3 minute read

The Racing and Sports pricing model picks for the 2020 Railway Stakes from Ellerslie.

The hugely talented Levante takes the step into Group One company in the Railway at Ellerslie this New Year's Day where her clash with star mare Avantage highlights a terrific card of racing. 

Click here for free form, ratings and speed maps for racing at Ellerslie today 

Avantage is the established star in the line up having won four Group Ones, including last year's Telegraph over this trip, and she's been better than ever at her most recent runs, finishing second in a pair of top flight contests behind Melody Belle. 

It's A1 form, no doubt, but back sharply in trip she runs into an exciting new challenge in Levante and the Racing and Sports pricing model sees the up-and-comer as the one more likely in what is shaping as a great betting duel based on early markets where very little splits the pair. 

Levate's late sectionals last time out suggest that she was far better than the result on the line and hint at her being a mare every bit as talented as Avantage. That assessment puts the heat right on the established star. She needs to be at her very best back at 1200m to see off Levante and the model makes it more likely that the new kid on the block prevails. 

If there is a blowout in the race away from the big two then Packing Rockstar looks a touch overpriced off a nice figure behind Elephant last time. There's room to back the pair given the Model takes a fairly soft view of Avantage who is current trading inside 2/1. 

Elsewhere on the card the pricing model finds a couple of interesting angles, the pick of which might be backing Coventina Bay to stitch up Prise De Fer again in the Rich Hill Mile.  

It will be Coventina Bay's first go at the trip and she shapes as though she might just relish it. The Te Rapa win was a career best effort and the warm overall rating makes it a standout formline.