Epsom Handicap Tips & Preview 2022
The Metropolitan Tips & Preview 2022
Looking for The Metropolitan tips and best bets? We dissect times and form to find the winner of the 2022 The Metropolitan at Randwick.
THE METROPOLITAN BETTING SNAPSHOT
A field of 15 contenders have accepted for the Group 1 Metropolitan at Randwick and it is Durston that is a clear top pick in the market with Unibet after the barrier draw at the $3.20 quote.
The last start Newcastle Cup (2350m) winner heads the top-weight, Stockman, at $8 and Surefire at $8. Grove Ferry is at $10, while Le Don De Vie, Mankayan and No Compromise are at $12. Arapaho and Chalk Stream (both $16) head the rest.
THE METROPOLITAN FORM ANALYSIS
Durston is one of seven contender in the field for trainer Chris Waller and could not have been any more emphatic when romping to a 3.5 length win in the Newcastle Cup ahead of Carif.
The former import was caught behind traffic in the run before getting clear air at the 300m to go three lengths faster than standard benchmark. He drops 2.5kg from that run. Hard to see the likes of Carif, Arapaho (3rd), Sacramento (4th) and Mankayan (5th) turning the tables here.
That came on a Soft deck at Newcastle and we are likely to get into the Heavy range with plenty of rain forecast for Sydney in the lead up to Saturday. Arapaho and Mankayan are possible improvers, should we end up on the bog.
Stockman carries 56.5kg and comes in with the best last starts benchmark figures of any runner, having gone 10.3 lengths faster than standard when 4th in the Kingston Town Stakes (2000m) at Randwick behind Alegron on September 17. That was on a Soft 7 and he is four from nine on Heavy tracks.
Behind Stockman in the Kingston Town Stakes were Surefire (5th), No Compromise (6th), Francesco Guardi (8th) and Kukeracha (9th). That quintet appeared to have their chance although No Compromise is one that should improve out to the 2400m here and is three from six at the distance.
Stockman should only improve over further ground and his peak figure of 13.5 lengths faster than standard came over the 3200m in the Sydney Cup earlier this year when 7th behind Knights Order. He was runner-up behind Duais prior to that at Newcastle in the Tancred Stakes (2400m) when stepping up from the 2000m.
Realm Of Flowers is an interesting runner. The Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained galloper boasts the best figures that any horse in this race has produced in the past two years, going 14.8 lengths faster than standard when taking out the Andrew Ramsden Stakes (2800m) at Flemington last year. She was beaten seven lengths by Cadre Du Noir in the Tatts Cup (2400m) on a Heavy at Randwick on September 3 but that was just her second run back and she did produce the fastest last 200m.
Grove Ferry is the only other last start winner outside of Durston and led them up two starts ago before running 4th behind Arapaho over the 2000m in the Premiers Cup. He has since claimed the Colin Stephen Quality (2400m) in a small field ahead of Cadre Du Noir, going 6.9 lengths faster than standard.
Should the track end up a genuine Heavy, the ones to look out for are Stockman, Le Don De Vie, Mankayan, No Compromise and Hameron.
THE METROPOLITAN TIPS AND BEST BETS
Durston should be hard to beat but I am going with the Kingston Town Stakes form and find it hard to split both Stockman and No Compromise. Stockman will appreciate a Heavy track and should enjoy a perfect time of it from barrier 4. No Compromise draws alongside him and has a sense of timing about his campaign. He was just two lengths off Montefilia in this race last year and improved five lengths on benchmark figures when fourth up in the autumn to run 5th over the 2000m before going 12 lengths faster than standard when winning the Queens Cup (2400m) at Randwick on a Heavy track ahead of Surefire.
