Scone, Bathurst tips, inside mail for Monday, August 19, 2024: $8 value bet

Shayne O’Cass thinks a value-priced runner with strong form in recent Highway handicaps can notch a deserved victory at Scone on Monday. Get Shayne’s best bets, value bets and quaddie picks.

Shayne O’Cass

4 min read

August 18, 2024 - 5:00PM

Wiggles wins at Gunnedah in January this year. He has a terrific chance to return to the winner's stall at Scone on Monday. Photo: Bradley Photos

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Shayne O’Cass thinks a value-priced runner with strong form in recent Highway handicaps can notch a deserved victory at Scone on Monday.

Get Shayne’s best bets, value bets and quaddie picks.

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SCONE TIPS

BEST BET
Race 1 No.1 HERE COMES HOGAN
Entitled to his short quote given those last two seconds, one here, the other at Wyong.

NEXT BEST
Race 2 No.8 KIMBERLEY MOON
First starter from an astute local stable. Trialling like she has talent.

VALUE
Race 5 No.5 WIGGLES
Scratched from the Highway on Saturday; was very good in a Highway on August 3.

QUADDIE
Race 4: 3,8
Race 5: 3,5
Race 6: 3,6,9
Race 7: 1,3,8,11

SCONE JOCKEY TO FOLLOW
Braith Nock has claims in an open TAB Jockeys Challenge at Scone.

SCONE INSIDE MAIL

Race 1: Maiden Plate (900m)
HERE COMES HOGAN (1) will likely be one of the shortest priced runners on the card but for good reason. The Matthew Smith-trained gelding has placed at three of his five starts and would only have to repeat either of his two seconds this preparation to win this. Scratched from Wyong on Sunday. CRAZY MIKKI (5) is ‘ready to go’ judged on her two latest, very impressive, trial at Hawkesbury and Wyong. VARAZZE (8) is bred to swim (on pedigree at least). She has trialled well too and is down on the limit weight. Market the best guide.
Bet: Here Comes Hogan to win (best bet), exacta 1 to beat 5.

Race 2: Country Boosted Maiden Plate (1100m)
KIMBERLEY MOON (8) is a Scott Singleton-trained mare on debut in an ideal race ... provided she can handle the wet track, that is. Both of her trials were on Soft 7s and she had no issue at all, in fact, she really strode out like the proverbial ‘ready-made racehorse’. LUNAIRE (10) is a Messara/Gavranich-trained Deep Field mare making her stable and NSW debut after one run back in late January at Benalla. Won both trials. Has to be respected; big time. WITHSTAND (13) has the race experience on these other two plus a good draw. Has run well in two strong Maidens.
Bet: Kimberley Moon to win, box trifecta 6,8,10,13.

Race 3: Benchmark, 66 (1000m)
LAST FRONTIER (4) is a fascinating horse. He was sold for $380,000 at the Easter Yearling Sale in 2021 then re-sold online in March 2023 (unraced) for $600. He has won circa $50,000 in four starts; three (huge!) wins and a close third. Unknown commodity on the slop. JACENZA (1), the Rodney Northam-trained local, has won five from 16, four of them on Soft. The four kilogram claim raises his chances of winning quite substantially now. CUPID’S KISS (5) has won 1 from 22 on Good tracks whereas she is four wins and seven placings on Heavy.
Bet: Last Frontier to win or if scratched Jacenza each-way.

Race 4: Benchmark 58 (1200m)
INVINCIBLE WHIP (3) is a Kris Lees-trained gelding racing with blinkers off first time and tongue tie on first time, just for the record. The son of I Am Invincible has been to Scone twice for a win (his only win) and a third. Has been gifted a ‘winning draw’ if he is good enough. The Luke Pepper-trained HOT BANDIT (8) has run, by far, more good races than bad. His record at home here is impressive bearing in mind he beat Sky Artist and Imran to win his maiden. Turned in a real eye-catcher at Tuncurry coming from well back on a leader-bias track.
Bet: Invincible Whip to win, Hot Bandit each-way, quinella 3,8, box trifecta 3,6,8,10.

Race 5: Benchmark 82 (1300m)
WIGGLES (5), a $24,000 weanling purchase in Melbourne in 2018, has had his past seven (of nine overall) starts in NSW. In that time, he won back-to-back at Inverell on Cup day (January 1) and then at Gunnedah. The Jacob Perrett-trained chestnut has run two very good races in his Highways and was in fact scratched from the Rosehill Highway on the weekend. REBEL’S EDGE (3) has some pretty impressive numbers including two seconds and two thirds from four runs at Scone. Two wins from five at the trip and two from seven with two placings on seven Heavy starts.
Bet: Wiggles to win, exacta 5 to beat 3, Daily Double 1st Leg (5), 2nd Leg (3).

Race 6: Class 1 Plate (1600m)
SURREAL I AM (3) has been very unlucky indeed at his last start at Newcastle in a deep Class 1. There wasn’t a whole lot of room for him in the straight and he did look like he had a bit to offer without being a certainty beaten or anything like that. Not sold on him on a Heavy 9 or 10 though. MEDIA FRENZY (6), a member of the in-form John Thompson yard, was runner-up in the same race as Surreal I Am contested on August 8. Third-up now. Blueblooded Arrowfield local SMOKIN’ CRAZY (9) wasn’t called upon in either of the two trials. Ran second to Point Basse at her only run here.
Bet: Surreal I Am to win or if scratched Media Frenzy to win, Brief Song to place.

Race 7: Maiden Handicap (1300m)
CLASSIC POETRY (3) has raced four times (from eight career starts that is) for Nathan Doyle. In that time, the great-granddaughter of Dinky Flyer is ‘2422’ – keeping in mind that those three seconds are all at provincial level. Most important of all is that she has two seconds from three runs on Heavy tracks. Gigantic watch on the market and yard comments on Sky Thoroughbred Central regarding MIGHTY ZOU (1). Rodney Northam / Reece Jones, great breeding, lovely trials – ticks all of them. Grey ghost FIFTYFIVECHEVY (8) is a big player and the whitest 3YO I have ever seen!
Bet: Classic Poetry to win, quinella 1,3

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