Mr Brightside challenging Pride Of Jenni for Memsie Stakes favouritism as punters come for Antino
The Group 1 Memsie Stakes isn’t a two-horse race between Pride Of Jenni and Mr Brightside according to punters, with another contender attracting plenty of support.
Horse Racing
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News.
One of the two main combatants has eased in early betting but some punters don’t think Saturday’s Group 1 Memsie Stakes will be a two-way battle.
Mr Brightside and Pride Of Jenni will go at it again in Saturday’s Caulfield feature, which heralds the start of the Melbourne spring carnival.
Both will start their respective Cox Plate assaults in the $750,000 race.
• ‘I didn’t want a street fight’: Why Kanga courted controversy
Their paths towards The Valley in October could vary but they will attempt to become the 23rd Cox Plate winner to have contested the Memsie Stakes.
Pride Of Jenni is the early favourite to resume a winner in the Memsie Stakes.
The Ciaron Maher-trained mare holds sway in TAB’s market at $2.60 ahead of Mr Brightside at $2.90.
However, Pride Of Jenni has eased significantly from her opening price of $2.10.
Pride Of Jenni is yet to win first-up but most of those attempts were before her emergence as one of Australia’s best gallopers last spring.
Mr Brightside had to dig deep to narrowly defeat Pride Of Jenni when the pair last clashed over the Caulfield 1400m course in the Group 1 CF Orr Stakes in February.
Pride Of Jenni won the pair’s last three clashes, including in the All-Star Mile and Queen Elizabeth Stakes in the autumn, but Mr Brightside is five for five over 1400m at Caulfield.
Bets on Pride Of Jenni account for 35 per cent of TAB’s Memsie Stakes betting while a quarter of the money is on Mr Brightside.
TAB has reported bets of up to $7500 on Pride Of Jenni and multiple $2000 wagers on both stars.
But TAB’s Rohan Welsh said Queenslander Antino has attracted 20 per cent of Memsie Stakes betting, forcing the bookmaker to trim his price from $7 to $4.50.
• Four-Play, Quadzilla: $200 betting strategy for Caulfield
“It shapes as another classic between the top two with Pride Of Jenni attracting several sizeable bets of note with TAB and Mr Brightside as popular as always,” Welsh said.
“They’ve become two of the most followed horses in the country and the interest in the latest showdown has again been reflected in the market.
“Pride Of Jenni has been the better backed of the two with TAB with around 35 per cent of investments compared to Mr Brightside’s 25 per cent.
“But punters have also been keen to throw in a third option with Antino securing around 20 per cent of the outlays to tighten from $7 into $5.”
The Memsie Stakes will be run in breezy conditions and on a track likely to be rated a Good 4.
Originally published as Mr Brightside challenging Pride Of Jenni for Memsie Stakes favouritism as punters come for Antino
‘I enjoy winning’: Purton reveals Group 1 he wants most
Zac Purton has ridden more winners than anyone else in Hong Kong racing history but there’s one elusive Group 1 race he is determined to secure this autumn.
Later start for Giga Kick to chase autumn riches
Giga Kick’s trainer Clayton Douglas says the powerful sprinter is still weeks away from appearing at the trials as The Everest winner prepares to start his autumn campaign in Sydney.