The Championships Day 2 could be feast or famine as punters bank on short favourites

There are six hot favourites on day two of The Championships and punters are being tempted to multi them up with a $1 all-up bet paying at least $63.

Via Sistina, Fangirl, Autumn Glow and Treasurethe Moment are already odds-on, and Tempted and Alalcance are expected to firm with the favourites ready to dominate on Day 2 of The Championships at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

There’s a pronounced favourite in each of the six Championships races so it could be a feast or a famine for favourite backers with many likely to invest in a TAB all-up win bet starting with Tempted ($3.10 favourite) in the Percy Sykes Stakes.

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Then it rolls into Autumn Glow ($1.45, Arrowfield Sprint), Treasurethe Moment ($1.60, ATC Australian Oaks), Alalcance ($2.80, Sydney Cup), Via Sistina ($1.85, Queen Elizabeth Stakes) and Fangirl ($1.95, Queen of the Turf Stakes).

“For a $1 all-up the return is about $63 which is a big dividend,’’ TAB’s Gerard Daffy said.

“We are getting the champion horses and jockeys going around, and punters are not afraid to multi them up.

“They get a good start with Tempted at $3.10 then the path becomes a little easier after that.

“If Tempted gets beaten, many punters will then revisit their multi and take the rest which ends up being a dividend of around $20.’’

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Daffy hinted that if some of the early favourites are winning, then the odds for the likes of Via Sistina, Fangirl and Treasurethe Moment will shorten.

“If the favourites get on a roll early then almost by default the favourites later in the day will shorten up,’’ he said.

“It’s always fascinating viewing to see what happens with these shorties.’’

(Clockwise from top left): Autumn Glow, Via Sistina, Fangirl and Treasurethe Moment are all odds-on favourites on Day 2 of The Championships.

Godolphin filly Tempted ran third in the Golden Slipper with trainer James Cummings deciding not to run her in last week’s Inglis Sires’ to concentrate on the Percy Sykes Stakes.

“Tempted was very good in the Golden Slipper when she was an unlucky third and she has James McDonald on,’’ Daffy said.

“If you put J-Mac on a rocking horse, punters will back him.’’

McDonald then rides Autumn Glow, the hottest favourite on the program at $1.45 for the Arrowfield Sprint.

“Autumn Glow should be better for her first-up win and she seems to have the wood on these,’’ Daffy said.

Treasurethe Moment is chasing her third Group 1 and her eighth win in succession in the ATC Australian Oaks.

“She is another one with a picket fence beside her name and we saw how good she was last start,’’ Daffy said.

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Alalcance comes off her easy Chairman’s Quality and drops 4.5kg to 52kg for the Sydney Cup.

“You make your own luck in this caper and with Alalcance, the way she races out in front, they are not going to die wondering,’’ Daffy added.

Then the all-up punters will be relying on two of Sydney racing’s most popular and outstanding horses, Via Sistina ($1.85, Queen Elizabeth Stakes) and Fangirl ($1.95, Queen of the Turf Stakes) to bring home their all-up bet.

“We put up $1.90 about Via Sistina which I thought was a nice price but she is into $1.85 now,’’ Daffy said.

“She’s still at a backable price and I think she might shorten again.

“Then it’s down to Fangirl and I expect her to shorten from her current odds of $1.95. She loves the Randwick mile, its horses for courses, she has J-Mac and Chris Waller again so she gets all the ticks.’’

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THE CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 2 - THE FAVOURITES

Percy Sykes Stakes (race 4): Tempted - $3.10

No bets over $1000.

Arrowfield Sprint (race 5): Autumn Glow - $1.45

Bets of $10,000 at $1.90 (all-in), $6000 at $1.50, $4500 at $1.50 multiple times, and $2000 at $1.50.

ATC Australian Oaks (race 6): Treasure The Moment - $1.60

Bets of $4500 at $1.70, $3600 at $1.70, multiple $2000 best at $1.70 and $1.60.

R7 Sydney Cup (race 7): Alalcance - $2.80

Biggest bet of $5000 at $2.80

Queen Elizabeth Stakes (race 8): Via Sistina - $1.85

Bets of $10,000 at $1.70, $5500 at $1.70, $5000 at $1.70, multiple $2000 bets at $1.90 and $1.80

Queen of the Turf Stakes (race 9): Fangirl - $1.95

Biggest bet of $1,500 at $1.95.

Originally published as The Championships Day 2 could be feast or famine as punters bank on short favourites