Oakleigh Plate Tips & Preview 2023

Looking for Oakleigh Plate tips and best bets? We dissect times and form to find the winner of the 2023 Oakleigh Plate at Sandown.

OAKLEIGH PLATE BETTING SNAPSHOT

The Oakleigh Plate is the last of the three Group 1 races at Caulfield on Saturday and it is the Henry Dwyer mare, Asfoora, that heads the market with Palmerbet at the $5 quote, ahead of I Am Me at $7 and Chain Of Lightning at $8. Uncommon James and Star Patrol are others just under the double figures at $9.50. 

The last start Rubiton Stakes (1100m) winner, Lofty Strike, is at $10 alongside King Of Sparta before we jump to Zapateo at $17. Marine One heads the rest of the 16-horse field and the five emergencies at $21. 

OAKLEIGH PLATE FORM ANALYSIS

Formlines are many and varied here with eight runners resuming, including Asfoora. The four-year-old has won six of eight and kicked off her last campaign with a win at Sandown over the 1000m in a Benchmark 78 before progressing to claim a couple of Group races later on. 

One of those was in the Caulfield Sprint (1000m) and she went 12.7 lengths faster than standard benchmark that day, which is the fourth best figure that any horse in this race has produced. She might not have reached her ceiling yet and looks well placed with the 53kg from barrier 6. 

The Rubiton Stakes is one of the key lead up races and six runners come out of the Group 2 affair that was held on February 11 at the track and trip. Lofty Strike was the winner of that race and produced the fastest last 200m to score from Uncommon James. He is 2kg worse off at the weights in comparison to the runner-up but is lightly raced and is clearly on the up as a three-year-old. 

Chain Of Lightning arguably should have won the Rubiton as she was held up before closing off well late. Others to come out of the Rubiton Stakes are Marine One (4th), Triple Missile (7th) and Oxley Road (12th). The latter two are both among the emergencies. 

Best last start benchmark figures belong to The Astrologist, who went 10.1 lengths faster than standard benchmark to claim the Gold Rush (1400m) at Ascot back in December. Roch ’N’ Horse carts top weight and was a Group 1 winner at her most recent start, claiming the Darley Sprint Classic (1200m) ahead of Nature Strip at Flemington in November. She might be better suited back to weight-for-age and carries top weight of 58kg. 

I Am Me comes in with a seven-week freshen up and has won her past four races. The Maher/Eustace galloper gets the ride from Jamie Kah and went 9.2 lengths faster than standard at her latest. The stable have a knack of getting the best out of their horses off similar gaps and she draws the inside barrier. 

Other runners in the market include Star Patrol, King Of Sparta and Zapateo. Star Patrol claimed the Adams Stakes (1000m) back on Australia Day at her only run this time in and showed a nice turn of foot to go 6.8 lengths faster than standard benchmark, She is capable of raising the bar. 

King Of Sparta was a winner of the Gold Coast Magic Millions Sprint (1200m) back in January and has come back in great order, while Zapateo resumes. He was a first up winner at Randwick at her last preparation. 

OAKLEIGH PLATE TIPS AND BEST BETS

As always, a difficult race to assess. I have narrowed it down to four main chances and they are Asfoora, Lofty Strike, I Am Me and Star Patrol. Of that quartet I am most keen on Star Patrol. The Clinton McDonald gelding looks well placed after his first up win and improved 14 lengths on benchmark figures at his last preparation when second up to win at Flemington over the 1200m. They went a bit slow early on in his race last time before it developed into a bit of a sit sprint and the son of Starspangledbanner showed a great turn of foot. He drops 3.5kg off that run and the field should string out so I expect him to find a spot in the running line from barrier 9.