| What | Roma Cup Day |
| Where | Ascot Racecourse – 71 Grandstand Rd, Ascot WA 6104 |
| When | Saturday, April 1, 2023 |
| First Race | 12:23pm AWST |
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The Western Australian Turf Club will hold its annual Roma Cup Day at Ascot Racecourse this Saturday, featuring the Group 3 Roma Cup, Group 3 Gimcrack Stakes and Listed Perth Stakes. There is some rain forecast for Thursday and Friday, but none for Saturday, so we should be starting on something like the current Good 4 surface. From the 1600m to the 700m marks, the rail has been moved to the +8m position, and it sits at +10m for the remainder. The first of nine races will jump at 12:23pm AWST.
Roma Cup Tip: Amelia’s Jewel
Amelias Jewel, the star filly from Simon Miller’s yard, will make her return in the $200,000 Group 3 Roma Cup over 1100m. This Siyouni daughter has only been defeated once in her career, in the Listed Burgess Queen Stakes when second-up last preparation, when she was beaten by Laced Up Heels by a half-length. This three-year-old filly is one of the brightest talents to come out of Western Australia in a long time, with wins in the Group 2 WA Guineas and Group 1 Northerly Stakes demonstrating that she can compete with horses her own age and the best middle-distance horses in Australia. She may not be completely screwed down for this first-up run in the Roma Cup because she is scheduled to run in the $4 million The Quokka the following start, but she only needs to be at 85-90 percent to win this race. Patrick Carbery has been on board in all seven of her starts, so expect Carbery to have Amelia’s Jewel in the right spot from barrier two to give her every chance to win again.
Roma Cup
Race 8 – 
#13 Amelia’s Jewel (2)
3yo Filly | T: Simon Miller | J: Patrick Carbery (54.5kg)
$2.60 with Palmerbet
Gimcrack Stakes Stakes Tip: Krysanova
The Gimcrack Stakes for two-year-old fillies over 1100m will be the second Group 3 event on Saturday at Ascot, and we will be backing Trevor Andrews’ undefeated Krysanova. This Bondi daughter led for the entire 1000m event, kicking clear by more than three lengths on the home turn, before Brad Parnham throttled her down in the final 100m, bringing the 1.3 length victory closer than it could have been. The runner-up has won a midweek two-year-old maiden by more than two lengths since that race, demonstrating that the form from this filly’s debut race is strong. With the rail at +8m, it should suit leaders and on-speed runners, so we should see this filly push forwards with Brad Parnham aboard and jumping from barrier four. If Parnham can get Krysanova to take a comfortable lead without doing too much work, she will be very difficult to catch in the final stages.
Gimcrack Stakes
Race 7 – 
#4 Playhouse Patron (3)
2yo Filly | T: Trevor Andrews | J: Brad Parnham (55.5kg)
$5 with Bet365
Perth Stakes Tip: Home James
We were with the Neville Parnham-trained Home James in two of his three career starts to date, and we will be with him again on Saturday. The Listed Perth Stakes will be the most difficult test of this two-year-old gelding’s career, but with a racing preparation under his belt and a short two-month spell, his experience should give him a leg up on his lightly raced rivals. With Brad Parnham retaining the ride and opting to ride this gelding on Saturday, we have increased confidence that he will run well. This Maurice’s son may have to work his way across the field from barrier eight, but if he can get there without too much effort, he’ll be staking his claim in the final 200m.
Perth Stakes
Race 6 – 
#7 Home James (8)
2yo Gelding | T: Neville Parnham | J: Brad Parnham (55.5kg)
$6.50 with Betfair
Best Bet at Ascot: Marmooga
Our best bet for the day at Ascot will be the Simon Miller-trained Marmooga, who has won back-to-back races at Ascot over 1000m and 1100m, breaking her maiden and then winning a Class 1 Handicap. This three-year-old filly appears to be very progressive, and now that she has won a Class 1 Handicap in which the third horse has come out and won since, it shows that her race form is decent without being particularly strong. This Snitzel daughter is yet to lose at Ascot after two starts, and she has only missed the placings once at 1000m in three attempts. Holly Watson will ride this filly again on Saturday after riding her in her previous two starts. With the help of her 1.5kg claim and jumping from barrier three, Watson should settle Marmooga close to the speed or lead and then kick clear at the top of the home straight to complete a hat trick.
Best Bet
Race 2 – 
#7 Marmooga (3)
3yo Filly | T: Simon Miller | J: Holly Watson (a1.5) (54kg)
$3.70 with Neds
Next Best at Ascot: Mountain Ash
Mountain Ash, trained by Daniel Morton, will be looking for his third win in four starts when he competes in the RTG72+ Handicap over 1600m at Ascot on Saturday. This four-year-old gelding is racing in career-best form this preparation, finishing outside the top three only once when racing at 1600m, bringing his record to four wins and four placings from nine starts at the distance. Last time out, this son of Safeguard led from start to finish in a Min-66 Handicap over 1600m on March 18, narrowly beating Minus Looks on the line to win by a nose. Despite the fact that this gelding moves up in grade and weight, Morton’s booking of Luke Campbell is a great one, as he will actually drop in weight after a win. Mountain Ash will only carry 55kg thanks to Campbell’s 3kg claim and barrier four, and he should get to the front early and prove too difficult to catch in the home straight.
Next Best
Race 4 – 
#5 Mountain Ash (4)
4yo Gelding | T: Daniel Morton | J: Luke Campbell (a3) (58kg)
$3.70 with Ladbrokes
Saturday quaddie tips for Roma Cup Day
Ascot quadrella selections
Saturday, April 1, 2023
- 1-2-3
- 1-2-6-9
- 3-12-13-14
- 1-6-7
Investment: $144 for 100%
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