Verry Elleegant Stakes 2024 Betting Tips - Waller holds the key

Alex Marsh

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Last updated: 28 Feb 2024

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Alex Marsh 28 Feb 2024

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The Verry Elleegant Stakes headlines the first Group 1 card of the year in Sydney
10 runners make up the final field for the 2024 edition
Fangirl heads the market with Picklebet
Preview & tips are included below

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Fangirl is aiming for a fourth Group 1 win in the Verry Elleegant Stakes. (Getty)

The Verry Elleegant Stakes (formely Chipping Norton Stakes) headlines the first Group 1 program of the calendar year in Sydney, running alongside the Surround Stakes.

2024 Verry Elleegant Stakes Tips
2024 Verry Elleegant Stakes Field & Odds

Contested over the mile at Royal Randwick, this is a Group 1 WFA event and the winner is exempt from ballot for both the Doncaster Handicap and Sydney Cup later in the autumn.

Fangirl is all the rage in the early markets, with the Chris Waller-trained mare a $1.55 favourite with Picklebet to win the 2024 Verry Elleegant Stakes.

2024 Verry Elleegant Stakes Tips

2024 Verry Elleegant Stakes Best Bet - Fangirl

With her get back racing pattern, drawing barrier 10 is the least of Fangirl's worries in the Verry Elleegant Stakes, as J-Mac will at the very least have galloping room when he needs it.

Anamoe going to stud has given Fangirl her time to shine, with the Chris Waller-trained mare winning two Group 1's last spring and both of those triumphs were at Randwick.

She was defeated second-up with a similar platform in that last prep, which is one of the main queries here, although her Apollo Stakes run on February 17 was on another level.

When the rail is in the true position at Randwick, it tends to favour off-speed runners, so unless there's an unpredicted and savage on-pace bias (or a lot of rain), Fangirl won't start much longer.

The five-year-old is superbly placed to bring up a fourth Group 1 victory, with the Verry Elleegant Stakes field no stronger to what she faced via her first-up assignment.

2024 Verry Elleegant Stakes Value Bet - Buckaroo

He might not be able to trouble Fangirl at WFA level over 1400m-1600m, especially on drier ground, however, Buckaroo was arguably the run outside of her in the Apollo Stakes.

A Chris Waller-trained import who glimpses via two runs in his first Australian prep last spring, the five-year-old had trialled well in the first of his January hit-outs.

Buckaroo was saved for one run fresh, having got off heels at the 200m before working through his gears late and he could be one aimed towards a Doncaster Mile this prep.

His best chance of upsetting Fangirl would be to gain an early tactical advantage and now from an inside draw second-up over 1600m, Tommy Berry should be more positive.

He did trial well ahead of his second Australian campaign and the entire did show early speed in the first of those summer workouts when going with a handy Tiz Invincible.

2024 Verry Elleegant Stakes Field & Odds

No.	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Odds
1	Think It Over	Kerry Parker	Nash Rawiller	3	59kg	$8
2	Cascadian (GB)	James Cummings	Tom Marquand	9	59kg	$17
3	Arapaho (FR)	Bjorn Baker	Zac Lloyd (a)	8	59kg	$51
4	Buckaroo (GB)	Chris Waller	Tommy Berry	1	59kg	$11
5	Just Fine (IRE)	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	Regan Bayliss	2	59kg	$7
6	Navajo Peak	David Payne	Jason Collett	4	59kg	$26
7	Lindermann	Chris Waller	Tim Clark	5	59kg	$12
8	Athabascan (FR)	John O'Shea	Tyler Schiller	6	59kg	$126
9	Fangirl	Chris Waller	James McDonald	10	57kg	$1.55
10	Atishu (NZ)	Chris Waller	Kerrin McEvoy	7	57kg	$26