beat. He will appreciate the genuine tempo that the likes of Marocchino will set and if he replicates the same finishing burst that he showed when fresh, then Nonconformist looks a clear on top selection in the Australian Cup.

Hezashocka was just that first-up from a spell in the Blamey when beaten seven-lengths on the line by Nonconformist, but he simply represents ridiculous value in Saturday’s Group 1. The last time he raced at the Flemington 2000m, he finished third in the VRC Champions Stakes when beaten a half-length to Zaaki. That type of form jumps off the page in a race like this. Two of his three wins has come at Flemington and despite the horror show that was his run in the Blamey, he looks to be a clear danger to the likes of Nonconformist on Saturday.

Right You Are is genuinely airborne this campaign and gets his chance at Group 1 glory at Flemington. He won the Australian Cup Prelude on March 11 when beating a handful of his rivals who he faces again on the weekend. The query is whether he can do it at weight-for-age level, against genuine weight-for-age horses. He goes up 2kg from that run, but considering he will land in the plumb spot, the one-one, he has to be in every calculation for the Australian Cup. He is rock hard fit compared to some of his rivals, but whether he is up to this level remains to be seen. If Right You Are brings his best, then the $7 on offer might be a laughable price come 4:30pm on Saturday afternoon.

Throw in the likes of Cascadian on the quick back-up from the All-Star Mile and if Mo’unga bring can bring his best, they are clearly the class bit of horse flesh in the race and can wind back the clock.

2023 Australian Cup selections & best bets

• 4

  NONCONFORMIST

• 10

  HEZASHOCKA

• 9

  RIGHT YOU ARE

• 1

  CASCADIAN

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