The 2019 Kingston Town Classic headlines racing at Ascot in Perth on Saturday, December 7th.
This is the final week of three-week The Masters carnival in Perth, with the Kingston Town rounding out the three $1million Group 1s.
There's a strong line up engaged with 16 runners set to take their place over the 1800m. We've assessed the chances of every runner in our comprehensive race preview below!
2019 Kingston Town Classic Preview & Betting Tips
Historical factors
Three-year-olds have a good record in this race in recent years, with four of the last nine winners. In the same time frame, inside barriers have been at the fore, with single-digit barriers accounting for eight of the past nine winners. The Railway Stakes is the obvious lead up race for horses over the age of three.
Speed map & tempo
(9) The Velvet King and (1) Gailo Chop are the clear frontrunners here. With The Velvet King drawm inside Gailo Chop, I'd expect him to hold the rail and Gailo Chop be happy to sit outside him. The connections of The Velvet King noted they went a bit too slow in the Railway, so expect him to really roll along here. (16) Tuscan Queen is likely to sit right up on speed from barrier 3 like we saw with Arcadia Queen last year. (14) Superstorm has blinkers on for the first time and draws well so we should see him prominent, while (15) Kay Cee won't be far away from barrier 1. Connections of (12) Dig Deep have notified of their intention to sit further forward from the good draw. (5) Best Of Days draws well and should sit midfield, and stablemate (3) Tally shouldn't be too far back from his midfield draw. (2) Gatting is likely to slot in just worse than midfield along with (10) Platoon. (8) Regal Power and (11) Mississippi Delta will drift back as per usual, while the wide draw probably forces (13) Jericho Missile back again. (4) Star Exhibit and (6) Achernar Star are likely to be the backmarkers. The one query runner is (7) Pacodali who draws barrier 13. We saw him right up on speed last start in Melbourne, but prior to that he had been racing off the speed. He could go forward or back, it's an unpredictable one.
Runner-by-runner analysis
(1) Gailo Chop: Ran a good race second up this prep, where he was beaten 1.7L by Black Heart Bart and Homesman over this distance. Since then he's been poor and although he brings genuine Group 1 form, this isn't an easy race to win. His racing style does suit Ascot but I'd be surprised to see him in the finish.
(2) Gatting: His run in the Railway Stakes last start wasn't too bad and Mitchell Pateman got off and said he rode it poorly. He's been set for this race ever since he arrived back in WA, should get a good run just back of midfield and his record at the track and distance is good. He's not hopeless but I've got others ahead.
(3) Tally: For some reason was the subject of heavy support last start in the Carbine Club Stakes here. I personally found that astonishing as he was 2000m back to 1400m and the race looked a set up to keep him ticking over for this race. This is clearly a much more suitable race and he comes off a strong win in Sydney two starts ago but even at his best, I doubt he's good enough to win.
(4) Star Exhibit: Produced a huge upset first up in the Lee-Steere Stakes and finished off just fairly in the Railway Stakes last start. His third up record is very poor with just the one placing from five starts. Will continue to get better as the distance rises but he's not sharp enough against this lot.
(5) Best Of Days: Terrific effort in the Railway Stakes last start, aided by a terrific ride. He's drawn soft in barrier 2 today so I'd expect to see him just land on pace somewhere. Better suited at WFA today and his form prior to the Railway was very strong. He'd just have to repeat his effort from last start to be very competitive once again. Looks the best of the the older horses to my eye.
(6) Achernar Star: They're going to change tactics and ride him cold from the wide barrier, which should see him right at the back. That's probably how he's ridden best, as we saw him produce a huge finish coming from off the pace in the Northerly Stakes. He was very brave in defeat in the Railway last start, battling on for 4th after sitting three-wide the trip. Might just have a bit too much to do from back there.
(7) Pacodali: Lindsey Smith has this horse flying. It was only a matter of time before he won a race and that came in the G3 Eclipse Stakes at Sandown last start, which was over this distance. The barrier is a negative for him and I'm unsure what the tactics will be, but he's versatile. He's probably not up to the class of the best horses in this race.
(8) Regal Power: Last season's Derby winner was an impressive winner of the G1 Railway Stakes last start, thanks to a terrific ride by Pike. The step up to 1800m only suits him better but the weight-for-age conditions of the race don't. He'll have to carry 58.5kg today rather than the 53kg he carried to victory last start. Draws wide again but Damien Oliver takes the ride today so he doesn't lose much in that sense. He'll run well again but I struggle to see him winning.
(9) The Velvet King: Was a bit disappointing in the Railway Stakes after starting high up in the betting. Connections have said he went along too slow in front, rather he needs to bowl along instead of stopping to come up for a breather. The 1800m is going to test him, as is the weight-for-age conditions at this level.
(10) Platoon: He's been going well all preparation and was another good effort to finish 3rd in the Railway last start. He was better suited in that race than he is today given he now rises to 58.5kg in the weights, but his only prior start at the distance was a victory. Steven Parnham has ridden him in 19 of his 20 career starts but with him taking the ride on Kay Cee, brother Brad Parnham jumps aboard for the first time today. He can go well.
(11) Mississippi Delta: Was completely unwanted in the betting first up in the RJ Peters Stakes but produced a dominant victory, beating Platoon by 1.2L. Platoon then went on to run 3rd in the Railway so that form has stood up. Chris Parnham takes the ride today with Pike on Tuscan Queen. She won second up last preparation and gets every chance from barrier 6 but whether she has the class is the issue. Knockout hope.
(12) Dig Deep: I give him no chance today. He started a well-backed favourite in the WA Guineas a fortnight ago but his effort was only fair at best, even though the conditions on the day didn't suit him. Fellow three-year-olds Kay Cee, Superstorm and Jericho Missile all ran better final 400m and 200m splits than him, so I'd prefer to be with them. They've advised the intention to have him further forward from barrier 5 today but I struggle to see him in the finish.
(13) Jericho Missile: Was a big run from the back of the field in the WA Guineas, in a race where they crawled and on a day where it was hard to make up ground. He ran the best final 400m and 600m of the race and was only bettered by Superstorm in the final 200m. The barrier draw means he's likely to be near the back again which will make it hard but he's certainly not the worst chance at $34.
(14) Superstorm: Probably the horse sneaking under the radar the most. If Pike was riding him, he'd probably be close to favourite. His run in the WA Guineas was completely luckless, but he reeled off the fastest final 200m of the race when he finally got clear running on the rail. He draws well in barrier 4 today, the blinkers go on for the first time and it wouldn't surprise me at all to see him right up on the speed. Worth including in the numbers.
(15) Kay Cee: If Tuscan Queen is a $3.00 favourite, then I can't work out why Kay Cee is a $11 chance. There hasn't been much splitting these fillies all prep. In fact, Kay Cee beat Tuscan Queen fair and square two starts ago in the Burgess Queen. Tuscan Queen then turned the tables on her in the Champion Fillies, but that was basically because Tuscan Queen got the inside run and she didn't. She should have won the Guineas last start and was brought undone by a crawling tempo, but her run was still terrific. Barrier 1 could see her closer in the run and with any luck I think she goes very close.
(16) Tuscan Queen: Tuscan Queen basically looks like Arcadia Queen 2.0, though Arcadia was probably a touch classier. She brings a near-identical path to the race than what Arcadia Queen did last year, even to the point where their only defeat leading in was in the Burgess Queen Stakes. Arcadia Queen won the Guineas and then ran in the Kingston Town, but they avoided the race this year with Tuscan Queen due to the heat. She draws ideally in barrier 3, expect her to be ridden right up on the speed just as we saw with Arcadia Queen last year, and from there she is going to prove awfully hard to beat with the 50kg on her back.
Selections
The three-year-olds look exceptionally hard to beat this year and it wouldn't shock me to see them run the trifecta. They have the class and the older horses aren't superstars. (16) Tuscan Queen is the obvious choice for obvious reasons. They have essentially replicated Arcadia Queen's preparation from last year and she proved way too good in this race, and I think Tuscan Queen will do the same, though not quite as dominantly. I think her barrier draw narrowly puts her ahead of (15) Kay Cee, but Kay Cee is a silly price at $11 and is the value in the race. (5) Best Of Days looks the best chance of the older brigade with the soft draw. (14) Superstorm is flying under the radar and isn't underestimated in my book, while (13) Jericho Missile could be the blowout.
1st (16) TUSCAN QUEEN $3.00
2nd (15) KAY CEE $11
3rd (5) BEST OF DAYS $9.50
4th (14) SUPERSTORM $12
