Sydney’s Melbourne Cup Day program at Royal Randwick is headlined by the second edition of the $3 million The Big Dance (1600m) where the Matthew Dunn-trained top-weight Cepheus is set to start favourite.
Cepheus is favourite to carry the top-weight to victory in the 2023 The Big Dance at Randwick on Sydney’s Melbourne Cup Day program. Photo: Steve Hart.
Looking to take some of the attention away from Victoria’s time-honoured Group 1 $8.41 million Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m), which runs for the 163rd time on Tuesday at 3:00pm (AEDT) as Flemington Race 7, is The Big Dance 2023 race for Country Cup winners in New South Wales.
Heading the capacity 20-horse The Big Dance field for this year’s race is Sea The Stars seven-year-old Cepheus who is the $4.60 favourite through Ladbrokes to cart the 62kg to victory.
Nash Rawiller has the ride on the in-form chestnut who jumps from barrier one chasing his third win on the trot.
He comes off back-to-back Rosehill victories in the Group 2 Shannon Stakes (1500m) and the $1.5 million The Alan Brown (1400m) with Rawiller aboard for both wins.
Saturday he is up to a mile and up in weight but remains the horse to beat according to the bookies.
“Cepheus went to Rosehill last Friday, and he looked really good when finishing second in a barrier trial,” Murwillumbah trainer Dunn told The Sydney Morning Herald.
“With his high rating, he’s going to have a big weight to contend with in the Big Dance, but Nash knows him well and we can hopefully draw a good gate to give him his chance.”
There are three other last start winners in this year’s The Big Dance field including the airborne $6.50 second elect Iknowastar for Bjorn Baker.
The four-year-old Star Witness gelding is out to extend his winning streak to five straight and is drawn to get a charmed run from barrier three with Tyler Schiller coming aboard.
Iknowastar looks well weighted with 53kg and is undefeated with a five-from-five mile record coming into Tuesday’s multi-million dollar showdown.
That weight will have him flying late after he carted 61kg to a 1.56 length win in race record time over 1550m at the Kensington track last time out on October 18.
Baker has a strangle-hold on The Big Dance field numbers-wise in 2023 saddling-up a total of four runners.
His other contenders are Hollywood Hero out in gate 19 with Jason Collett to ride, Highlights in gate five, and fellow 52kg lightweight Wategos who is a single-figure fancy at $9.50 tipped to improve on his eighth in the $1 million Five Diamonds Prelude at the track from a wide gate with more weight a fortnight ago.
The other runners coming off a confidence-boosting lead-up win meanwhile are the Team Hawkes-trained Superium ($14) and King Of The Castle ($12) for The Everest winning trainer Joseph Pride.
Chris Waller then saddles-up the last of the runners at single-figure The Big Dance odds with Wicklow ($9) in gate two with Tommy Berry on the winter’s Wagga Wagga Gold Cup winner.
The Big Dance 2023 is set to jump at 2:20pm (AEDT) as Randwick Race 5 on the 10-race Melbourne Cup Day card in Sydney on November 7.
2023 The Big Dance Field & Barriers
| No | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Probable Weight | Penalty | Hcp Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1023421511 | CEPHEUS (GB) | Matthew Dunn | Nash Rawiller | 1 | 62kg | 111 | ||
| 2 | 1112x19x00 | BANJU | Lyle Chandler | Jean Van Overmeire | 15 | 58kg | 100 | ||
| 3 | 72761141×4 | ATTRACTABLE | Sara Ryan | Regan Bayliss | 7 | 56.5kg | 97 | ||
| 4 | 25x45137x3 | WICKLOW (IRE) | Chris Waller | Tommy Berry | 2 | 55.5kg | 95 | ||
| 5 | 08795×9631 | SUPERIUM | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | Adam Hyeronimus | 10 | 55kg | 94 | ||
| 6 | 0x54131x00 | COMMANDO HUNT | Cameron Crockett | Reece Jones | 21 | 54.5kg | 93 | ||
| 7 | 52x18711x7 | AKASAWA | Paul Messara & Leah Gavranich | Chad Schofield | 20 | 54kg | 87 | ||
| 8 | 1119×41111 | IKNOWASTAR | Bjorn Baker | Tyler Schiller | 3 | 53kg | 90 | ||
| 9 | 8x56251x06 | CAMAGUEY | Kim Waugh | Tom Sherry | 22 | 53kg | 78 | ||
| 10 | x912624312 | HOLLYWOOD HERO (NZ) | Bjorn Baker | Jason Collett | 19 | 53kg | 76 | ||
| 11 | 4544534717 | FULL PRESS | Brett Dodson | Adin Thompson | 17 | 53kg | 70 | ||
| 12 | 1917322×81 | KING OF THE CASTLE (NZ) | Joseph Pride | Ms Kathy O’Hara | 16 | 52kg | 88 | ||
| 13 | 416×411128 | WATEGOS | Bjorn Baker | Jay Ford | 8 | 52kg | 87 | ||
| 14 | 438910×517 | SUPER HELPFUL | Barbara Joseph, Paul & Matt Jones | Andrew Adkins | 11 | 52kg | 85 | ||
| 15 | 3380351×57 | PRINCE OF HELENA | Craig Weeding | Jake Duffy | 6 | 52kg | 82 | ||
| 16 | 78304×5272 | HIGHLIGHTS | Bjorn Baker | Brock Ryan | 5 | 52kg | 79 | ||
| 17 | 32120×0050 | HIGH COURT | Rodney Northam | Grant Buckley | 12 | 52kg | 78 | ||
| 18 | 57001740×0 | UNAMERICAN | Richard & Will Freedman | Ms Anna Roper (a), (late alt) | 18 | 52kg | 68 | ||
| 19 | 195234×003 | CRACKALACKA | Theresa Bateup | Ms Molly Bourke (a) | 4 | 52kg | 66 | ||
| 20 | 140×663567 | MANDERBOSS (NZ) | Barbara Joseph, Paul & Matt Jones | Quayde Krogh | 9 | 52kg | 66 | ||
| 21e | 5501844×04 | PEPPER’S GHOST | Brett Cavanough | 24 | 52kg | 66 | |||
| 22e | 139×225325 | KNIFE’S EDGE | Garry Lunn | 14 | 54kg | 65 | |||
| 23e | 743×707130 | JUST A BROTHER | Terry Croft | 13 | 54kg | 64 | |||
| 24e | x80020x506 | LION’S ROAR (NZ) | John O’Shea | 23 | 56.5kg | 97 |
Table Credit: Racing Australia.
The post 2023 The Big Dance Field & Betting Update: Top-Weight Cepheus Favourite appeared first on HorseRacing.com.au.
