Golden Ticket/Win And You Are In races have become more and more popular over time, especially when it comes to races like the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup, and the whole idea of ballot exemption races are in the spotlight this week with news The Gateway, which was a golden ticket into the Stradbroke Handicap, is now being used as a slot for the iconic 1400m race, with connections having the option to either use their horse or negotiate with connections to use the slot.
The question is, do long range golden ticket races work? Down below, we will look at the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup and see if the golden ticket races actually work or not.
Caulfield Cup
The only long range golden ticket race for the Caulfield Cup is the Mornington Cup, usually held in March. Down below is the last five years of the Mornington Cup winner and how they fared in the Caulfield Cup.
2019: Self Sense – Didn’t make it to the Caulfield Cup
2020: Aktau – Didn’t make it to the Caulfield Cup
2021: Mount Popa – Didn’t make it to the Caulfield Cup
2022: Crystal Pegasus – Ran 14th in the Caulfield Cup. $101 SP
2023: Right You Are – Ran 5th in the Caulfield Cup, $41 SP
Verdict: I could have gone back another ten years with other examples. If I was at the MRC, I’d switch the Ansett Classic and Mornington Cup. That way, the Mornington Cup would be in late September and would be an ideal lead up race for the Caulfield Cup. Where it is now, it isn’t working and hasn’t worked for a number of years.
Melbourne Cup
There are two long range golden ticket races for the Melbourne Cup. The Andrew Ramsden has been there as ballot free since 2019 while the Roy Higgins was introduced this year as a golden ticket race for the first Tuesday in November, won by Goldman, who didn’t make it to the Cup. Down below is the last five years of the Andrew Ramsden winners and how they fared in the Melbourne Cup.
2019: Steel Prince – Ran 9th in the Melbourne Cup, $61 SP
2020: Oceanex – Ran 11th in the Melbourne Cup, $81 SP
2021: Realm Of Flowers – Didn’t make it to the Melbourne Cup
2022: Point Nepean – Didn’t make it to the Melbourne Cup
2023: Lunar Flare – Didn’t make it to the Melbourne Cup
Verdict: There are 7 golden ticket races for the Melbourne Cup and history says none of them work, whether it be locally or overseas. The Ebor at York is the best handicap race the UK has to offer but in recent years, it has lost it’s aura. There are a host of races on the calendar closer to the first Tuesday in November that would be perfect races as a golden ticket, whether it be the Geelong Cup or Moonee Valley Cup. If you want to attract the better stayers, whether it be overseas raiders or local horses, put the ballot free races closer to the actual race.
