2024 Epsom Handicap Day Preview

We are set for one of the biggest and best days of Spring Carnival racing at Royal Randwick this weekend!

No fewer than three Group 1 feature races will be run and won on 2024 Epsom Handicap Day, but seven of the ten races boast black type status, including two races packed to the brim with the fresh crop of two-year-olds!

I’ve run the rule over every horse and race, and you can find all of my 2024 Epsom Handicap Day tips below.

Open Midway to kick off the program and there is a case to be made for a few of them, including Extreme Freedom.

Extreme Freedom has turned in some fine performances this time in, winning at Kembla Grange most notably, while he was only denied by the promising El Castello here at Randwick last time out.

He’s hard fit and does look capable of going one better this time.

1 Unit Extreme Freedom

We get our first look at the new crop of two-year-olds on Epsom Day and eleven colts & geldings will contest the Breeders’ Plate!

North England is a colt by Farnan, out of our Belisa and saddled by Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott.

He turned in a fine trial performance on the Kensington track last month, and he’s the one for me here under Timmy Clark.

1 Unit North England

The same race but for the fillies, and this year’s Gimcrack Stakes field is at capacity, with a further five emergency runners!

Strada Varenna makes her debut for Bjorn Baker and the Ladbrokes Racing Club, and she too turned in a smart trial performance last month.

Throw in James McDonald, and a horse with a very bright future should receive every chance in an ideal campaign launchpad!

1 Unit Strada Varenna

Swiftfalcon steps out this week second-up and in winning form.

The Team Hawkes-trained gelding ended a three-start debut preparation with an eye-catching win at Rosehill Gardens, and he picked up where he left off with an impressive effort over 1400m at Flemington.

With natural improvement and getting further out in trip, I think this looks an ideal black type race for him.

2 Units Swiftfalcon

Floating is the first emergency in this year’s Epsom field, but I think he takes plenty of beating in this race if he does indeed take his place.

Floating has improved noticeably with each of three runs back from a break, culminating in a dominant win over a pretty smart field right here at Randwick last time out.

We know he loves the track and the trip, and I can’t find a reason why he wouldn’t be in the finish of this race.

4 Units Floating

The first Group 1 feature race has attracted some smart fillies but perhaps unsurprisingly, the Flight Stakes betting market is absolutely dominated by the unbeaten Autumn Glow.

Autumn Glow stamped herself as a filly to follow by winning on debut at Rosehill in August, and she has since dranked that performance with wins in the Up & Coming Stakes and Tea Rose Stakes.

This is the next logical target, and I think she’ll win, but she’s too short for me at current Flight Stakes odds of $1.60, so I am instead going to select her as the winner in a Same Race Multi and pump up my odds with stablemate Lazzura running into the first three.

Same Race Multi selections:

• No. 1 Autumn Glow (Win)
• No. 3 Lazzura

Some of the best sprinters in the land step out in the Premiere Stakes and with one eye on The Everest, it’ll be a thrilling contest.

Giga Kick has opened our favourite in Premiere Stakes betting, but I’m keen on the second-up Bella Nipotina.

She’s remained right near the top of the Australian sprinting ranks for several seasons now and of course, she returned to the pinnacle in May’s Doomben 10,000 before repeating the dose later in the carnival at the Tattersall’s Tiara.

She couldn’t have done a lot more in the Concorde Stakes when resuming without winning, the form out of that race has been franked, and I just cannot find a reason why she won’t be in the finish again this week.

4 Units Bella Nipotina

The Metropolitan is always an excellent staying contest and another open edition looms at Randwick on Saturday.

Future History is third-up from a spell and at around the $10 mark, I think he represents real value in The Metropolitan betting.

Future History arrived in Australia on a Cups path last year, ultimately finishing fifteenth in the race that stops a nation, while his autumn prep this year did leave a little to the imagination.

Fast forward to spring, and he returned to action to finish less than half a length behind the winner in a Heatherlie Handicap before running second to Positivity in the Naturalism a fortnight ago.

Fitter third-up, out to the mile and a half and dropping in the weights, I think he can fight out the finish.

2 Units E/W Future History

The Epsom Handicap is always one of the standout races of the Sydney Spring Carnival, and with another talented and capacity field taken in 2024, this will almost certainly be no exception.

Ceolwulf has turned in some typically fine performances this time in and even though he’s dropping back in trip, he’s the one for me.

Ceolwulf was unlucky not to strike at the highest level in the autumn, running second in both the Randwick Guineas and the ATC Derby, while three runs back this time have heralded a win over 1500m at Rosehill and an agonizingly close second in the Kingston Town Stakes here a fortnight ago.

He’s in peak order and will just need some luck in running from a central draw to be in the finish again.

2 Units Ceolwulf

Tough way to end the day from a betting perspective but Ostraka returned to action with a smart performance last month and can win again.

Ostraka ended his last prep with a win in Listed company up in Brisbane, while he was too good for them in a BM88 at Rosehill.

With natural improvement, he can win again.

2 Units Ostraka