Caulfield Guineas Tips & Preview 2022
Might And Power Stakes Tips & Preview 2022
Looking for Might And Power Stakes tips and best bets? We dissect times and form to find the winner of the 2022 Might And Power Stakes at Caulfield.
MIGHT AND POWER STAKES BETTING SNAPSHOT
This year’s edition of the Might And Power Stakes shapes as a classic and will provide us with a bit of a glimpse of what the Cox Plate (2040m) will look like later on this month.
Anamoe comes down from Sydney and heads the market with NEDS at the $2.30 quote, while the Underwood Stakes runners come next. Zaaki, who went down to Alligator Blood, in the Underwood, is at $4.80, while I’m Thunderstruck is $5.50.
Alligator Blood is rated a $6.50 chance of making it back to back wins, while Mo’Unga ($12), Mr Brightside ($16), Benaud ($26) and Nonconformist ($71) round out the field.
MIGHT AND POWER STAKES FORM ANALYSIS
Anamoe gets back to Victoria for the first time since finishing runner-up in the Cox Plate (2040m) last year as a three-year-old. He heads into this third up after wins in the Winx Stakes (1400m) and the George Main Stakes (1600m) at Randwick.
The Godolphin galloper settled handy in the George Main on Soft going before exerting authority as a $1.65 favourite to defeat Icebath and Hinged, going 6.4 lengths faster than standard benchmark.
That came off a very slow tempo. His peak figure came when third up last year, going 16.6 lengths faster than standard when claiming the Caulfield Guineas (1600m) before his near miss in the Cox Plate.
Six of the eight runners come out of the Underwood Stakes at Sandwon, which was held on September 25. Alligator Blood was allowed to dictate that day but was strong to the line.
Mo’unga produced the fastest last 200m to fill the exacta, finishing ahead of Zaaki. I’m Thunderstruck was a tad disappointing, peaking on his run to finish 4th. Question marks over him as to whether he gets past 1600m and at his only run over the 2000m he faded late to finish seven lengths off them in 6th position in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick in the autumn.
Anamoe was last that day on what was a Heavy 10 track and was found to have pulled up with a poor recovery. That came at the end of a five start campaign and he has had his runs spaced out a bit more this time around.
Showers forecast for Melbourne in the lead up to Saturday and we should end up with something in the Soft range. Most runners in the Might And Power Stakes have proven wet-track form.
Mr Brightside appeared outclassed in the Underwood but has six wins from eight starts on Soft or Heavy. Hard to make a case for Nonconformist, who is the other to come out of the Underwood.
Benaud is an interesting runner. The four-year-old boasts the best last start benchmark figures of any runner when finishing runner-up in the Kingston Town Stakes (2000m) at Randwick at his last start. He went 11 lengths faster than standard in the Kingston Town Stakes, which is nearly five lengths better than what Anamoe produced on the same day.
That came on a Soft deck and he landed ahead of Knights Order, who has since come out and run well in the Turnbull Stakes (2000m), while No Compromise was 6th and has gone on to claim the Metropolitan.
MIGHT AND POWER STAKES TIPS AND BEST BETS
This could be a race full of tactics and I expect Zaaki and Alligator Blood to take up the running, while Anamoe and Mr Brightside are likely to be the next pair. Mo’unga will be in a midfield position, while the likes of Nonconformist, Benaud and I’m Thunderstruck will settle back. Track conditions will be crucial and these tips could change if we get as Heavy as what we did on the September 17 meeting. Not convinced that Anamoe is completely comfortable on Heavy ground. But I love the fact that he comes into this third up and his runs have been spaced, while his career best performance came at this track in similar circumstances a year ago when claiming the Caulfield Guineas. Wouldn’t mind hunting for value for exacta’s and quinella’s and think that Mo’unga is over the odds at the moment.
