NEXT UP

The joy of the Caulfield Cup is the wide range of possible and plausible winners that it can serve up.

The last six years highlight this with:

Established superstars - Verry Elleegant and Incentivise

Lightweight flyers - Durston and Boom Time

International visitors - Best Solution and Mer De Glace

2023 might just offer a combination of all three as international visitor Valiant King arrives as a lightweight flyer and with the potential to develop into an established superstar.

There are many ways to turn in a Caulfield Cup, and this one in particular, but none appeal more - given each way prices - than Valiant King who has fired off a few hints that he could be good enough for this and very good indeed.

The obvious clue is Vauban. The Melbourne Cup favourite saw off Valiant King but not (somewhat fittingly) without a fight and with plenty of space between them and the Derby fourth back in third. But the best clue might be Royal Ascot.

The King George V is invariably a great form race and, among its long list of future winners and improvers, it has thrown up plenty of familiar names in Australia. Valiant King was runner up there and about a match for the winner and subsequent Leger third Desert Hero. 

Last year's KGV runner up was Deauville Legend but a better line to draw might be another legend, Land Legend, no match for Valiant King that day and a nice winner at Randwick last week. If Valiant King has maintained his margin on the Land Legend we saw last week he will post a rating bang in line with that is expected to win here. 

The European three-year-old in the Melbourne Cup remains very much in vogue though Valiant King will be only the second to try it in the modern Caulfield Cup. The other to try was Constantinople who was arugably (as a strong backer I was certainly arguing...) unlucky not to win when fourth in 2019. 

Constantinople came down with a slightly stronger rating but a few more kilos for his Caulfield quest which had really started to gather momentum when (you guessed it!) he ran second in the King George V at Royal Ascot back in June. Like father like son, Joseph will be looking to make amends for his father's Constantinople and he appeals as a cracking gamble to do so. 

Earlier on the card, Tropical Squall must have a terrific chance as the first Flight winner to turn up in the Ethereal - Flight losers have done well here in the past - but she is not the only one with the makings of a better than average Ethereal winner and Autumn Angel gives us something to take her on with. 

It is true that Tropical Squall's Flight win was a performance backed up by the clock, faster than all four miles on the card including the Epsom, but that time was the result of a wonderful ride and splits show her starting to empty at the end. 

That certainly wasn't the case for Autumn Angel in the Stutt where she was finishing best of all. Her rating there was strong enough and close enough to Tropical Squall to think that she will need to bring all of that Flight peak to the table here - no easy task for Tropical Squall but at evens v 4/1 it becomes an easy enough task for punters. Back Autumn Angel. 

THE MELBOURNE MAIL 

Bet Of The Day: Race 3 #4 Autumn Angel @ $5.00 with bet365*

Each Way Play: Race 9 #18 Valiant King @ $12.00 with bet365*

*odds correct as of 19/10 7:00pm AEST 

bet365 has several other offers for Caulfield on Saturday as the spring carnival heats These include...

bet365's 25% winnings Boost token race this Saturday will be the Caulfield Cup (Race 9 Caulfield) 

Jockey Mega Boost– Jamie Kah to ride 1+ winners at Caulfield (Saturday) – was $1.83 boosted to $3.00 (boost prices available from 10am Saturday – prices subject to change/singles only/max stakes apply/eligible customers only)

Horse Mega Boost – Race 2 Caulfield – Riff Rocket to win – was $1.50 boosted to $2.20 (boost prices available from 10am Saturday – prices subject to change/singles only/max stakes apply/eligible customers only)