Canterbury, Ballina, Moruya best bets, inside mail for Friday, January 16, 2025

Champion jockey James McDonald is back riding in Sydney for the first time since November 13 and is ready to make a splash. BEST BETS, INSIDE MAIL

Kirikan can break through at Canterbury. Picture: Bradley Photos

Racenet and The Daily Telegraph form analyst Shayne O’Cass provides his best bets and race-by-race analysis for Canterbury and best bets for Ballina and Moruya on Friday.

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!

CANTERBURY

BEST BET

Race 4 No. 3: Kirikan

Saves his best for this track and trip and has acceptable Heavy form.

NEXT BEST

Race 3 No. 11: Swelter

Hugely impressive Super Maiden winner at Kembla. Heavy may be a concern.

VALUE

Race 7 No. 6: Balkans

First run for Richard Litt. Trials are good, Heavy track form less so.

QUADDIE

Race 4: 3

Race 5: 2, 9, 10, 11

Race 6: 3, 9, 13

Race 7: 5, 6

James McDonald can mark his return to Sydney racing with a couple of winners at Canterbury. Picture: Getty Images

JOCKEY TO FOLLOW

James McDonald is back riding in Sydney for the first time since November 13.

BALLINA

BEST BET

Race 1 No. 2: Spiritchaser

Only won one from 15 but placed eight times and boasts way superior form.

NEXT BEST

Race 7 No. 8: Captain Fenkel

Arrives for his Ballina Cup mission truly in career best form.

MORUYA

BEST BET

Race 6 No. 6: Taytay Bay

Wasn’t too bad in a Highway last start. Will be strong late.

NEXT BEST

Race 2 No. 7: Falcon Gold

Encouraging signs there second-up. In good hands.

Taytay Bay shakes them off from @CanberraRacing! pic.twitter.com/LpqI0mINf6

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) February 23, 2024

INSIDE MAIL – CANTERBURY

RACE 1

Gatekeeper, James McDonald’s first ride back in Sydney since November 13, was a $700,000 Easter Yearling purchase. He is a son of the unbeaten US Triple Crown winner Justify and what’s more, he is the first foal of Surround/Light Fingers Stakes winner Nakeeta Jane. Gatekeeper ran second to his Chris Waller-trained stablemate Automne Tree in that Jan 7 trial. He was just as good and has drawn much better. Ron Quinton-trained Signor Tortoni has a wide alley to contend with but he has valuable race experience and ran well too.

Bet: Gatekeeper to win

RACE 2

The Stars is another Waller/McDonald alignment, this one provided by her owner/breeder John Cornish at Torryburn Stud. It’s not a bad system in racing to back any and every Zoustar Chris Waller saddles-up, especially when they trial like bombs. Stablemate Shanoni is by Nicconi, the father of Waller’s Everest winner, Nature Strip. Something crazy like 72 per cent of Nicconi’s offspring win and the way the Ingham filly Shanoni trialled, she’ll be joining them very soon. Scintilla won’t have to improve a ‘scintilla’ to take this out.

Bet: The Stars to win, exacta 5 to beat 4

Swelter is looking to make it back-to-back wins. Picture: Bradley Photos

RACE 3

Swelter (a dual acceptor) is a cleverly-named filly by Too Darn Hot; her dam is Boorooj who was fourth in a Widden Stakes on debut. Swelter won’t be hard to spot tonight, just look for the jockey in the Winx colours. That jockey is Lee Magoarrian who steered Swelter to her easy win in a mile Super Maiden at Kembla 12 days ago. Magorrian also rode the stablemate, Yulong’s Lough Eske when he started paying down his $1.3 million price-tag at Beaumont on Dec 19. James McDonald rides now. Waller also trains Pretty Powerful who is a last start winner. That means her dam is 10 from 10 foals to winners. Wow.

Bet: Swelter to win

RACE 4

Kirikan is another Waller/McDonald combination and their shared record of wins is 435 at 21.2 per cent. Kirikan has only won one in 20 starts but it is important to note that win was at this same track and distance, a mere eight days before his career personal best second in the Group 3 Grand Prix at Eagle Farm. Drawn 2 as well. Smart Legend was $5 into $3.50 when he won at this track and trip on New Year’s Day with jockey Braith Nock playing a very big part in the win.

Bet: Kirikan to win

RACE 5

Stagnum is trained by Team Hawkes who also trained his sire, Exceedance and ‘mother’s father’, All Too Hard. This particular three-year-old was $12 out to $19 back into $15 when he won on debut here on December 20. He really swooped on them day. It was impressive stuff. Capital Asset is one of the ‘not that many’ Capitalist progeny that has good Heavy track form. He is also a second-up winner off a bit of an eye-catcher in that race at Randwick on Boxing Day where Headley Grange was runner-up.

Bet: Stagmum to win

Kia Ora-bred STAGNUM made a bold showing on debut to come from last to win the 1st on the card at Canterbury Park. The @HawkesRacing trained son of Exceedance & All Too Free was sold through our Inglis Weanling draft in 2022.

Congrats to his winning connections! ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/FxOFoHgK5x

— Kia Ora Stud (@kiaorastud) December 20, 2024

RACE 6

Spicy Hotpot has also accepted for the Midway at Rosehill on Saturday. Impossible to know how either track will play but is barrier one tonight a blessing or a curse? Time will tell. Regardless of all that, she was fantastic winning first-up. Not That Easy is likewise a chance to run in the Midway. Wherever she goes, she ought to be competitive on her record. Bindi’s Choice is as good as any of these and better than most; just a tiny bit of an unknown commodity of a really Heavy track. Jamais won (easily) here on debut and has been freshened-up since her seventh of eight here on Nov 20 which wasn’t awful.

Bet: Spicy Hotpot or Not That Easy or Bindi’s Choice or Jamias to win (scratching likely)

RACE 7

Balkans can add his name to the long list of former Godolphin horses that make their way to Richard Litt’s stable and win. Balkans is a superbly bred gelding by Lonhro and there was a time that his dam, Ottoman, was a very early favourite for the Golden Slipper. Long story short, the trials were excellent but he has no real wet track form. Pity it looks like being Heavy which may also keep Kimberley Secrets at home. She looks to be absolutely flying ahead of what would be her first run since the 2023 Snake Gully Cup.

Bet: Balkans each-way or if scratched Kimberley Secrets each-way or if scratched, Storm The Ramparts to win