Melbourne Races, Racing News, Underwood Stakes
Bender to Face Top Guns in the Underwood Stakes
Bender to Face Top Guns in the Underwood Stakes
The 2010 Underwood Stakes Race Odds: Sportsbet | IASbet | Centrebet
Trainer Chris Waller is not the only one who is curious about Metal Bender’s performance in the Underwood Stakes. He is one of the first race horses from the north and he will face a stiff challenge against locally-trained and stellar race horses including So You Think and Shocking.
Caulfield Races
Coming into the Underwood Stakes, Metal Bender is a three-time Australian horse racing Group 1 winner and is the best weight-for-age performer. However, the Underwood Stakes will be his first taste of Melbourne racing.
Gai Waterhouse, the trainer of another great weight-for-age race horse Theseo and rising star More Joyous, will closely watch Metal Bender in the 1800-metre, Group 1 Underwood Stakes. Waller plans to compete in the Cox Plate if Metal Bender defeats So You Think. If he loses narrowly, they would gear for the Caulfield Cup.
In the 1600-metre Chelmsford Stakes at the Randwick Racecourse, Metal Bender defeated Theseo. For the Caulfield Cup and the Cox Plate, Metal Bender currently has betting odds of 21.00 and 16.00. Waller said that the Underwood Stakes will be a very important race and Metal Bender’s performance here will determine his fate.
Waller is confident that Metal Bender has what it takes to win the Underwood Stakes against some of the best Australian race horses and they have trained under left-handed track conditions as well. However, he said that race day pressure still proves to be different despite the practice.
Waller is the best trainer to assess the performance of Triple Honour, Rangirangdoo and Metal Bender for they have competed against the likes of Theseo last year. While Waller said that Theseo is a strong horse, More Joyous has the potential to be better.
Together with Peter Snowden and Waterhouse, Waller is one of the big three race horse trainers in Sydney and he will make his move in the Melbourne carnival.
Some past winners of the Underwood Stakes have also won the Caulfield Cup and the Melbourne Cup. The Underwood Stakes has a current prize purse of $350,000 and it is the first Group 1 race of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival. In 2009, Heart of Dreams achieved his wildest dream by winning the Underwood Stakes with Whobegotyou and Predatory Pricer finishing second and third respectively.
The betting market for the Group 1 Underwood Stakes is now open and you can head on to your favourite online bookmakers and place your bets on the thoroughbreds that you think will win.
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