3 minute read
The Pinnacles wraps up on Saturday with the $1.5 million Gold Rush from Ascot.
The third edition of the Gold Rush (1400m) and although last year's iconic moment, with Damien Oliver bursting through aboard Munhamek in his final race-ride will be hard to top, there are some high-profile local horses going around.
That list is headed by 2021 Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m) winner Western Empire, who has deliberately been kept to the shorter trips this time in with mixed results.
First up in the Group 3 Colonel Reeves Stakes (1100m) he was a touch unlucky not to beat Rope Them In, carrying 3.5kg more than that horse and running to a Timeform rating of 116.
He found the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) too sharp second-up, unable to make inroads when ninth, running to 104 with Timeform.
Of all the horses coming through the Winterbottom, he's clearly the most suited rising in trip and this does look the race that he's been set for third-up.
His Railway win rated to 121 with Timeform and although that's well in the past, this year he's run to an average Timeform rating of 112, with three ratings at 114 or better.
Last year, Munhamek won what looks a stronger Gold Rush going in with a rating of 114 while The Astrologist 117 in his win two years' ago, again in what looked a stronger affair.
It's easy to forecast Western Empire getting back to the 115 mark here and given he started $4.40 in the Winterbottom, which saw his expected rating come in at 117, the $4.00 with TABtouch here in a far more favourable scenario looks a far better gamble.
The two dangers look to be Super Smink and Comfort Me, who filled the placings behind Port Lockroy in the Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m).
Comfort Me ran to a Timeform rating of 114 there when second but did have every conceivable chance in run. He did run to 115 behind The Astrologist in 2022 when third at 40-1 so his best is good enough to figure.
Super Smink is the interesting one. She's run in the Railway and the Group 1 Northerly Stakes (1800m), backing up from that race last week when held up quite badly for a run. Her two runs prior rated 111+ and 113, and given her 2kg weight allowance, equating to four pounds on the Timeform scale, she's rated right up to win this.
The query is she's back sharply in trip from 1800m and often leaves herself with plenty to do, but she's got the best turn of foot in the race and on paper, the drop back to 1400m is ideal.
The sole three-year-old in the field is Wind And The Lion who ran to 109 with Timeform in the Listed Lee-Steere Classic (1400m) last time out but as a whole, the three-year-old crop in Perth aren't strong this year.
There are a host of other each-way chances who can figure if they run to their best such as Hot Zed who ran to 115 in the Winterbottom but was 100-1, Magnificent Andy (rated 114) in the Railway and Rope Them In (rated 112) but clearly the best two horses in the field are Western Empire and Super Smink.
Western Empire is the one best set up to peak here and the price looks a fair gamble given he's been unsuited at two runs back and finally gets to something resembling a good trip for him.
Gold Rush
Tip: #1 Western Empire at $4.00 with TABtouch
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