Thousand Guineas 2023 betting preview & tips | November 18

The 73rd running of the Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) will headline the action at Caulfield Racecourse on Saturday afternoon.

A field of 13 three-year-old fillies will be vying for Group 1 glory as well as the majority share of the $1.5 million on offer in the feature.

Coeur Volante will look to become the first horse since Irish Songs in 2009 to complete the Thousand Guineas Prelude and Thousand Guineas double, while the Mitch Freedman-trained Skybird will look to keep her unbeaten record intact as she hunts Group 1 success in just her fourth start.

2023 Thousand Guineas odds

The 2023 Thousand Guineas looks to be a race in two, if markets with horse racing bookmakers are anything to go by. Skybird heads betting at +260 following a breathtaking win in the Group 2 Fillies Classic. Mike Moroney’s Coeur Volante at +300 looks the obvious danger following a dominant win in the Group 2 Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m). Joliestar (+600) and Kimochi (+850) are the other runners at a single-figure quote, following their respective placings in the Listed Desirable Stakes (1400m).

2023 Thousand Guineas speed map

The speed map in the Thousand Guineas looks a bit tricky. Vibrant Sun and Ersa look the obvious speed influences having drawn out wide, while Apache Song, Arctic Glamour, Kimochi and Joliestar all looking to settle just off the pace. Coeur Volante will have a tactical advantage on Skybird, with Blake Shinn likely to settle the second favourite in midfield with cover. Skybird will most likely be last on the home turn, but look for the favourite to be savaging the line late.

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

2023 Thousand Guineas preview & form

Skybird could be anything. The three-year-old from the Mitch Freedman barn produced a thunderous finish at Moonee Valley to score under a peach of a Beau Mertens steer. She will need a similarly good steer from the in-form jockey, having drawn barrier two on Saturday. Considering she is a get-back-and-run-on type, the low draw is not as big of an advantage as it usually can be, but the Exosphere filly has the ability to overcome any issue she faces. She has the best finishing sprint in the field, the 1600m looks ideal, and the +260 on offer is too good a price to pass up.

The obvious danger is Coeur Volante. The Mike Moroney-trained filly was the beneficiary of a Blake Shinn special in the Thousand Guineas Prelude, landing a plumb spot upon settling after jumping from a wide barrier. The pair will not need as much luck from barrier five this weekend and should gain every favour in running. Already a two-time Group winner inside four starts, the Proisir filly looks every bit a Group 1 winner in the making. Shinn will look to try and pinch the race early on in the home straight, and if Coeur Volante reproduces what she has put forward this campaign, some of these will find her too tough to gun down over the mile.

The one we are giving a big chance at a nice price is the Archie Alexander-trained Vivy Air. The Hellbent filly caught the eye when savaging the line late behind Coeur Volante in the Prelude when defeated by 1.25 lengths. She put in some strong sectionals late in the race, and the run suggested the step up to 1600m from the 1400m should be perfect for her. Declan Bates will go to the rear from barrier 13, but this girl will need to go to another level to get the better of Skybird and Coeur Volante. However, if either of those runners are not at their best, Vivy Air looks a great each-way play.

Kimochi and Joliestar deserve to be in calculations, but it would be a shock if one of the top two in betting didn’t win the 2023 Thousand Guineas.

2023 Thousand Guineas selections & best bets

• 3
  

  SKYBIRD

• 2
  

  COEUR VOLANTE

• 8
  

  VIVY AIR

• 1
  

  KIMOCHI

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