Verdict Reached On Wine Dark Sea
Wine Dark Sea pictured going clear in the Italy Handicap - 9th May 2026 @ Ascot (GB).
A recent episode of Racing TV’s (GB) ‘The Verdict’ lauded the staying prowess of Wine Dark Sea, after he won a class 4 handicap at Carlisle. Regular host of The Verdict Angus McNae heaped praise on the horse after he won the recent Cumberland Plate (24 June 2026) by 13 lengths.
McNae made specific mention of the fact Wine Dark Sea raced close to the pace and won the event, while the two ahead of him, Gaelic Approach and Alpine Sierra faded to finish last and second last.
McNae added, “They’ve gone a good even gallop and they can’t maintain it, but Wine Dark Sea in third can, by coming home with a finishing speed percentage of 99.09%, better than the par at Carlisle which is under 100 at 98.78%.”
This horse and the video caught my attention because the host went on to state that Aussies would have their chequebooks out as the horse was a Melbourne Cup prospect. I won’t deny that, as Australians have earned a reputation for buying second and third tier stayers from England, Ireland and France and turning them into money makers on the Australian staying scene.
After watching ‘The Verdict’ (you can do so also by clicking the link at the bottom of this article) I immediately perused the big name bookies for Wine Dark Sea amongst their Melbourne Cup Futures options. He’s not listed though.
The good news is, it won’t be long until we find out if the horse is serious and not a flash in the pan type. He’s nominated for a Class 2 heritage handicap at Newmarket on Friday afternoon 10th July (London time). Some of the opposition are horses that have been midfield in Northumberland Plates and Ebor Handicaps such as Roaring Legend and Real Dream. However, Valedictory the second most popular in betting was five and a half lengths 6th behind Wine Dark Sea in the Italy Handicap in early May. There were no obvious excuses for Valedictory on that day, though in his favour on Friday is the fact he gets roughly 2.5KG assistance from the handicapper.
Look for a Good to Firm track to bet with confidence that Wine Dark Sea can repeat the dose and dispense of Valedictory and some weathered handicappers. The race kicks off at 3pm (GB time) at Newmarket, which translates as 12 midnight on Friday heading into Saturday. If Wine Dark Sea does win, perhaps some bookies will add him to their Melbourne Cup Futures markets, or maybe an Aussie based trainer or owner will actually splash some cash on the Harry Charlton trained gelding.
