Best bets and inside mail for Cowra on Monday 10 March 2025

Cowra hosts a seven-race card on Monday where trainer Joseph Ible is represented but two live chances including Hellarama, a son of Yarraman Park stallion Hellbent.

Yarraman Park sire Hellbent back in the day (Photo by Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images)

The Daily Telegraph’s Shayne O’Cass previews racing at Cowra on Monday.

BEST BET

Race 2 No. 4: Hellarama

Back for a second campaign and resuming in the ‘easiest’ race so far.

NEXT BEST

Race 5 No. 13: Talihina Sky

Former Victorian who finished‘1’ and ‘2’ in two NSW runs.

VALUE

Race 1 No. 4: Turn Left

Drawn one here and will be better for the debut, hopefully.

DAILY DOUBLE

1st Leg (13), 2nd Leg (1)

QUADDIE

Race 4: 4,8,15

Race 5: 3,13

Race 6: 4,5,12

Race 7: 1,11

JOCKEY TO FOLLOW

Jean Van Overmeire will be hard to beat on the Jockeys Challenge

INSIDE MAIL

RACE 1

Turn Left is a cleverly-named filly out of Flying First Class whose prior progeny include this one’s handy stablemates, One Aye and Two Aye. This daughter of Showtime (who jetted off to Indonesia last August) was $4.40 into $3.70 on debut in a Super Maiden at Nowra on Feb 23. Bit plain on the day but this is a much easier assignment. Locally housed Sabatina is working her way up to a win via some rather strong country-class maiden races. Son Of Eureka has the right draw, the right jockey and the right form.

Bet: Turn Left to win

RACE 2

Hellarama was a $50,000 Inglis Classic Yearling. He’s a son of the G1 winner and G1 sire, Hellbent out of a Zoustar mare whose dam was by Danehill. Hellarama third dam is the hugely influential Tennessee Morn so he is bred to win races for a start. He wasn’t bad in his opening campaign, just the two runs, both in harder races than this. Spicy Lui is a market watch, on debut from a G1 stable and off some decent trials. Pedigree buffs take note; her fourth dam was the out and out Champion filly; Salsabil!

Bet: Hellarama to win (best bet)

RACE 3

Prince Papa has won three from 22 with two seconds and two seconds and what’s more, his ‘bad runs’ are few and far between. As for Monday, the son of Casino Prince is first-up and while he doesn’t have a glowing fresh record, this race is well within his reach, talent-wise. Chico Casino will find this a whole lot easier than his CDRA Championships Qualifier (fading) 8th of 14. That was a high pressure 1400m whereas this is 12000m bearing in mind that both of his wins are at 1200m. All Astern has claims.

Bet: Prince Papa to win, quinella 2,4

RACE 4

Great Week, a Pat Murphy trained stablemate of the abovementioned Procne Papa, has raced just four times under his care, and is ‘2311’. That’s impressive enough but more so when you factor in that his winning margins were three-lengths and two-lengths respectively. The son of Frankel is just so darn well placed here. Call Me Artie thoroughly deserved that win at Goulburn last start for the simple fact that he has been both consistent and a shade unlucky at times. For the record, he beat Ghost Walker and My Blue Jeans (who runs here) that day.

Bet: Great Week to win

RACE 5

Talihina Sky was a $150,000 Premier Yearling in 2023 who raced three times in Victoria for Tony McEvoy, two of the three runs were quite good. Gayna Williams bought this filly at the Inglis November Online sale for $11,000. She has had two runs for Williams, winning one by five lengths and being beaten three at the next one by the handy Onyspeed. Drew 11 then, drawn 1 now. Joe Cleary’s Kiss The Colours is a very fast horse; her three career wins have come at/between 900m and 1000m. Going to give them something to chase.

Bet: Talihina Sky to win, exacta 13 to beat 3, DD 1st Leg (13), 2nd Leg (1)

RACE 6

Maybe Marueen is a valuable and worthwhile broodmare proposition when the time comes. Not many mares down under can claim to be a direct descendant of Raise You (she’s the mother of Raise A Native). As for her own ability, Maybe Maureen’s only win so far was at Forbes on Cup Day where she beat the handy Cougars. Runner-up three times behind infinitely better horses than what she meets today. That is with the exclusion of Take The Change, a lightly-raced local who is ‘3’ and an easy 1’ this preparation and so clearly on an upward trajectory.

Bet: Maybe Maureen to win, quinella 4,5, box trifecta 1,4,5,12

RACE 7

Zale has only won once in 19 starts but as well as those five seconds, we have seen this Warwick Farm stationed son of denman run some honourable races in town. His ‘best’ is better than the rest of these. Look at some of the recent enough runs; fifth to Winston Hills and Lancaster Bomber, fifth to Noble Conqueror and Headley Grange. No excuses today. Eager to see if the lightly-raced Ultra Deep can back up his impressive Warren Maiden win here with the mandatory step up to Class 1 company. Lady Revolution has been consistent but costly too.

Bet: Zale to win

Originally published as Best bets and inside mail for Cowra on Monday 10 March 2025