Hidden Gems: 10 Long Shots to Watch in the Melbourne Cup

Hidden Gems: 10 Long Shots to Watch in the Melbourne Cup

• Lucy Henderson

Read on for our Ladbrokes Underdog’s Guide to the Melbourne Cup: Long Shot Nominations Worth a Second Look! The first round of nominations for the 2025 Melbourne Cup closed earlier in the week, and we’ve got 120 gallopers in the mix for the 165th running of the now $10 million showpiece staying showdown. To help punters unlock the value in this beauty of a race, we’ve run our eye over the early form guides and come up with the 10 Melbourne Cup outsiders in early betting that you should be across. These gallopers may be getting zero love in post-nomination…

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Meet the 2025 Melbourne Cup Favourites: Top 5 Early Fancies

Meet the 2025 Melbourne Cup Favourites: Top 5 Early Fancies

• Lucy Henderson

Following the close of nominations for the $10 million Melbourne Cup this week, it’s time to meet the top five favourites for this year’s edition of the ‘Race That Stops a Nation’. With less than two months between now and the 165th running of the time-honoured, two-mile classic, the futures Melbourne Cup markets are starting to run hotter than your mate’s group chat after a big win. The official Melbourne Cup nominations drew 120 early entries, including 19 Northern hemisphere raiders out to rain on the local’s parade. Below we look at five of the standout stayers heading all-in betting…

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2025 Memsie Stakes Preview

2025 Memsie Stakes Preview

• Lucy Henderson

The first of the Melbourne Group 1 spring features is in play at Caulfield on Saturday, and there are plenty of big names to go through in our 2025 Memsie Stakes preview this weekend. We saw Sydney survive a Heavy (10) Randwick track and host the Winx Stakes, won in outstanding fashion by the queen Via Sistina last weekend further north, and now it’s the south’s turn to put the stars on show. Unlike last Saturday, we’ll enjoy a less rain-affected rated track for the Group 1 $750,000 Memsie Stakes (1400m) – Caulfield currently at a Soft (5) – with…

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Hendo’s Hopefuls: Saturday’s Best Roughies

Hendo’s Hopefuls: Saturday’s Best Roughies

• Lucy Henderson

If you’re chasing value, you’re in luck – Ladbrokes has found the Saturday roughies that could turn the form guide on its head. Melbourne hosts the first of its Group 1s on Saturday with an absolutely stacked Memsie Stakes field at Caulfield, and we’ve got our eye on a 17/1 pop that could be here to shock! Despite a Heavy (10) Randwick track last weekend, the Winx Stakes went ahead, and punters that followed our lead on resuming Sydney Cup champ Arapaho to place at juicy odds should have a little extra in the bank. Sticking with the Memsie Stakes…

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The Spring Prospect Watchlist: Spring Cups Treasure Unearthed!

The Spring Prospect Watchlist: Spring Cups Treasure Unearthed!

• Lucy Henderson

Treasurethe Moment is a brilliant two-time Oaks winner ready for the Spring Group 1s.  Update: Treasurethe Moment made an explosive return to racing smashing her more seasoned rivals by 2.5 lengths fresh to win the Memsie Stakes and stamp herself as the potential new queen of the season! With the Spring Cup lead-up races now in full swing, this week for the fifth edition of our Spring Prospect Watchlist we’ve turned our attention to one of last season’s best staying fillies who is tipped to go to the next level this prep. Last week we dove into the spring credentials…

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The Punters’ Playbook: Rosehill Gardens Spring Carnival Deep Dive

The Punters’ Playbook: Rosehill Gardens Spring Carnival Deep Dive

• Lucy Henderson

This week we’ve got the final instalment of our exclusive Spring Carnival track deep dives and we’re Sydney-focused with Rosehill Gardens Racecourse home to a host of important spring races. While it may not have the $10 million Golden Eagle race taking place there this year, there’s still plenty of Rosehill races to get excited about over the coming weeks and months. The Rosehill Gardens track is one of Australia’s best-known courses, and to ensure you find a winner or two this spring we’ve got the full rundown on the track nuances plus a breakdown of the leading jockeys and…

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Hendo’s Hopefuls: Saturday’s Best Roughies

Hendo’s Hopefuls: Saturday’s Best Roughies

• Lucy Henderson

Value seekers take note! Ladbrokes has unearthed the Saturday roughies with real potential to shake things up this weekend. Group 1 racing is back baby! Well, at least we hope so. The big wet in Sydney is wreaking havoc on the Randwick track so everyone is playing weather watch with fingers crossed Via Sistina and the like get to return in the Winx Stakes. Should the event go ahead, we’ve unearthed a nice Each Way value play to upset the queen bee fresh plus a blowout exotics inclusion! With a bumper card of Black-Type, spring lead-ups accompanying the elite level,…

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The Spring Prospect Watchlist: Derby Queen Ready for More!

The Spring Prospect Watchlist: Derby Queen Ready for More!

• Lucy Henderson

Aeliana is an ATC Derby champion ready to go to the next level as a four-year-old this spring. This week we have the fourth edition of our exclusive Spring Prospect Watchlist, and we’ve got another Waller trained mare in our sights for some big things this prep. After looking at the spring ahead for Lady Shenandoah last installment, we now move towards an emerging talent who has already shown her staying credentials with the autumn’s enormous Australian Derby winning filly Aeliana. This Kiwi foaled daughter of Castelvecchio demolished the boys as a three-year-old and is out to produce something equally…

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2025 Winx Stakes Preview

2025 Winx Stakes Preview

• Lucy Henderson

Group 1 racing is back this weekend with Randwick’s Winx Stakes kicking things off, and we’re buzzing to see the big names tear up the turf again! Tear up could be exactly what’s about to happen to the Royal Randwick track however, with the course a Heavy (10) at time of publish and the potential for a meeting abandonment hanging over our heads with plenty of rain still on the Sydney radar. That said, the field is out for the Group 1 $1 million Winx Stakes (1400m) and she’s a beauty with the Waller vs. Maher spring rivalry already in…

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Hidden Gems: 10 Long Shots to Watch in the Ladbrokes Cox Plate

Hidden Gems: 10 Long Shots to Watch in the Ladbrokes Cox Plate

• Lucy Henderson

Read on for our Underdog’s Guide to the Ladbrokes Cox Plate: Long Shot Nominations Worth a Second Look! The early nominations for the 2025 Ladbrokes Cox Plate were released last week and, with a record prize fund of $6 million on offer, the competition is fiercer than ever for “The Race Where Legends Are Made”. Last week, we shared our list of potential Caulfield Cup roughies in early betting, and now our focus turns to Moonee Valley’s weight-for-age championship – a race known for highlighting some of the greatest champions in Australasian horse racing history. Although Chris Waller’s impressive mare…

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