The Metropolitan 2026 Tips, Predictions & Best Bets

Matthew Smith appears to have another quality stayer on his hands in Aethelwulf, who heads into Saturday’s The Metropolitan chasing a fourth consecutive victory.

While he steps up against a more experienced group of stayers, Aethelwulf is quickly establishing himself as one of the most exciting horses in the staying ranks. If he brings his best form to Randwick, he has every chance of producing the biggest performance of his career.

The 5YO has won five of his seven starts and was particularly impressive in the Newcastle Cup, where he comfortably handled the field. The 2400m journey should suit, giving him plenty of time to settle into his work and find his rhythm.

From barrier three, Zac Lloyd should be able to secure an economical run, potentially saving Aethelwulf for the business end of the race. With plenty in reserve for the final 200m, he could prove extremely difficult to run down and looks capable of delivering for punters.

One of the more interesting runners in the field is Pinhole, who dug deep to get the job done last week. The quick turnaround from the Waller stable is a positive sign, too.

He got the better of Starzintheireyes, a highly touted type, and this 4YO son of Frankel is bred to be better than your average runner at this level. He’s a younger stayer on the rise, much like Aethelwulf, but punters can get a far better price than they can about the favourite.

Carrying just 53kg makes him hard to ignore, and if he gets a soft run throughout, his turn of foot could be better than most in the field. At double-figure odds, he’s one to include in your The Metropolitan predictions.

Mr Monaco is a runner worth including at a big price, and he could help boost payouts in a big way.

He didn’t fire a shot at Randwick behind The Euphrates last time out, but he doesn’t often produce two poor efforts in succession, so we’re predicting a much better effort in The Metropolitan.

Punters get massive odds of $46, so he’s unwanted in the market, but with 53.5kg, we’re prepared to take the risk and include him for some value.

Punters get value odds with our The Metropolitan SRM, which includes our three selected runners.

We have Aethelwulf to Win, Pinhole Top 3, and Mr Monaco Top 5, which pays $23.00 for our three-runner SRM.

We’re anchoring Aethelwulf to win, as we think he’s the best horse in the race. Punters get boosted SRM odds with Pinhole and Mr Monaco, who are paying generous odds to finish in the top 3 and top 5 respectively.