A balmy spring day with a predicted top temperature of 24 degrees means a bumper crowd for Caulfield Cup day. One of Australia's leading tipsters passes on a few tips on how to enjoy your day and some of the horses to watch.
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Is this Jameka's Caulfield Cup?
Racing editor Patrick Bartley previews the field ahead of the 2016 Caulfield Cup.
THE FORECAST
Fine, windy, 24 degrees.
WHEN'S THE BIG ONE?
Caulfield Cup. Race 8, 4.30pm.
INSIDER MAIL
Book a ticket online by Friday (www.melbourneracingclub.net.au) for $10 off the $65 race-day ticket price. You'll also avoid ticket gate queues.
Place your Caulfield Cup wagers early. The TAB will usually provide best odds for the favourite Jameka. Yes, she's a "local" (Caulfield trained), the win and place pools will be huge and once-a-year punters will always invest on roughies.
If you want to see the Cup, get a vantage spot an hour or so before the race and stay put. Not too fussed? Two big screens inside the running rail in the straight will show all the race-day action.
Teenagers, to buy alcohol (don't try to BYO) you will need prove you are 18. Wrist bands will be issued from areas inside the main entrance gates.
Bookies odds will be on display on the lawn area in the front straight or on the ground floor of the grandstand.
Drink and food queues are unavoidable. Stay patient, and enjoy the atmosphere.
GETTING IN
Gates open: 10.30am.
First race: 12.15pm.
Online tickets: $55.
At the gate: $65.
Children aged 14 and under free is accompanied by an adult. Concession tickets only available at the gate.
GETTING THERE AND AWAY
Trains: Extra services will depart every 10 minutes from Flinders Street from 7am to 7pm. Take a Frankston, Pakenham or Cranbourne line train.
Getting home: Trains will run every 10 minutes from platforms 1 and 3 at Caulfield station.
Express trains from platform 3 will run Caulfield to South Yarra then stop at Richmond and Flinders Street, 4.58pm until 6.58pm.
Trains on platform 1 will stop all stations Caulfield to Flinders Street 4.57pm until 6.37pm, then at 6.51pm and 7.05pm.
Yarra Trams: Route 3 or 3 from Swanston Street. Get off at stop 56.
Bus: SmartBus route 900 from Stud Park Shopping Shopping Centre, Wellington Road, Monash University (Clayton) and Chadstone Shopping Centre. Route 624 buses from Kew, Auburn Station, Tooronga Station and Holmesglen Station also operate to Caulfield.
Taxis: Patrons can be dropped off at the Station Street entrance gates. Taxi rank located outside main entrance Gate 23.
By car: Free public parking: in the Centre Car Park.
Members car park 1 access only via Station Street then onto Bond Street.
Members car park No 3 via Station Street, Gate 2 (access into Station Street via Kambrook Road only)
Members centre car park - via the vehicle tunnel at the roundabout at the intersection of Glen Eira Road and Kambrook Road.
Closed roads: Normanby Road between Smith Street and Queens Avenue from, 8am. Station Street and Smith Street will be closed to all traffic from 6am.
ENTERTAINMENT
Music: Live on the Crown Lager Live stage: Baker Boys Band from 12.30pm, to play between every race until race six. DJ Minx from 3.20pm between races six and eight, Tommy Trumpet from 4.40pm after the Caulfield Cup. DJ Nath Op De Coul starts 6pm.
Food: Pop-up venues from Mamasita, Mr Miyagi, Mistress Estelle, Red Door Yum Cha, Skewer'd and Street Feast.
Fashion: David Jones Showcase runway times: 1pm and 2.10pm. Westfield Style Stakes: Open 10.30am to 1pm. Winners announced 3.20pm.
DRESS STANDARDS
Members' Reserve: pullovers and cardigans (as outer wear), denim jackets, zippered waist length casual jackets, any clothing revealing bare midriff, shorts, jeans, running or sports shoes, thongs or any dilapidated footwear are not permitted.
General admission: Racegoers must not wear any item of clothing considered "offensive" to any Melbourne Racing Club authorised representative.
MY FIVE BEST BETS
Ethereal Stakes
Caulfield Race 4 No 2 SEBRING DREAM
Strong to the line in last Saturday's group 1 Thousand Guineas, clocking the second-best last 200m of the race.
All her runs this spring have pointed to her staying potential so the rise to 2000m looks ideal and this is a rung down in class.
Suggested bet: Sebring Dream to win
Coongy Cup
Caulfield Race 6 No 3 MAURUS
First sign of his best form this spring when he charged home from last in the JRA Cup at Moonee Valley, taking ground off the winner Real Love, who is Caulfield Cup equal second favourite.
An Ipswich Cup (2150m) winner, Maurus ran a close fifth in the Group 1 Doomben Cup in May, narrowly beaten by Saturday's rival and early favourite It's Somewhat and gets a 3.5-kilogram edge at the weights over that horse.
With The Cleaner guaranteed to make this a truly run race, Maurus can swoop home a winner.
Suggested bet: Maurus each-way.
Tristarc Stakes
Caulfield Race 7 No 2 TYCOON TARA
Keep backing in-form mares is one of the truisms of racing and applies to Tycoon Tara.
A revelation since joining the Snowden's in Sydney, Tycoon Tara has won three of her four starts this spring, all at group level.
She is a foolproof galloper who will bounce straight to the front as usual, handles firm or soft ground and is a Group 3 track and distance winner in February last year when prepared by Symon Wilde.
Suggested bet: Tycoon Tara to win.
Caulfield Cup
Race 8 No 11 JAMEKA
Jameka versus the internationals is how many see the Caulfield Cup unfolding and it's hard to argue.
Jameka's spring form has been outstanding with a Naturalism Stakes win at Caulfield and a Turnbull Stakes second to Cox Plate contender Hartnell, proving she has taken the step from dominant filly to Group 1 class mare.
The proviso is the internationals are lightly raced, in astute stables and extremely hard to line up against our best.
Suggested bet: Jameka to win
Cup update: There have been two scratchings from the Cup field on Saturday, with Tarzino and Set Square both withdrawn.
Caulfield Sprint
Race 9 No 5 HELLBENT
Seeing is believing in the case of lightly raced Hellbent, who demolished Sheidel with a lethal finishing sprint over 1100m here last month.
Sheidel won last Saturday so the form stacks up.
He's back 100m and rises to a Group 2 but has the limit weight and last start D.K. Weir winners rarely go backwards
Suggested bet: Hellbent to win.
THE QUADDIE
Tristarc Stakes
Take Tycoon Tara (2) as a banker in the opening leg.
She's a foolproof on-pacer at the peak of her powers.
My number: 2
Caulfield Cup
Jameka (11) is stand out among the Australian trained runners but it may be wise to have some back ups in a race as competitive as a Caulfield Cup.
Dunaden (2012) and Admire Ratki (2014) are recent internationally trained Cup winners so, content Jameka has the locals covered, we suggest adding the best of the internationals Scottish (4), Sir Isaac Newton (5) and Articus (9).
My numbers: 4, 5, 9, 11
Caulfield Sprint
Classy field but hard to go past Hellbent (5), who was ultra impressive winning a lesser race here three weeks ago.
Star Turn proved the short-priced Quaddie anchor for many last Saturday and the Darren Weir-trained Hellbent will be just as popular on Saturday.
My number: 5
Moonga Stakes
Darren Weir also has a strong hand in the closing leg with Stratum Star (2) and Voodoo Lad (12).
Stratum Star is a proven group-level galloper ready to peak after a sprint run while Voodoo Lad, who has been in work since a Warrnambool wet-track win in May, continues to progress through the grades and was gallant in defeat in the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes.
Respect for the in-form Sydney sprinter Takeover (4), who will race on pace, swooper Hopfgarden (11) and bold front-running Kiwi visitor Mabeel (10), who is unbeaten fresh.
My numbers: 2, 4, 10, 11, 12
For a $20 outlay you would receive 100 per cent of a $1 dividend.