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2013 Kingston Town Classic: Horse racing preview, live blog and tips

7th December, 2013
2013 Kingston Town Classic

Start: 8.10pm AEDT
Luckygray wins the 2013 Winterbottom Stakes. (Image via PerthRacing)
Expert
7th December, 2013
28

The final Group 1 of 2013 is upon us with the Kingston Town Classic which has traditionally been the weight-for-age championship of Western Australia. Join us from 7.45pm AEDT for a preview and live blog of the race.

As one of only two Group 1 races run over 1800m under weight-for-age conditions, the Kingston Town Classic is an excellent race to round out the year’s Group 1s.

The only other 1800m Group 1 race in Australia is the Underwood Stakes which earlier in October, proved to be the best race we have seen all year.

The mix of middle distance and staying prowess makes 1800m the most underutilised distance amongst Australian Group racing and always delivers a spectacle.

The year’s Kingston Town is headlined by West Australian champion, Luckygray who took out this race last year.

After an unlucky season on the East coast where he failed to adapt to the softer track conditions, he was transferred to Trevor Andrews to continue his racing career in Perth.

Back on his home turf on firm ground at Ascot, Luckygray flew home in the Group Railway Stakes to show he has lost no form and simply didn’t handle the East coast. With his signature turn of foot, top weight under handicap conditions proved no problem.

He gets a big weight swing in his favour here with the step to weight-for-age class and his position at the top of the market is justified.

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Mr Moet must be respected here after taking on the nation’s best during the Melbourne spring carnival. Although he has not won this season, this is a small step down in class for him.

His run in the Railway Stakes was deceiving because he missed the jump and was never really in the race yet still improved from last to finish seventh.

He ran fourth in the Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes so he’s proven over the distance and runs well at weight-for-age level.

Playing God is another previous winner of this race after taking out both the 2010 and 2011 renewals. His form has tapered off over the past 12 months but his target remains the Perth Cup which is why he isn’t particularly fancied here.

Nevertheless, he ran on just as well as Mr Moet did in the Railway Stakes but the weight swing here goes against him.

Like the Cox Plate, any three-year-old which lines up in a weight-for-age race like this must come under serious consideration solely for their enormous weight claim.

Carrying just 52kg, Ihtsahymn is much more than a frustrating name to type.

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The three year old comes in off the back of a one length win in the Group 1 WA Guineas

By Ihtiram, we have not seen enough of his progeny to accurately predict Ihtsahymn’s true chances of winning this because the three year old’s form throughout the season has been inconsistent.

The bookies however are taking no chances which is why the colt looks under the odds.

Of the rest, Ranger has been dealt a cruel blow after being a late withdrawal from the Railway Stakes where he’d beaten the handicapper but faces a stiff test at weight-for-age level.

Tips
1. Luckygray
2. Mr Moet
3. Playing God
4. Elite Belle

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