Horse Racing Tips for the Gold Rush 2025

The Perth Summer Carnival has already delivered its share of theatre, and the momentum rolls straight into Saturday’s $1.5 million Gold Rush at Ascot.

It’s a race that reliably blends eastern-raiders, local stars, rising talents and seasoned campaigners and the 2025 edition is shaping as one of the deepest we’ve seen.

Last week’s Winterbottom belonged to Libertad, the Railway was stolen by Watch Me Rock, and now the Gold Rush brings together sprinters and middle-distance types from all angles.

With warm weather sweeping across Perth, we’re set for a fast, fair track and a genuinely run 1400m, exactly the conditions that sort pretenders from proven performers.

You can access Luke's full set of racing tips for this Saturday via the link below.

 

 

Luke Hovhanesian’s Ascot Gold Rush Preview 2025

Track Conditions

Ascot is currently posted as a Soft 5, but that won’t hold for long.

Temperatures are forecast to reach 33 degrees on both Thursday and Friday, and Ascot’s famously quick-draining surface will firm noticeably.

By the time The Gold Rush jumps, expect a Good 4, offering:

• A fast but fair racing deck

• Even lanes across the course

• A slight advantage for runners settling closer to the speed early

• An ability to blend into the race from midfield as the day progresses

The rail sits at +3 metres, the same placement used consistently through this carnival, and it has promoted genuine tempo and clean racing without significant bias.

 

Speed Map Overview

Overpass is the logical leader and should control proceedings from the moment the gates open.

Comfort Me presses forward from barrier six, while Oscar’s Fortune kicks up from the inside draw to hold a prominent position.

Three critical runners Rope Them In, Super Smink, and Western Empire map just behind the pace, each in a stalking role that gives them every possible chance.

Jokers Grin and Rey Magnerio likely settle worse than midfield and look to round them up late, while Cosmic Crusader sits midfield with cover before looking for the back of the right horse on the corner.

Expect a genuinely run 1400m, with the race won by the runner who can sustain a strong sprint from the 400m.

 

The Favourite: Overpass

Overpass deserves respect simply on weight-for-age credentials. A dual Quokka winner and twice a Winterbottom winner, his class at 1200m is proven beyond doubt.

The question is the 1400m.

He hasn’t been tested at the trip for more than three years, and his historical attempts beyond 1200m paint a mixed picture. The flip side is this: he is a stronger, more complete racehorse now, and if he rolls to the top uncontested, he will take catching.

On a Good 4 with a controlled tempo, he becomes very hard to run down. But if pressure emerges, or if the race becomes a true staying 1400m, several swoopers have profiles that match up better late.

 

 

Luke’s Top Four Selections

1st – Rope Them In $7.50

This is the race he has been set for all campaign, and every piece of his form screams 1400m at Ascot is the perfect scenario.

His run in the Asian Beau sitting between Watch Me Rock and Cosmic Crusader while carrying 61kg is elite form.

He meets Cosmic Crusader 7kg better at the weights here and should enjoy a dream run from barrier seven.

His Winterbottom run was far better than the finishing position suggests.

He was in the wrong part of the track and chasing a tempo that never suited his pattern.

Now up to 1400m, on a fast Good 4, with a soft midfield map and a proper weight swing, this is his race.

The stable has clearly earmarked the Gold Rush as his grand final, and he profiles as the most tactically advantaged runner in the field.

 

 

2nd – Super Smink $15.00

Barriers, tempo and luck all conspired against her at times this preparation, but her best form remains top-class.

Her 2023-24 sprinting profile showed she can blouse top-level fields when things fall her way, and the shift back to 1400m with a 21-day spacing looks ideal.

Importantly, Lucy Fiore reunites with the mare and that rider change alone could be worth lengths.

She maps beautifully just behind the speed and gets her preferred conditions on a Good 4.

If Rope Them In doesn’t put them away, Super Smink is the one most likely to charge over the top.

 

3rd – Overpass $3.80

If he jumps cleanly, absorbs no mid-race pressure and controls the tempo, he becomes incredibly dangerous.

The record at 1400m is the only concern, but his class at WFA still holds him in the finish.

He’s the horse that forces everyone else to make decisions.

If they let him bowl, he turns the corner two lengths in front and dares them to catch him.

He won’t be far away.

 

 

4th – Western Empire $11.00

He’s enjoyed a remarkable resurgence this season, defying age, weight and history.

His Railway and Northerly runs were both excellent in context, and dropping back to 1400m with a strong platform makes him a live chance.

His class keeps him in every big race he contests and he maps well enough to stay within striking distance.

He may not have the same acceleration as Rope Them In or Super Smink, but he’ll be strong late.

 

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