Inaugural 2022 The Gold Rush Field & Betting

The Festival of Perth Racing action has been extended to include the brand-new Group 3 $1.5 million The Gold Rush (1400m) this weekend at Ascot where Godolphin’s interstate raider Vilana is one of the top fancies.

Vilana | Photo: Steve Hart | horseracing.com.au

Vilana is one of the favourites to win the inaugural The Gold Rush in Perth this weekend. Steve Hart.

A capacity line-up of weight-for-age hopefuls face off in the lucrative middle-distance sprint on Saturday including the James Cummings-trained Hallowed Crown four-year-old Vilana.

The in-form entire has won six of his 10 career starts including two of his past three, and the $1.6 million earner comes off a narrow victory in the $1 million The Hunter (1300m) at Newcastle on November 12.

Kept fresh since he gets a month between runs and is drawn a treat with the inside alley and Ben Melham coming aboard for the ride.

He’ll get the run of the race from that barrier and after a slight drift in betting is out to a nice price of $4.60 through Ladbrokes.

The latest The Gold Rush betting markets are now led by the Dan Morton-trained local Kissonallforcheeks ($4.50).

After a stint with Nick Ryan in Victoria, the Perth-based mare returned home last start running a devastatingly close second behind Paulele in the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes (1200m).

The five-year-old daughter of Written Tycoon was brave going down the barest of margins at double-figures from a wide alley (13 of 16) and will get a better run here from gate seven.

Chris Parnham retains the ride and Kissonallforcheeks presents fitter second-up back up to her preferred distance (9:5-1-0).

Despite the size of The Gold Rush field just one other runner is currently under double-figures for the win with Vilana’s stablemate, the fellow Godolphin-raced Kementari at $7.50 to return to winning form.

Drawn out in barrier 11 with Ms Jamie Kah to ride, Kementari is the early The Gold Rush market mover having opened at $9 odds earlier in the week.

The horse dubbed ‘Special K’ has a strong legion of fans he is out to impress this weekend, and the veteran eight-year-old was last seen running third in the $3 million Winners Stakes (1300m) behind Private Eye at a big price on October 29.

Seventh as a 50/1 outsider under three lengths off Giga Kick the run before in the $15 million The Everest (1200m), Kementari has been kept fit with a winning barrier trial over 1000m at Belmont in WA on November 21.

At longer The Gold Rush odds presenting as the potential value runners include Morton’s other starter Elite Street ($10) who is a six-time winner from 11 starts at the track and the Mitchell Pateman-trained mare This’ll Testya ($14) coming off a third in the Winterbottom Stakes but with a wide alley to overcome.

The Gold Rush 2022 runs as Ascot Race 9 at 4:57pm (AWST) on Saturday’s bumper 10-race card in Perth.

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