Winterbottom Stakes 2020 Tips, Preview & Best Bets

This dual group one-winning Godolphin gelding finished fourth as favourite in the 2019 edition of this feature where on face value, was a little plain in a race dominated up front by Hey Doc, and the son of Street Cry has had one less run this spring compared last year's campaign.

He again brings elite form lines over from the east where he was runner-up in the Moir and Manikato Stakes either side of his fourth-place Everest finish and that has been franked strongly via Gytrash and Bivouac (Darley Sprint Classic) both winning their next outings.

"The Wizard" William Pike will partner Trekking in the 2020 Winterbottom Stakes and he was aboard the six-year-old for a soft Belmont trial victory on November 23, so there doesn't look to be an excuse for comfortably the most proven galloper in this field.

In quite an even bunch of the top half a dozen or so local sprinters, this son of Zoustar is still very much on the up and third-up into what's only his third racing preparation, he can at least turn the tables on Celebrity Queen and Stageman from the Colonel Reeves Stakes.

Following a first-up victory via the Crawford Stakes on October 17, Indian Pacific was a month between runs when contesting that last outing on November 14 where on a Heavy 8 surface, it was set for those off the speed and he was still clearly the pick of those on-speed runners.

I suspect that was the planned blowout to peak with this feature in mind and especially if there's on-pace bias on the day, this will likely be one of the galloper's the market really warms to late.

Although there's a decent query to whether she's near the touch which saw her produce the run of the 2019 Winterbottom outside the winner (best of the closers), the first-up flop on a Heavy track is worth forgiving.

The wide gate was ultimately the undoing for the daughter of Artie Schiller in last year's edition and has had a much lighter spring ahead her 2020 tilt where the November 2 trial was quite strong prior to her return.

Flirtini is one of the more forgotten about gallopers for this sprint feature and on firmer going this Saturday, has a turn-of-foot to win this at her best.