Wagga preview, best bets, inside mail for Sunday, March 30, 2025
Trainer Gary Colvin is looking forward to the return of promising three-year-old Warpainted and has feature race aspirations for the gelding.
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Country Championships Final winning trainer Gary Colvin harbours ambitions to add another ‘big race’ to his resume in a matter of 33 days time.
The Wagga maestro aims to play a leading role at the annual Riverina carnival in May, primarily in the three-year-old department via the lightly-raced and talented Warpainted.
“He will probably be my Guineas horse at Wagga,” Colvin said.
“I’ve got a bit of an opinion of him. He is a nice horse going forward.
“He was a very immature horse and now he has had a few runs, he has really learnt how to race now.
“He is definitely a mile horse and he is a nice big strong horse, I really like him.
“He’ll start off in an 58 rating race on Sunday and it wouldn’t surprise me if he wins.”
Taking the lead shortly after the jump, @colvinracingau's 3yo D'Argento gelding Warpainted recorded his second win from his last three starts, taking out the 1600m event @mtcwagga with @NickHeywood8 in the saddle.@anz_news@inglis_sales@BownessBoss@TTRAusNZ@picnic_racingpic.twitter.com/sPDh9aUoNp
— Bowness Stud & Watershed Farm (@BownessStud) January 26, 2025
The Form: Complete NSW Racing thoroughbred form, including video replays and all you need to know about every horse, jockey and trainer. Find a winner here!
Warpainted is a son of Rosehill Guineas winner D’Argento and blessed with broodmares sires that read like a who’s who of global breeding namely; Bernardini, Sunday Silence, Summer Squall, Fappiano, The Minstrel, Bull Dog and best of all, Man O’ War.
Warpainted is far from the only progressive horse in the Colvin camp.
Take Philadelphia Storm for instance.
The six-year-old has only clocked up 23 starts but nothing he has done so far has been more impressive than his emphatic win at Albury as recently as March 20.
Philadelphia Storm’s weekend mission is the Inland Power Handicap which also acts as a Heat Of The Wagga Stayers Series.
“I’m reluctant to back him up but he’s pulled up unbelievable, so I said, right we’ll run him again,” Colvin explained.
“We have only just got to go across the road here and I think the 1800m will suit him.
“It looks like it is going to be a bit wet here I’d say and that won’t worry him.”
Philadelphia Storm can certainly lay claim to being a blue-blood.
Not only is he a son of a Hall Of Famer, his grandam is a three-quarter-sister-in-blood to the great Mahogany whose wins included a Cox Plate, the VRC and AJC Derby double and a Lightning Stakes for good measure.
Philadelphia Storm flies down the outside to win at $21 fixed odds in the 5th at Albury! 💰 pic.twitter.com/MqPgL4HBs1
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) March 20, 2025
Colvin, meanwhile, has the honour of saddling up a second offspring of Choisir in the shape of Persian Dancer who is scheduled to resume in Jupiter Motors Benchmark 82 (1400m).
“She is going to a mile and 1800m but this is a good race her first-up,” the trainer said.
“She’ll give a lot of cheek. She’s tough and she just loves to race. She is a real tryer.”
Persian Dancer has acquitted herself admirably when tested in Sydney but like most horses, has an affinity with her home track.
So much so that three of her five career wins have been at Wagga.
Colvin starts the day with a tally of 222 winners at Wagga.
Anyone who saw Lucy Lulu’s last run there on May 13 would agree Colvin should be on 223.
“She had no luck,” he said.
Lucy Lulu has a chance to set the record when she steps out in the last race on the card, albeit from a double figure alley.
“I don’t really appreciate wide draws normally but if it gets a bit wet here, it doesn’t hurt you to be a bit wide at Wagga, so it might advantage her to be out there,” said Colvin.
SHAYNE O’CASS’ TOP SELECTIONS
BEST BET
Race 6 No. 8: Brial Rose
Reliable mare; very fast, drawn gate 4 and unbeaten in both heavy track runs.
NEXT BEST
Race 4 No. 5: Arthur The Great
Back in grade from an honourable fourth in the SDRA Qualifier on March 1.
VALUE BET
Race 1 No. 3: Zillenial
Form is slightly better than it reads at first glance. Could figure.
QUADDIE
Race 5: 3, 4, 7
Race 6: 5, 8
Race 7: 1, 5, 12
Race 8: 3, 9
JOCKEY TO FOLLOW
Blaike McDougall will hard to beat in the TAB Jockeys Challenge.
Zillenial is unplaced in six starts to date but he has finished fourth twice and both were on Heavy tracks. Likely to be rain affected to some degree at least. Whatever the case, barrier 4 and Jeff Penza are two major advantages. Desert Opal has two seconds and a third from his half dozen starts. His last start fourth at Albury was as good as anything he’s done. Getting so close now. Deeba is by the excellent young stallion Tassort and has been trialling very nicely indeed. Blaike McDougall was on her in both Heats.
Bet: Zillenial each-way, 3, 5 box trifecta 3, 5, 10, 13
Hot Toddy has placed four times in 10 starts; sometimes costly true, but he can launch late which he may have to do from the wide gate. Majestic Roca is a Gerry Harvey bred, Danny Beasley-owned and trained three-year-old who trialled rather well here on March 10. Justbetryin’ was second to Cambar in a trial last year. Market watch advised.
Bet: Hot Toddy each-way, box trifecta 2, 4, 5, 7
Burgundy Girl snatches the win up on the inside of the pack in race 7 at Wagga for Keith Dryden. pic.twitter.com/Q8YbE4Ipmc
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 31, 2024
Burgundy Girl ran second in the Sapphire Coast Cup, fifth in the Canberra Cup Preview and then eighth of 11 in the Canberra Cup. Long story short, she was a long way back as usual and it was pretty much an on-pace Cup this year won by a very good horse in Palmetto. Loves the wet. Great Week bagged a hat-trick last start (great ride). Four of his five wins are on Good tracks but he has placed four from eight on Heavy.
Bet: Burgundy Girl to win, quinella 4, 5
Arthur The Great, it is worth remembering, won on debut at Narrandera back in August 2023 by six lengths. His record as it currently stands is 11 starts for three wins and three placings. He was pretty good in a Highway on Gong Day last year and very good in the SDRA Heat last start. The wet is the query. Gundy Guy has three starts, three wins at Wagga, one of those was on a Heavy 9 which could be significant today. Fox Appeal ran in a $250,000 race last start.
Bet: Arthur The Great to win, quinella 2, 5
Gap job!
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) August 22, 2023
Arthur The Great makes light work of his rivals on debut today!
Nick Heywood the pilot for @DScottRacing. pic.twitter.com/lx6mvKlD4W
Dita Von trialled three times without racing for Tony Gollan during 2024. The daughter of Showtime has raced twice for Michael Travers at Albury and Wagga respectively and ran way better than her $26 starting price each time. Nice draw. Stairway was fifth then fourth twice, in her three runs over the border for Tony McEvoy. With Ron Stubbs now and trialled well enough at Wagga Riverside on March 10. Roulllottie and Hollerground are players.
Bet: Dita Von each-way
Brial Rose is another Ron Stubbs-trained, Jason Lyon ride. A real Denman from nose to tail, this brown/black coloured mare has a tidy resume of two wins and three placings from seven starts. Placed at both Wagga 1000m starts; what really seals the deal is barrier 4 and the fact that she is unbeaten in both Heavy track runs. Acheson has a very good first-up record. Take out that last run here last prep and there is not a bad run on his resume.
Bet: Brial Rose to win exacta 8 to beat 5, Daily Double 1st Leg 8, 2nd Leg 9
Brial Rose dominates Race 4 at Gundagai! 💪@RonStubbs4pic.twitter.com/rpJtjYshca
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) August 6, 2024
Daze Off is a son of Starcraft with two wins, one second and a third from her eight starts. One of those two wins was his debut here at Wagga back in August last year. Was $12 into $10 first-up and ran a big race in a Benchmark 82 here. Gary Colvin has Wagga Guineas aspirations with Warpainted. Mayfair Hotel’s wins are at a mile and 1800m but she’s the type who can pull out a big run fresh.
Bet: Daze off to win, Mayfair Hotel to place
Lucy Lulu should have at very least placed last start, if not actually won. She was held up badly in the stretch when she had plenty to offer. She won here before that on March 1 and was coming away at the finish too. So, in some ways, we could make the case that she should be two from three and on a hat-trick. Super Sunny Seeya is a consistent gelding who arrives here off three successive placings. Added to that, he has a win and three thirds from five starts on heavy tracks. Adventure Seeker won first-up on a Heavy 8 at Goulburn.
Bet: Lucy Lulu to win
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