Understrength Adelaide Cup Starts Thursday

FEELING the full wrath of the lure of the Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase, an understrength Group 1 Adelaide Cup Series gets underway at Angle Park this Thursday night, leading into Friday week's $75,000 to-the-winner final.

Won by some of the sport's greats throughout its decorated history, this year's Adelaide Cup could be described as a glorified group 3 series, with trainers of the country's leading sprinters understandably chasing the $1 million bounty on the offing for winning the Million Dollar Chase at Wentworth Park on Saturday, October 20.

And with the landmark Million Dollar Chase series only unveiled a few months ago, it was always going to deliver some casualties on an already congested group race calendar, with the Adelaide Cup front and centre, with just 34 entries lining up in Thursday night's five qualifiers.

Leading all-in betting for this year's Adelaide Cup with Bet365.com is local trainer Tony Rasmussen's star pairing of Nations and Honcho Monelli, currently on the top line of betting at $6.50.

Finishing first and third in last Thursday's Ubet State Of Origin match-race series at Angle Park, with Nations landing the event in a fast 29.55, both chasers have outstanding records at the circuit and look poised to start favourite for their respective heats.

Sitting on the third line of betting is the Kirin Corby-trained Fabwik at $8.50, joined by exciting Victorian sprinter Aston Kimetto, winner of the Warragul St. Leger in August, and Chief's Empire, a two-time group 1 finalist, and runner-up to Aston Kimetto in that epic Warragul St. Leger decider.

Whilst the Cup series lacks the obvious firepower it would have if not for the Million Dollar Chase, other notable entries in Thursday's heats include powerhouse chaser Spring Bridge, the in-form Real Simple, as well as NSW galloper Modus Operandi, on the heels of Not Available, Hasten Slowly and Dyna Patty at his most recent Wentworth Park engagement.