Futurity Stakes Tips & Preview 2024

Mr Brightside- image from Lindsay Park racing

Looking for Futurity Stakes tips and best bets? We dissect times and form to find the winner of the 2024 Futurity Stakes at Caulfield.

FUTURITY STAKES BETTING SNAPSHOT

A field of eight have accepted for the Futurity Stakes and it is the last start CF Orr Stakes winner, Mr Brightside, that dominates the market with Dabble at the $1.50 quote ahead of Nugget and Attrition, who are both at $8.50. The Godolphin galloper, Pericles, is $10. 

The CF Orr Stakes placegetter, Buffalo River, gave Mr Brightside a bit of a run for his money in that race and is at $17, while Munhamek and Dom To Shoot are both $20. Hey Fat Cat is the outsider of the field at $26. 

FUTURITY STAKES FORM ANALYSIS

Half the field had their most recent run in the Orr Stakes and they are the winner, Mr Brightside, as well as Buffalo River (3rd), Pericles (6th) and Munhamek (7th). They went hard early on in that race with Buffalo River and Pride Of Jenni taking up the running. Buffalo River went nine lengths faster than standard benchmark up until the 600m mark with Mr Brightside settling midfield. 

The Cox Plate (2040m) runner-up took his time to get going but produced the fastest last 200m to get there in the end, in what was a memorable race. Pericles and Munhamek never really got into it and both finished four lengths away. 

At his last preparation, Mr Brightside scored in his first three runs with the first two of those coming at the track and trip. He went a healthy 12.7 lengths faster than standard in the Orr, which is similar to his first up run last time. Second up in the spring, the Team Hayes-trained galloper took out the Memsie Stakes, going 8.1 lengths faster than standard off what was a slow early tempo. Expect Buffalo River to take up the running in this race and Mr Brightside won’t be too far away. 

Attrition is a last start Caulfield Group 1 winner, having taken out the Toorak Handicap (1600m) in the spring. He was 5th when fresh in the Memsie Stakes last spring behind Mr Brightside. The Mitchell Freedman-trained galloper might need the run but did go 15.6 lengths faster than standard when winning the Toorak. Only Mr Brightside has produced a better figure in the past two years when going 17.7 lengths faster than standard in his narrow Cox Plate loss. 

Nugget is the other strong chance in the market. He has form behind Mr Brightside, having placed 4th behind that horse in the King Charles III Stakes (1600m) at his most recent start, while he consistently produced double digit benchmark figures in the autumn and was placed behind Mr Brightside in the Doncaster Mile (1600m). 

Dom To Shoot was a Group 1 winner two starts ago over in Perth, taking out the Northerly Stakes (1800m) but couldn’t t back up that performance behind Munhamek in the Gold Rush (1400m) at Ascot. Hey Fat Cat is making up the numbers. 

FUTURITY STAKES TIPS AND BEST BETS

Impossible to go past Mr Brightside in the Futurity Stakes and it is really hard to find a chink in his armour. The six-year-old displayed his qualities when resuming and should only improve off that hitout. He is four from four at the track and trip and should be able to stalk Buffalo River from barrier 5. Anchor him in your multi’s for the day.