Magicool is at odds of $8.00 on Sportsbet today for the VRC Derby on November 1st, but that has time to change again before the race – Magicool is in action again at the weekend in the Caulfield Classic, for which there are odds of $7.00 next to his name. He’s proving to be a popular choice for punters at those odds, too, according to Sportsbet: ‘punters are steering clear of Kumaon, the colt is unwanted in betting. Magicool is getting all the love and is the best supported runner.’

So he’s popular in the betting, and he’s doing everything his trainer could ask of him, it sounds like: ‘we targeted him a long time back to be one of our Derby hopes. These Fastnet Rock horses, when you cross them over Galileo mares, they are very stout, but you can get a good turn of foot on a stayer. There’s a fair bit of upside there; as he stargazed there a bit at the end. He’ll go to the Caulfield Classic (2000m) and then another two weeks to the Derby, whereas the other horses we have may go via the (Moonee Valley) Vase a week later.’

Magicool has his path to the VRC Derby pretty much mapped out for him, then, and he’s looking in decent form for a strong bid in that race, so make sure you’ve got all the Racing odds for him!

Trainer Peter Morgan is of the opinion that Star Rolling has more to give than he has been showing since that 2013 Spring Season: ‘he is coming along really good and I am really happy with him. I think that he was a better horse in the spring when we couldn’t get runs and I was never 100 percent happy with him in the autumn, but I think at the moment he is back to where I had him last spring. He has grown since the autumn. Last year the plan was the Caulfield Cup and hopefully we can get that way again this year.’

There’s lots of racing, of course, between now and November – starting this weekend and next with the 1000m Handicap at Moonee and the P.B. Lawrence Stakes, both of which are possibilities for Star Rolling. Morgan will be taking it a step at a time, it sounds like: ‘I am not sure he is running on Saturday yet, we are just taking a bit of an each-way bet to see whether it rains too much and the trials are off on Monday. We are just going to see what happens. If he doesn’t run this weekend he will probably trial Monday and have his first-up run in the Liston.’

So it remains to be seen whether Star Rolling can get himself into contention for the Caulfield Cup this year: keep an eye on the Racing odds for him, and watch this space for more news!

Sertorius has a pretty gruelling Autumn campaign behind him, but it sounds to us like trainer Jamie Edwards could hardly be more pleased: ‘he could not be any better. He had a little jump out here at the Farm yesterday morning and it was probably as good as I have seen him go up the hill here. He is big and strong and if you looked at him you certainly wouldn’t think that he had his last start over two mile; he looks like a sprinter. He is big, strong, healthy and bright.’

And with that sort of positive feedback, we can understand that Edwards would want to keep his options open as we close in on the Melbourne Spring. He’s got a real prospect on his hands, and the questions will be where to aim him: ‘he will go to the Memsie first-up and then go to the Makybe Diva and the Turnbull. Then we will make a decision where we head to for the spring after the Turnbull, whether we run him in the Cox Plate or go to the Caulfield Cup. The horse’s 2400 metres form is outstanding at the highest level and we will probably head to the Caulfield Cup, but it all depends on how he runs in the Turnbull. This will be his best prep.’

Runs for Sertorius in the Autumn included the Group 2 Chairman’s Handicap as well as a couple of Group 1 outings in the BMW Stakes and the Sydney Cup. With tough performances in all three, Sertorius has made his trainer a happy man, and made himself a fixture of the Racing odds for the Spring Season – check them out by clicking the link!

Trainer Mike Moroney seems to have more-or-less settled on a path through the Spring Season after a disappointing run by Voleuse De Coeurs in the Sydney Cup in April, and it looks like that path starts at the Makybe Diva Stakes: ‘she’s up to doing strong pace work and she looks good and her work suggests she has really come on. She has a thick woolly coat now so she has certainly acclimatised. She will probably resume in the Makybe Diva before running in either the Turnbull Stakes or the Underwood Stakes.’ Moroney was on record last month confirming that both the Caulfield Cup and the Melbourne Cup would be in the frame for Voleuse De Coeurs, and she could well be a horse that’s in the mix come October and November. Voleuse De Coeurs is a Irish St Leger winner, but she’s still searching for her first big win in Australia (she finished 10th in the 2013 Melbourne Cup). Moroney, meanwhile, has tasted success in the Melbourne Cup (in 2000 with Brew), but never in the Caulfield Cup – could Voleuse De Coeurs be the horse to bring him that win? Check the Racing odds as we get nearer, and expect to see more news of the Irish import closer to the races…

But it sounds like we won’t get much of a chance to see Our Voodoo Prince in action until a couple of weeks before the Caulfield Cup, when he’s likely to make a run in the Turnbull Stakes at Flemington. Trainer Chris Waller is able to hold him back so late because of some strong runs in the Autumn that have put him into contention for the Caulfield Cup, and he’s been talking to Racing Victoria this week: ‘he’s in Sydney in work, he’s trialling around the 1st of August and he’s done very well, it’s as simple as that. He’ll have two trials, the second one will be on the 15th of August and he’ll be ready to race probably on the 23rd of August (at Randwick’s Warwick Stakes meeting).’

Of course, if the situation changes and Our Voodoo Prince’s spot in the Caulfield Cup isn’t guaranteed, then Waller will have to change his plans, but at the moment, he seems happy with a course that sees his stayer peaking late: ‘it’d be nice to think he’s close to being guaranteed a start in the Caulfield Cup, then we can take a weight-for-age path through races like the Chlemsford (Stakes) on the sixth of September over a mile and the Hill Stakes in Sydney, weight-for-age over 2000, on the 20th of September. But if he’s struggling to look like he’ll get a start (in the Caulfield Cup) there’s the Naturalism Stakes on the same day in Melbourne and then he’ll probably race in the Turnbull on the fourth of October and the Caulfield Cup on the 18th. He’s been placed well and he was the right horse for the races he was running in, but he’s still got a massive jump to go to get to the Caulfield Cup.’

One thing for certain is that Our Voodoo Prince will stay very much in the picture with those Racing odds, whether or not he has a run in a Group 1 before October. Makes sure you check back with us for more news, and follow that there link for more odds and info!

Jockey Tommy Berry, on board for a track gallop for Kirramosa that went well, was full of praise for her form: ‘she pulled up like she hadn’t been around. She is in great order.’ And trainer John Sargent seemed to be full of confidence, too, when he spoke to the press: ‘I think she is a genuine stayer for the Cups but sometimes they don’t take that step as four-year-olds. She will start off in the Missile Stakes and step up in distance from there. The Epsom Handicap over 1600 metres could also be an option.’

And that confidence could be well placed, particularly if Kirramosa is able to get back to the sort of form that saw her win the VRC Oaks in 2013 – she already has a couple of wins at distances over 1200m, and there will be plenty of punters who like the Racing odds for Kirramosa if she shows anything like last year’s form as we get closer to the Caulfield Cup and to the Melbourne Cup, too. Check back with us for more news as we get it!

On any other day, Dandino would have won by two lengths but Williams’ indecision when Jet Away took off eventually cost him the race. Williams’ claim that he was beaten by the barrier draw really doesn’t stack up consdering Dunaden won from gate 22 the previous year. It was simply a rare bad day at Caulfield for Craig.

The Marco Botti trained charge now heads to Flemington as the $9.00 second favourite alongside Fiorente and that looks a good price to us. Indeed, Dandino’s misfortune at Caulfield could well be the springboard for a glorious Melbourne Cup run with that precious first experience under the belt for horse and jockey.

Fawkner, the winner of the 2013 Caulfield Cup, also looks likely to head to Flemington as Lloyd Williams seeks another famous first Tuesday of November.

For all your Melbourne Cup odds 2013, just follow the link!

“Everything was stacked against him at weights and measures … he’s done a very good job” said Nick Williams after the race.

And with that run went all the fancy prices for the Melbourne Cup, and Llyod William’s former Engliash galloper is now down to $21.00 for the first Tuesday in November. And we still think that’s a fair price. You certainly wouldn’t want to be taking single figure odds about too many horses this far out, that’s for sure.

Mount Athos and Dandino are yet to be sighted this Spring, and alongside Verema and Voleuse De Coeurs, they make up a quartet of talking horses who are being steadily crunched at the odds on the basis of strong racecourse gallops.

We’d rather go with what we see in races rather than what we hear on the grapevine, that’s why there are far worse bets to be had at this stage than a speculative each way punt on a tough horse like Sea Moon.

By the time he’d relieved himself, been led out the stable and had a little run out, he was heading for the top of the betting after Speed Gifted was dropped out of the 2400m race to instead head off to the Cox Plate in the direction of the Melbourne Cup.

Punters keen on the half brother of Takeover Target will be hoping the bookmakers’ crown does not lie too heavy. He seemed to stubbornly wheel away in the wrong direction at one point this morning and didn’t look terribly chuffed to be up and out on the grass, but then again neither would I at that time of day. Jockey Steven King told the Herald Sun: “His form’s been outstanding even though he’s doing a lot wrong”. Outstanding and imperfect, much like me.

You can currently get 7.60 for him at Betfair, ahead of Vigor on 8.00, with the two joint favourites in other markets. Next in line is Cima De Triomphe at 9.00 and Daffodil completes the top pack at 13.00.

Ergo, Saturday is becoming a bit of a bear trap, but Vigor and Predatory Pricer do at least look in the right place at the top of the tree. More on his throughout the week.

Back to tomorrow’s diversion of the Thousand Guineas now. Irish Lights is still way out in front at 2.55 but Melito, trained by Gerald Ryan, is perhaps a bit on the high side at 10.00 in some markets earlier this week, now at 8.00 with Centrebet.

Betfair has her at a better 9.00 though, and she attracted a spike in punters cash with the bookmaker when easing up to 10.00 earlier in the week. She looks like more fun than a punt on Irish Lights if you are after something a bit more sexy, but if you’d rather play it safe with Melito go with a placings if you can find decent value.

Tomorrow’s race can act as a wind test for Saturday. Hopefully it’s blowing in my favour for what could be a gripping Caulfield Cup. Turf’s up.

Wednesday sees Australia’s top fillies line up for the Thousand Guineas, again at Caulfield, with Irish lights leading the betting, on 3.00 with IASbet. On to Saturday and we’re at Caulfield again for the Caulfield Cup, where Metropolitan winner Speed Gifted is the current favourite, on odds of 5.00 with Centrebet.

As with the Thousand Guineas, I’ll be spending the next few days picking through the hype and gripes surrounding these two races in the hope of steering you in the right direction.

As it’s Sunday today, however, I decided it was time for some light reading in the shape of a scan around the soccer betting markets for World Cup 2010.

Next year’s tournament is in South Africa and a number of big names have already qualified with room to spare, this includes Brazil, who have already won it five times in the past, and Spain, who dazzled with their passing game in winning Euro 2008.

England have also already qualified, as of course have Australia. Also already in the mix are Holland, who had a decent showing themselves at Euro 2008 before being surprisingly knocked out by Russia.

Pretty much everywhere you look at this early stage you find Spain and Brazil rightly out in front. Both have a very good chance next year, with Brazil winning the warm-up Confederations Cup in South Africa early this year. They are on 5.50, level with Spain, at IASbet, for next year.

Bafflingly, behind these two, come England as the 7.00 third favourites. Granted, they did have a good qualification campaign but their win against Croatia to seal the deal last month was against an under-strength side lacking the talents of Luca Modric. As such they have not faced a true test in a competitive match for a while and it’s bizarre that they are rated as more likely to win than Holland, on 12.00 with the same bookmaker.

A word for Russia here. Ok, they do have the odd strange performance but going forward they can be exhilarating and they were unlucky to go out to Spain in the Euro 2008 semi-finals after a very good tournament which saw them beat Holland. 26.00 therefore looks good for them at this stage with IASbet.

Until tomorrow, when I’ll be counting the mental cost of the weekend’s racing.