Kingsford Smith Cup preview, best bets & strategy | May 28, 2022

The second feature sprint of the Brisbane Winter Carnival will be run at Eagle Farm on Saturday, with a quality field of 16 set to compete in the $700,000 Kingsford Smith Cup over 1300m, while five emergencies are sweating on a run. Some serious sprinters have won this race over the past few years, with Black Caviar’s name sitting at the top of the list. Other past winners include Apache Cat, Falvelon and Hot Danish.

This year’s edition is sure to see another big name added to the honour roll. The early markets have gravitated towards the form out of the Doomben 10,000, with the two minor placegetters – Paulele ($4.20) and Entriviere ($5.50) – the only two runners in single figures. Apache Chase ($11) and Ellsberg ($13) sit on the third and fourth line of betting, while Laws Of Indices, Eleven Eleven and Isotope are all $15 chances.

From their wide alleys, Ellsberg and Rothfire ($17) look likely to cross over and lead, while Apache Chase will use his low barrier to hold a forward position as he always does. Isotope is drawn between Ellsberg and Rothfire and can use that to her advantage if she jumps well, while Paulele and Olmedo ($41) won’t be too far away.

Continue reading for HorseBetting’s top selections and $100 betting strategy for the 2022 edition of the Kingsford Smith Cup.

We are siding with one of the local gallopers in APACHE CHASE from the Desleigh Forster yard. This classy four-year-old won the Fred Best Classic on this day 12 months ago, defeating Amish Boy and Ayrton in a brave front-running victory, so we are expecting a similar performance on Saturday. The son of Better Than Ready was very game in defeat at Rockhampton when first-up in The Archer (1300m) under weight-for-age conditions, so a similar performance now second-up would make him very hard to beat. Drawn in barrier six under Jim Byrne, this Eagle Farm specialist (12:7-1-0) will run a huge race at double-figure odds and give Forster a terrific chance of winning her first Group 1.

The run of ENTRIVIERE in the Doomben 10,000 a fortnight ago was there for everyone to see, so despite the horror alley (17), we have to have her in the mix. The Mark Walker-trained Kiwi got back to near last in the 1200m sprint last start and rattled home to run third, going down just over half a length to Mazu and also Paulele, who does get a half-kilo weight advantage. The 1300m should suit the New Zealand Group 1 winner, while she seemed to handle Eagle Farm no worries the other day. The five-year-old is likely to get back once again, so she will require a decent clip to be set, but she appears to be flying under the Queensland sun – which is finally starting to appear.

You could make a case for about 10 horses in this field and potentially still miss the winner – that’s how open it is. ROTHFIRE, SIGNORE FOX and PAULELE were all very good in the Doomben 10,000, so we expect them to be around the money somewhere. If Rothfire can get a bit more peace in front this weekend, he is going to relish the distance rise and the firmer surface.

Kingsford Smith Cup 2022 selections & best bets

• 5

  APACHE CHASE

• 12

  ENTRIVIERE

• 7

  ROTHFIRE

• 9

  SIGNORE FOX

More horse racing tips