Rosehill Guineas Tips & Preview 2024
George Ryder Stakes Tips & Preview 2024
Looking for George Ryder Stakes tips and best bets? We dissect times and form to find the winner of the 2024 George Ryder Stakes at Rosehill.
GEORGE RYDER STAKES BETTING SNAPSHOT
Think About It will be out to bounce back after going down in the Canterbury Stakes (1300m) and is the favourite for the George Ryder Stakes with PlayUp at the $3.80 quote ahead of Militarize at $5. Encap is another under the double figures at $8.50, while the Canterbury Stakes winner, Lady Laguna, is rated a $10 shot in her quest to make it another win.
There are 19 runners in the $1 million Group 1 and Veight is also at $10, while Amenable is at $16. Kovalica is one of two runners for Chris Waller and is at $17 alongside New Energy, while the Godolphin galloper, Pericles, heads the rest of them at $18.
GEORGE RYDER STAKES FORM ANALYSIS
Think About It is one of four contenders that had their last start in the Canterbury Stakes and was back early on when overracing before chasing in vain behind Lady Laguna. The winner settled in a midfield position and hit the lead in the straight, before kicking strongly, producing the fastest last 200m.
The winner went 11.6 lengths faster than standard benchmark. Think About It comes into this second up and improved five lengths on benchmark figures at this stage of his spring preparation to claim the Everest (1200m). He tackles the 1500m for the first time. Lady Laguna has been up for a while but seems to be getting better with racing.
Pericles never really had a clear crack at them in the straight in the Canterbury Stakes and was 5th of the seven runners. He was runner-up behind Mr Brightisde at his start prior. The last time the Godolphin galloper tackled the Rosehill 1500m, he was runner-up in the Golden Eagle. Bandersnatch was last in the Canterbury Stakes.
Connections of Militarize have opted for this instead of the Rosehill Guineas on the same day. The three-year-old has finished runner-up in his two runs this preparation and could not reel in Celestial Legend in the Randwick Guineas (1600m) last time, finishing a narrow runner-up behind that horse.
The Chris Waller-trained galloper went 10.7 lengths faster than standard that day and comes into this third up. Encap was a bit of an unlucky runner and finished 5th in the Randwick Guineas. He was held up in the straight. The consistent chestnut was runner-up behind Celestial Legend at his run prior to that.
There are four horses aged three in this year’s edition of the George Ryder and Veight is another leading fancy after splitting Southport Tycoon and Riff Rocket in the Australian Guineas at Flemington on March 2. He settled handy before landing a length of the winner, going 12.3 lengths faster than standard benchmark.
Kovalica and Amenable are others in the market. Kovalica was 4th when resuming in the Liverpool City Cup (1300m) and it is worth noting that the 2nd placegetter out of that race, New Energy, comes in with the best last start benchmark figures of any runner in the race. He produced the fastest last 200m in the Liverpool City Cup.
Amenable comes up from Melbourne and resumed at Flemington in Group 3 company on March 9, finishing runner-up behind Von Hauke as a $1.80 favourite. He will need to improve on that to trouble some of the more fancied runners.
Is there and out and out roughie that can upset some of those higher in the market in the 19-horse field? Golden Mile is the second of the Godolphin runners and has battled at his two runs this time in but did manage to improve four lengths on benchmark figures at his last preparation to score when third up at Rosehill in the Theo Marks Stakes (1300m) before finishing 3rd in the Epsom Mile (1600m).
Hard to line up the form of Mighty Ulysees and Cosmic Vega, who both come from overseas. Both have been a tad easy in the market and I am happy to wait and see with these two. Others in the race are likely to need to produce a personal best to trouble the those in the top half of the market.
GEORGE RYDER STAKES TIPS AND BEST BETS
In what is a capacity field with plenty of variable to take into account, I am keen to back a couple at the each-way quote and they are Veight and New Energy. Veight has produced double digit benchmark figures in all three of his runs this time in and does look slightly over the odds. He was too good for Militarize when they last met in the Caulfield Guineas (1600m) last spring, finishing runner-up, while his best distance does seem to be around the 1400m-1600m. New Energy is the other. He represents a bit of X-factor and ran quick time at his first start in Australia when stepping out in the Liverpool City Cup, producing the fastest last 200m. Step up to the 1500m looks ideal and he just needs a bit of luck from the wide gate to feature at the business end.
