2026 Australian Cup Betting Tips
Birdman leapt to the head of the betting for the Australian Cup after his last race. He turned out at Flemington in the TAB Blamey Stakes and the 5/2 favourite didn't disappoint. Over a mile on good ground, the runner was able to land a victory by nearly two lengths. That was a big improvement on the previous showing at the same course, with the charge only managing eighth in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Tom Kitten is trading at a similar price and this is a five-year-old with bags of ability. The horse runs for Anthony & Sam Freedman, with the horse obliging by a narrow margin at Flemington recently. That came in The All-Star Mile where the 29/10 shot got up on the line and came after a February victory at Caulfield Racecourse.
Pride of Jenni was only half a length behind Tom Kitten at Flemington and was sent off as the favourite on that occasion. Previously to this, there had been a victory at the same course in early November. That came in the Empire Rose Stakes although she wasn't able to make much of an impact next time out when finishing second last in the Champions Mile.
Observer is trading at a slightly bigger price and is worthy of consideration. The horse is bidding for a fifth straight victory following a double at Flemington along with successes at Caulfield and Moonee Valley. Ciaran Maher will be confident of another triumph and this runner could be a solid each-way selection after winning the Australian Guineas last time out.
2021 Australian Cup Betting Tips
By 1963, the distance of the Australian Cup had been reduced to under two miles, while it has been run over 2,000 metres since 1973 and it has been a Weight For Age contest since 1987 where there have been some spectacular renewals.
Fifty Stars Among Australian Cup Favourites for 2021.
Fifty Stars won the 2020 Australian Cup and the Tom Dabernig & Ben Hayes-trained horse will be back at Flemington for another shot at glory, although the six-year-old is yet to return to the winners’ enclosure in the past four races and it’s clearly a concern for connections.
Last season, Fifty Stars won a Group 2 race a Flemington before obliging as the 6/1 winner of the Australian Cup, although his return to the track was a disappointing eighth place in a six-furlong encounter and the horse has since failed at Caulfield before missing out at Flemington twice more.
It was a decent run in the Seppelt Mackinnon Stakes when finishing second, although Arcadia Queen was the winner on that occasion on 7 November and perhaps the latter is the one to watch this time around.
Arcadia Queen Could Be the Value Bet for Australian Cup
Perhaps the value is with Arcadia Queen who obliged as the 29/20 favourite in early November and looks every inch like the horse with the right profile to win this showdown on the Flemington race card, with the five-year-old having previously won the Neds Stakes at Caulfield back in mid-October.
Arcadia Queen also ran a decent race in the Ladbrokes Cox Plate at Mooney Valley and the Grant & Alana Williams-trained horse could once again lower the colours of Fifty Stars and become the latest Australian Cup champion.
Sir Dragonet was the winner of that particular race and the Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained horse surely has claims this time around, with the horse having previously enjoyed a stellar career in the Aidan O’Brien stable before then switching to horse racing in Australia.