2024 Ladbrokes Gold Cup Night Preview

Friday night at The Valley features as a fitting curtain raiser to Saturday’s enormous Ladbrokes Cox Plate program!

Eight races are headlined by the time-honoured Ladbrokes Moonee Valley Gold Cup, and several fancies will be racing with one eye on the first Tuesday of November.

You can find my thoughts on that race and all of my 2024 Ladbrokes Gold Cup Night tips below.

This looks a great opportunity for Written In Code to return to winning form.

Written In Code has only won one of her ten career starts so far, but she finished second in three-consecutive races, including a BM74 here before running fourth behind the likes of Zaszou and Zloties last time out.

The form out of that race has been franked and this mare might not be offered a better opportunity to win in metro company.

2 Units Written Code

I’ve been with Martial Music at both runs back this time and I’m keen to stick with him in Friday night’s Grand Final.

The Gavin Bedggood-trained gelding returned to action with a fine performance to finish second, beaten less than a length in a BM64 at Sandown last month and enjoyed plenty of improvement into a smart win at the same grade last time.

Fitter third-up and slightly further out in trip, he’s drawn to receive every chance again under Blake Shinn.

2 Units Martial Music

Verdad is fit and ready to win.

The Justify gelding turned in some fine performances in strong black type company during his three-year-old season and has incredibly finished second in each of his first three runs back this time.

He’s hard fit, is proven here at The Valley, and is just the best horse engaged in this race, in my opinion.

5 Units Verdad

Force Red faces a rise in class into the fourth on Ladbrokes Gold Cup Night, but he looks to have a very bright future and I’m keen to stick with him.

Force Red finished a credible fifth in Group 3 company on debut last spring and was immediately put away, and he returned from a long break to record a dominant maiden win up at Newcastle.

He’s open to plenty of improvement this week and gets the services of James McDonald.

3 Units Force Red

This looks to be one of the more open races on the program and I am going to have something each way on Gold Wolf at huge odds ($19 at publish).

Gold Wolf dusted off the cobwebs with a fair first-up effort at Caulfield back in August and was far better through the line over 2000m last time out.

Fitter third-up, staying at this trip and with some relief in the weights, I think it’s a nice race for him.

1 Unit E/W Golf Wolf

Another open race with several winning chances engaged including Run Harry Run, who I have put on tip.

Run Harry Run returned to action with a decent effort to fill the minors behind Another Wil in the Testa Rossa Stakes in September, while he was last seen finishing fourth in the Weekend Hussler.

Fitter third-up and further out in trip, this looks his race.

2 Units Run Harry Run

This is an excellent edition of the Ladbrokes Gold Cup and Positivity is going to be the one for me.

Positivity only just missed in a Heatherlie Stakes first-up this time and converted her improvement into a lovely win in the Naturalism Stakes second up.

Having finished midfield in The Bart Cummings last time out, she’s hard fit this week after being scratched from the Caulfield Cup, she gets into it extremely well at the weights and we can have an each way play at current odds ($7 at publish).

2 Units E/W Positivity

Tough way to end the night from a betting perspective but Fission is a horse that will relish the 955m at The Valley.

It has been a short while since the son of Russian Revolution won a race, but he’s turned in several competitive performances this time in and there is no doubting his fitness ahead of this assignment.

1 Unit E/W Fission