Need an early Caulfield Cup futures play?

Expert form analyst Nick Noonan has you covered.

After the running of the Toby Newton Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield on Saturday, Noonan singled out one horse which he believes could take out the prestigious Group 1 at juicy odds.

And that is none other than the winner of Saturday's Toby Newton, Darkbonee, who is trained by Symon Wilde.

Noonan explained that the son of Palentino, who has three victories from nine career starts, seems primed to win the Group 3 Naturalism Stakes (2000m) – a golden ticket race that guarantees entry into the Caulfield Cup (2400m) for the winner.

“Good horse! This is a huge win from a horse that experienced his first exposure to proper Saturday class horses,” Noonan started on RSN’s Correct Weight.

“He's only going to be better over a further distance. And I think he's only going to be better for the experience of that run, a fast run race.

“He smashed an Australian Cup winner (Light Infantry Man). Detonator Jack just won a Winter Championship. Just Folk’s a very honest horse, and he's brained them in the end. He’s beaten them up!

“I'm very confident that he can just go and win the Naturalism and then he's straight in.”

When looking at the Caulfield Cup market, the five-year-old gelding currently holds a price of $26 with many bookmakers.

Given that Noonan believes Darkbonee could very well win a golden ticket into the $6 million race, he recommends punters to have a speck at the horse, given his odds.

“I'm of the thought that this horse can just go to the Naturalism and win, and once you win a Naturalism, you're into a Caulfield Cup,” continued Noonan.

“So that's where I'm looking with him, and I've backed him accordingly in the Caulfield Cup.

“So, we've had a futures bet. $26, we're taking the price, punters… Because if he wins the leadup (the Naturalism), then he will start shorter.

“And looking at his profile, rising in distance is going to be a huge positive, and he's going to be right down in the weights in those races.

“He sort of fits the profile similar to Half Yours last year, coming through the Naturalism. I’m not saying he’s going to win but just have something on him.”

Godolphin’s Green Spaces is currently the $8 favourite with Sportsbet to win the Caulfield Cup, while Aeliana ($10) and Sir Delius ($13) are the second and third favourites, respectively.

However, both Aeliana and Sir Delius are expected to bypass that Group 1.

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