Ladbrokes Tip: The QTC Cup is now run as the Moreton Cup and can serve as a Stradbroke Handicap lead-up

The QTC Cup now known as the Moreton Cup and is a key Group 2 support act on the Queensland Oaks Day program, formerly held at Eagle Farm Racecourse now Doomben, on a Saturday in late May or early June during the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival. The meeting is headlined by the Group 1 Queensland Oaks (2400m) for the three-year-old fillies, with the Moreton Cup for Stradbroke hopefuls one of two Group 2 features on the card along with the PJ O’Shea Stakes (formerly the Eagle Farm Cup).

Offering $200,000 in prize money, the Moreton Cup is run over 1200m and is a set weights plus penalties event. It offers a ballot exemption into the following weekend’s Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm. Sincero (11th in 2010) was the latest graduate out of the then QTC Cup race to back-up a week later and win the famous Queensland Group 1.

The latest edition of the Moreton (QTC) Cup took place on Saturday June 1, 2019 and saw the John O’Shea-trained filly Pretty In Pink win the Stradbroke Handicap ballot exemption.

2019 Moreton Cup Results

The official Moreton Cup 2019 Results & Finishing Order will be published in full below once the race takes place on Saturday June 1, 2019.

• 1st: #9 Pretty In Pink
• 2nd: #4 Brave Song
• 3rd: #6 Winter Bride

Trainer John O’Shea gets the chance to win the Stradbroke Handicap with a three-year-old filly for the second time – his first being with Private Steer in 2003 – following the narrow Moreton Cup victory by Pretty In Pink on Oaks Day.

Moreton Cup Race Info

• Date: Saturday June 1, 2019
• Track: Doomben Racecourse
• Distance: 1200m
• Conditions: Quality Handicap
• Status: Group 2
• Prize Money: $200,000
• First Run: 1979

MORETON CUP PREVIEW

Moreton Cup Betting & Odds

Moreton Cup odds are dominated by classy sprinters that may be just off the top level but who have Group 1 experience from earlier in the season.

A race like the Group 1 All Aged Stakes (1400m) at Randwick in April has produced a number of QTC / Moreton Cup performers as has Adelaide’s Group 1 The Goodwood (1200m). In 2013 Galah improved on an eighth in The Goodwood to win the QTC Cup, while Conservatorium ran second in both races.

2019 Moreton Cup Odds

The official Moreton Cup 2019 odds on the race formerly known as the QTC Cup will be available below as soon as markets come out for Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival this season.

Moreton Cup Field

The QTC Cup – now the Moreton Cup – field attracts a collection of the season’s second-tier sprint types, many coming off lead-up runs in Sydney. Horses may have contested earlier Queensland Winter lead-ups like the Group 3 BRC Sprint (1350m) run a fortnight earlier at Doomben Racecourse.

Runners may come out of the Moreton Cup field and back-up a week later in the Stradbroke Handicap including in 2015 when the QTC Cup winner Sacred Star ran fifth in the Group 1 beaten under two lengths. For any female gallopers continuing on with their season, the Group 1 Tattersall’s Tiara (1400m) at the end of the month is a good target and in 2016 Miss Cover Girl ran fourth in the QTC Cup before her Tattersall’s Tiara win.

If not the Stradbroke, another possible next-up run for Moreton Cup graduates is Eagle Farms’ Group 3 W.J. Healy Stakes (1200m) on Tiara Day. Moreton Cup nominations close on the Monday prior to the race with the final field and barriers released on the Wednesday.

2019 Moreton Cup Field

The official Moreton Cup 2019 field is announced on the Wednesday leading up to Queensland Oaks Day with the line-up of sprinters chasing the Stradbroke Handicap ballot exemption to be listed below once released.

The 2019 Moreton Cup Final Field is down to just eight runners following the early scratching of Astoria (10) and She’s A Thief (8). Hot favourite in the Moreton Cup field for 2019 is Viridine ($2.35) for Godolphin who won a black-type sprint at Scone last time out.

Moreton Cup Form Guide

The Moreton Cup form guide details all the must know facts for punters including the barriers, jockeys, trainers and lead-up runs of the horses in the field. Looking at the guide for single-figure hopes coming off a nice lead-up run with ability at the distance is important when doing the Moreton Cup form.

In recent seasons the Moreton Cup form has held-up in subsequent Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival Group events including the Stradbroke Handicap and Tattersall’s Tiara at elite level at Eagle Farm.

2019 Moreton Cup Form Guide

Punters will be able to access an all-inclusive Moreton Cup 2019 race form guide by following the link provided the week of the race to help with Moreton Cup betting on Oaks Day. 

Moreton Cup Tips

Looking for runners with proven form around 1200m – 1400m that have run well in similar class either in Brisbane or Sydney leading up to the race are good Moreton Cup tips.

Sincero improved on a QTC Cup 11th in 2011 before winning the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap next-up that winter. Photo Credit: Steve Hart.

Mainly local hopes contest the race however so horses with a good record at Eagle Farm that come into the race with a good weight are other useful Moreton Cup betting tips as are those coming off a lead-up run in a race like the BRC Sprint.

2019 Moreton Cup Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ insider Moreton Cup 2019 betting tips and Brisbane race selections for the winter sprint will be detailed below the week of the race so stay tuned for the gallopers to back and sack this Queensland Oaks Day.

#4 BRAVE SONG ($4.20) – To Win 

The lead-up campaign from this Peter & Paul Snowden-trained four-year-old has been excellent with back-to-back seconds behind TREKKING. That form has been franked with TREKKING running a place in last weekend’s Group 1 Kingsford-Smith Cup (1300m). Was only a quarter-length back in the Group 3 Hall Mark Stakes at Randwick over 1300m and three-quarters away at Scone on May 11. Back from 1300m to 1200m suits and the booking of James McDonald for the ride is another big positive.

QTC / Moreton Cup Results

QTC Cup results have been dominated by runners under $10 in betting in recent years.

Notable QTC Cup winners over the past decade include Sacred Star (2014), Catapulted (2010) and subsequent Group 1 winner Ortensia (2009) who went on to run third in the Stradbroke Handicap next start. One of the biggest turf stars to win the QTC Cup was Schillaci in 1992.

The results out of the race from 2017 onwards will be known as the Moreton Cup results.

QTC / Moreton Cup Winners