2015 Queen Of The Turf Stakes Form Guide & Preview

A quality field of female milers line-up in the Queen Of The Turf Stakes 2015 at Randwick Racecourse on Saturday as part of The Championships Day 2, a race form guide and betting analysis for which can be found below.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.

Diamond Drille is back to defend her Queen Of The Turf Stakes title this Saturday at Royal Randwick on Day 2 of The Championships. Photo: Steve Hart.

Fifteen fillies and mares make up the field for this year’s $1 million Group 1 Cellarbrations Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m), which is set to run as Randwick Race 7 at 3:15pm (AEDT) as one of four Group 1 events on the program.

The latest Queen Of The Turf Stakes betting markets at Ladbrokes.com.au, where you will find markets offering Best Tote or SP + 20% on your winnings for all four of the Group 1s on Saturday, are narrowly led by First Seal ($3.50).

Drawn in gate eight for jockey James McDonald the Flight Stakes winning daughter of Fastnet Rock comes off two close Group 1 seconds including behind 2015 Australian Oaks hope Fenway in the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) last start on March 28.

Hot on her heels in the open-age clash is then Noble Protector ($3.60) for Caulfield trainer Robert Smerdon, the imported Haafhd five-year-old after her third win on the trot.

The visiting Melbourne raider makes her Sydney debut on Saturday after her latest win in the Group 2 Sunline Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley on March 27 under the lights.

Also at single figures to win is then Catkins ($4.60) for Chris Waller, the always-honest grey mare looking to finally break through at elite level after a host of close calls including behind Cosmic Endeavour two back in the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes (1300m) at Randwick on March 7.

But are the order of the odds worth following when you place your Queen Of The Turf Stakes bets at Ladbrokes or does the race form guide and history reveal value further down the markets?

2015 Queen Of The Turf Stakes Form Facts & Betting Stats

• Last year’s Queen Of The Turf Stakes winner was the Gai Waterhouse-trained Diamond Drille who came off a fourth in the Group 2 Emancipation Stakes, jumped from barrier two (of nine) with Tommy Berry aboard
• Gai Waterhouse (23-7-2-2-) has won a total of seven Queen Of The Turf Stakes including three of the past four and shoots for her eighth this year with #1 Cosmic Endeavour ($19), #4 Diamond Drille ($18) and #9 Amanpour ($31)
• #4 Diamond Drille returns to defend her title and is looking to become the first back-to-back Queen Of The Turf Stakes winner since the fellow Waterhouse-trained More Joyous (2011 – 2012)
• Jockey Tommy Berry meanwhile jumps off last year’s winner and instead rides stablemate #1 Cosmic Endeavour from barrier four

• Along with Waterhouse the only other previous Queen Of The Turf Stakes winning trainer with a runner on Saturday is Peter Snowden (6-2-0-0) who prepares #8 Gypsy Diamond ($26) in partnership with his son Paul
• Tommy Berry (2-1-0-0) meanwhile is one of three previous Queen Of The Turf Stakes winning jockeys with a ride this year along with Glen Boss (14-2-2-2) on #12 Telepathic and Kerrin McEvoy (6-1-0-1) on #9 Amanpour
• Last year’s winning barrier (2) on Saturday belongs to #11 Intimate Moment ($34) and has produced a total of three Queen Of The Turf Stakes winners (since 1983)
• The most successful Queen Of The Turf Stakes barrier in that time with five winners is eight and #14 First Seal ($3.50) jumps from the gate this weekend
• Favourites have a gun record in the race with seven wins in the past decade most recently with More Joyous (2012); this year’s favourite is #14 First Seal
• Last year Diamond Drille won at 40/1 odds however so the roughies are still worth a look at Ladbrokes.com.au
• #14 First Seal is looking to become the first three-year-old winner of the race since Forensics (2008) and just the third in the past decade with Mnemosyne (2006) the other to beat the older mares in that time
• The Emancipation Stakes produced last year’s winner and this year the Queen Of The Turf hopes coming out of that race are the winner Catkins (1^st), Amanpour (2^nd), Gypsy Diamond (3^rd) and Hera (8^th)
• #2 Catkins (48%) boasts the highest Win Rate of the field followed by #14 First Seal (40%), #1 Cosmic Endeavour (39%) and #6 Noble Protector (38%)
• #14 First Seal (90%) has the best Win Rate followed by #2 Catkins (84%), #6 Noble Protector (77%) and #7 Sports Illustrated (71%)
• Runners with the best record at the Randwick track are: #14 First Seal (4-2-2-0), #1 Cosmic Endeavour (6-2-1-0), #4 Diamond Drille (6-2-0-0), #8 Gypsy Diamond (7-1-2-0), #12 Telepathic (3-1-1-0) and #2 Catkins (3-0-2-0)

• Over the distance (1600m) the hopefuls with the best form are: #3 Diademe (15-5-1-2), #5 Bonaria (12-4-1-0), #4 Diamond Drille (5-3-0-0), #6 Noble Protector (5-3-1-0), #8 Gypsy Diamond (7-2-1-0), #11 Intimate Moment (7-2-1-1), #2 Catkins (4-1-1-1), #7 Sports Illustrated (2-1-1-0), #10 Hera (2-1-1-0), #14 First Seal (1-1-0-0) and #15 Amicus (1-1-0-0)
• The three previous winners over the track and distance are then: #4 Diamond Drille (3-2-0-0), #8 Gypsy Diamond (4-1-1-0) and #14 First Seal (1-1-0-0)
• Randwick is likely to be in the Soft range on Saturday and the runners with the best form in the wet are: #1 Cosmic Endeavour, #2 Catkins, #4 Diamond Drille, #5 Bonaria, #8 Gypsy Diamond, #10 Hera, #12 Telepathic and #14 First Seal

Stay tuned to Races.com.au for our insider Queen Of The Turf Stakes 2015 betting tips to be published shortly.

Before then however make sure you’re ready to lock in the weekend’s hottest autumn racing odds by signing up with Ladbrokes.com.au and depositing the promo code BETBONUS to have your first deposit matched dollar for dollar up to $250!

2015 Queen Of The Turf Stakes Form Guide