The Metropolitan Field & Barrier Draw
Epsom Handicap Tips & Preview 2022
Looking for Epsom Handicap tips and best bets? We dissect times and form to find the winner of the 2022 Epsom Handicap at Randwick.
EPSOM HANDICAP BETTING SNAPSHOT
It is the last start George Main Stakes (1600m) runner-up, Icebath, that has been installed as the $4.20 favourite in markets with Unibet after the barrier draw, just ahead of the 3rd placegetter out of that race, Hinged, who sits at $5.
The imported galloper, Top Ranked, is also at $5 after his win in the Bill Ritchie (1400m), while Fangirl is the other horse in single figures at $6. Cross Talk ($10), Converge ($12) and Nimalee ($12) head the rest of the 12 horse field.
EPSOM HANDICAP FORM ANALYSIS
The George Main Stakes is one of the key races to look at with the two placegetters out of that race heading the market. Icebath was third up in the Group 1 on September 17 and settled just worse than midfield in the fire of nine before producing the fastest last 400m and 200m.
That came off a slow early tempo and the six-year-old mare went 5.8 lengths faster than standard benchmark. She is more than capable of raising the bar, particularly if she gets a Heavy track, which is likely with a stack of rain heading Sydney’s way in the lead up to the Epsom.
At her start prior she went 11.2 lengths faster than standard on a Heavy 10 when runner-up in the Tramway Stakes (1400m) on a leaders track behind Zaaki, while in the autumn she went more than 10 lengths faster than standard on Heavy tracks at Randwick on four occasions.
Hinged led them up in the George Main before just fading late. The Chris Waller-trained galloper drops 5kg for that and is also capable of producing double digit figures, doing so when winning on the Heavy in the Surround Stakes (1400m) at Randwick when second up before going eight lengths faster than standard when 3rd in the Coolmore Classic (1500m).
Fangirl was 5th in the George Main Stakes but was the hard luck story as she never really saw clear galloping room. The four-year-old is one of three in the race for Chris Waller and was runner-up being Anamoe in the Winx Stakes (1400m) prior to that performance. Converge is another to come out of the George Main and was last. Not quite sure where the Waterhouse/Bott galloper is at.
Top Ranked carries top weight of 56.5kg and went 7.7 lengths faster than standard when resuming with his win in the Bill Ritchie. The Australian Bloodstock galloper has his first ever second up run in Australia and should have more in the tank. He went 9.2 lengths faster than standard earlier this year over the 1600m at Randwick when a solid 5th behind Verry Elleegant in the Chipping Norton Stakes.
Cross Talk also comes out of the Bill Ritchie, settling on speed before running 3rd, beaten two lengths. He is actually worse off at the weights in comparison to Top Ranked.
Best last start benchmark figures belong to the $16 chance, Kiku, who went eight lengths faster than standard when claiming the Theo Marks Stakes (1300m) ahead of Mr Mozart when resuming. That came on a Good track and his best form has been on top of the ground.
Other chances are Nimalee and Ellsberg. Nimalee is on the back-up after toughing it out to claim the Golden Pendant (1400m) at Rosehill last weekend, going 7.4 lengths faster than standard. She knocked over Icebath in the Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) on a Heavy track earlier the year.
Ellsberg also backs up and was a bit disappointing when leading before running 3rd behind Surf Dancer in the Shannon Stakes (1500m).
Character, War Eternal and Pippali are others in the field. Pippali was 3rd behind Nimalee but will need to produce a personal best to feature here, as will War Eternal and Character.
EPSOM HANDICAP TIPS AND BEST BETS
Nimalee looks the value at the price for mine. She is on the short back up and couldn’t produce off the same break last year when going from the 1600m to the 2000m in the Matriarch Stakes (2000m) at Flemington. But her peak figure of 13.2 lengths faster than standard did come at her fourth run of that preparation when 4th behind Colette in the Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) when going from the 1400m to the 1600m. The fact that she defeated Icebath in the Queen Of The Turf on a Heavy track reads well for this and she is just 1kg worse off at the weights with 2.5 lengths to spare on Icebath. Icebath did run past her to finish runner-up behind Zaaki in the Tramway but is 1kg worse at the weights from that run. A few of these like to go forward, which could be a sticking point but as we saw last week she is as brave as they come at the business end. Top Ranked is a clear danger, while the likes of Hinged and Fangirl should be thereabouts but at the quote, Nimalee is the one for me.
