by Turf Talk
WHISKEY Baron (AUS) and Bela-Bela have shortened significantly in the ante-post market for the 2017 Sun Met after impressive recent wins.
Justin Snaith’s Bela-Bela defeated quality rivals in her 1400m Conditions Plate comeback last Saturday, considered well short of her best, while Whiskey Baron recorded a smashing hat-trick when he slammed an Allowance Plate field including Brazuca and Mambo Mime over 1800m at Kenilworth yesterday.
Whiskey Baron, trained by Brett Crawford, was at 20-1 when the betting opened, but is now generally available at 8-1, while Bela-Bela had her odds trimmed from 14-1 to 12-1.
Three-year-old Heavenly Blue has been marked out from 10-1 to 20-1 after managing only ninth in Saturday’s Cape Guineas while fellow classic runner Zodiac Ruler (13th) has gone from 40-1 to 100-1.
Promising Gold Standard, however, has come in from 28-1 to 20-1 after franking his win in the Selangor Cup with a good second in the Gr1 Grand Parade Cape Guineas.
Candice Bass-Robinson’s Marinaresco remains at the head of the market on an unchanged 17-10 with Sean Tarry’s Legal Eagle next on 22-10.
At the bottom of the betting grid there could be some value about Macduff (AUS), second to Whiskey Baron yesterday and quoted at 500-1, though not guaranteed a run.
The R5-million race will be run over 2000m at Kenil-worth on Saturday 28 January.