Race 9, Royal Randwick, Drinkwise Civic Stakes
The Drinkwise Civic Stakes is a Listed race over 1400m at Royal Randwick on 20 June 2026, with the track rated Soft. In a bigger field, the squeeze off a soft pace tends to sort those with a clean, tractable pattern from those who need things to go their way. Midnight Dynamite maps to fit that brief; the question is whether the class drop flatters the form or whether the form is simply returning.
Midnight Dynamite ($3.05) is the clear market leader and drops into Listed company after running in stronger fields. Last start he did early work and kept finding, only to be run down late, which reads as a tough, honest effort rather than a soft loss. The caution is that recent runs sit below his earlier peak, so you are backing the class drop to lift him, not a horse visibly on the up.
General Salute ($5.25) is narrowly preferred on the market over the field behind the favourite, and the sectionals give a reason for that. His return run included the second-fastest last 200m of the meeting, 11.51, and he carries Group 1 formlines into a Listed race. His recent form has also dipped, but if the 1400m on a Soft track suits his closing pattern, he is live at the price.
Cool Jakey ($7.75) drops in class and in weight after a freshener. Described as likely to hold a forward position, he is worth including in exotics if the pace scenario breaks his way. The same form-declining note applies here, though, so treat with appropriate scepticism.
The scenario that sharpens the read: if Midnight Dynamite gets a soft run midfield on a track riding consistently, his class drop is a genuine advantage. If General Salute's last-200m speed translates to the 1400m trip on this going, the margin between first and second could be tight. Track condition updates closer to race time will matter on a Soft surface.
Think. Is this a bet you really want to place?
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