06/01/2026
by Emma Harrison
Saturday produced a fantastic day of racing at the Oracle Perth Sail Grand Prix presented by KPMG, and remarkably, three teams are tied at the top on 31 points, though they’re probably not the three that many would have expected.
We now have an odds-on favorite to take the first event of the season, but the bookies have seen it all before regarding the BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team. Despite a slightly slow start by their own high standards, the home team isn’t being ruled out of securing glory on Sunday.
DS Automobiles SailGP Team France Now Odds-On to Take Perth Event Win
So, who are those three teams that all finished the day on 31 points?
The DS Automobiles SailGP Team France finished runner-up in Races 1 and 3, and won Race 2.
The United States SailGP Team, meanwhile, secured three third-placed finishes on a day of excellent consistency from them.
But the surprise package was the Swedish Artemis SailGP Team, which finished runner-up in Fleet Race 2 and then bettered that with wins in Races 3 and 4.
And that’s how the three teams ended up on 31 points.
But the bookies are pretty adamant about which of the three they feel have the best chance of making and winning Sunday’s Grand Final: it’s the French.
They’re available at odds of 1.8 with Artemis SailGP Team given a 7.69 chance, while the Americans are out at odds of 33.33.
It’s a curious discrepancy in prices that the French are such strong favorites and that the Swedes, in their first-ever SailGP event, are so much shorter than the Americans, though they did, of course, win two races on Saturday, while the Americans’ best result was third.
BONDS Flying Roos Worthy of Respect
The day couldn’t have started any better for Tom Slingsby and his team, winning the opening race on Saturday, but he didn’t manage to replicate his efforts in the remaining races.
Slingsby showed all his class and experience to hit back after a slow start in the final race of the day to secure what could prove to be a priceless runner-up spot in a bid to make Sunday’s final, but there’s plenty of work still to do.
On 24 points, the Aussies are within striking distance of the top three, but they can’t afford many mistakes in Sunday’s last two fleet races.
But the bookies are showing them the respect they deserve. Despite having work to do just to make the final, they’re the 3.39-second favorites for the Perth event.
The top three in the current standings are all understandably odds-on to make the final, with Slingsby and his crew at 2.06 and Emirates GBR at 3.57.
The value, though, may be the Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team. Last year’s winners of the Rolex SailGP Championship are more than twice the price of the Aussies at 8.0 to win the event, despite being tied on points with them after Saturday’s racing.
Aussies and French Joint-Favorites For Sunday’s Opening Race
But before Sunday’s final, there are two more fleet races, and it’s the Aussies who are fancied once again for Race 5.
At 4.76, they’re available at the same price as the DS Automobiles SailGP Team France, with the Brits 7.41.
But don’t dismiss the 8.33 on debutants the Artemis SailGP Team, making it three in a row after wins in Races 3 and 4, as we’ve seen already.
They may not have the experience of many of their rivals in this Championship, but they certainly have the class and the crew members to carry on making an impact in Perth this weekend. And for the remaining races of the season, for that matter.
A reminder that the Black Foils SailGP Team has been ruled out of Sunday’s racing after their F50 was badly damaged in Saturday’s opening race.
As for the Switzerland SailGP Team, they’re expected to have a functioning boat for Sunday. But after not securing any points at all on Saturday due to damage to their own boat, they can no longer make the final, so there aren’t any odds on them to do so.
Next sail
DS Automobiles FRA
Artemis
Emirates GBR
Odds to make the final
| DS Automobiles FRA | Quentin Delapierre | |
| Artemis | Nathan Outteridge | |
| Emirates GBR | Dylan Fletcher | |
| BONDS Flying Roos | Tom Slingsby | |
| U.S. SailGP Team | Taylor Canfield | |
| Mubadala Brazil | Martine Grael | |
| NorthStar | Giles Scott | |
Starting points for our US readers
Starting points for our UK readers
Starting points for our Global readers
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