Race day focus: Best bets, inside mail for Hawkesbury
A Chris Waller-trained three-year-old gelding that is loaded with potential can get the first of many career wins at Hawkesbury. BEST BETS, INSIDE MAIL
Horse Racing
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Daily Telegraph form analyst Shayne O’Cass gives his best bets and runs the rule over every race for Hawkesbury.
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!
HAWKESBURY
BEST BET
Race 2, No.2: KAZALARK
Great-grandson of Riverina Charm who is destined for Group racing sooner or later. Not sure he starts if it is too Heavy but he is the Black Booker for the future.
NEXT BEST
Race 2, No.1: FLOATING
Grey son of the grey Puissance De Lune, this Matthew Smith-trained gelding was barnstorming to say the least last start.
VALUE BET
Race 5, No.5: HUON
Kermadec half-brother to Blue Diamond winner and Golden Slipper runner-up Earthquake and hasn’t put a hoof wrong really.
QUADDIE
Race 5: 5,10
Race 6: 2,3,5,11
Race 7: 1,3
Race 8: 1,2
JOCKEY TO FOLLOW
Brenton Avdulla has a good book of rides on paper, none better than Kazalark if he comes.
THE INSIDE MAIL FOR HAWKESBURY
RACE 1
Proud Image accepted for a race at Kensington on Wednesday but got handed the outside draw. That compares to barrier 3 here in a much easier race of course. The Jason Coyle trained bay is unplaced in her four starts but you couldn’t rightly say that she has run poorly at any of them. Gets her best chance to win one. Smart As Smart, the great-grandson of Whisked, is the proverbial work in progress and is heading the right way. Skylight Song is a big improver back in class, fitter and with the blinkers on.
Bet: Proud Image to win, Smart As Smart to place, quinella 7,12
RACE 2
Kazalark has a way to go to emulate Kolding or Kermadec quality but he is the next ‘Special K’ for a lot of us. Me? I thought he would be in, and win, the Spring Champion Stakes but he had a bit of interrupted campaign so we will have to hold fire for next year’s Randwick and Rosehill Guineas and even the Derby. Flexing is a John O’Shea trained son of Xtravagant who was $18 into $11 on debut at Goulburn and ran a very encouraging race in a deep maiden. Added metres suit. High Chaparral son Supra Marnium is crying out for 1500m.
Bet: Kazalark to win (best bet)
RACE 3
Floating is a very typical son of Puissance De Lune in as much as his is a grey anyway. His three runs this (second) preparation have all been fantastic. He was nothing short of barnstorming when he won at Newcastle over the 1300m. If it was 1500m then like it is here, it would have been eight lengths and not four lengths. Gigantic was building up to a win and for him, it also came last start. That was no fluke either. Little Lanai is a million times better than her last run down at Goulburn. Dreamdeel is a horse on the up.
Bet: Floating to win
RACE 4
Chipper is the sixth foal of the Danzero mare, No Comment, who is the gift that keeps on giving for trainer Kim Waugh given he (Chipper) follows in the hoof-steps on Conrad, Don’t Recall, Mo The Great to name a few. As for Chipper, his form is way, way above these others and he has been trialling like a bomb lately. Counter Move is a market watch of epic proportions given that she is a Nathan Doyle trained debutant who has trialled particularly well. Ditto most of that for the Kristen Buchanan-trained Megaton, Cassimir has claims.
Bet: Chipper to win
RACE 5
Huon is a half-brother to Blue Diamond winner and Golden Slipper runner-up, Earthquake, Palmores and Pandemic. Huon hasn’t reached those lofty heights but he will pay for himself and could even get to stakes grade in time. He did beat Communist in his only win so far remember. This race fell away quite significantly from acceptance time to post time which promotes Adamas Prince up from potential placegetter to main danger to Huon. He’s got a compelling set of numbers to make it a James and Edward Cummings exacta.
Bet: Huon to win, exacta 5 to beat 1
RACE 6
Zetarita is a valuable mare for later on being by Capitalist out of the Lees/Hannon stakes-winner, Onemorezeta. As for the daughter of Capitalist, Zetarita has won two of her 12 starts and was second on another. May not sound like the best strike-rate ever but keep in mind that she has raced in a Light Fingers, Inglis Sprint and Denise’s Joy. Euphrates Dream has placed at both of her Hawkesbury runs, both wins are at 1100 and she has won on a Heavy 9 albeit at Mudgee. Has been trialling extra well. Starboreta is a track/trip winner.
Bet: Zetarita to win, quinella 3,5
RACE 7
California Surreal is nominated for two other provincials races this week, perhaps as insurance in case we lost this meeting and maybe because of her wide draw. Let’s assume for a minute that they are on and she is here, she shouldn’t be marked down on her first-up seventh of nine at Warwick Farm. Tipping her own splits were more than acceptable. Newley Wed is a Savabeel mare retained by Waikato Stud and given to Team Hawkes for whom she has raced five times for a win and a second. With her breeding, she can only get better as time goes by. Her win was on a Heavy track and her trial was very good. King Of Hearts likes this venue a lot.
Bet: California Surreal to win or if scratched, Newley Wed to win
RACE 8
Bryon is a gelding but he is so well related that we have to at least acknowledge it. His dam is Mrs Post whose father is the Arc winner Carnegie, Mrs Post’s mother is our own mighty Mannerism. Now, as for Byron himself, he has raced eight times for three wins and two seconds which is a recommendation alone to like him here but gee he has trialled well lately. Great draw. Xtra Approval is a Newhaven Park bred gelding whose record on Soft/Heavy brings him into this big time. Da Nang Star is one for one at the track/trip.
Bet: Byron to win
Originally published as Race day focus: Best bets, inside mail for Hawkesbury
Insane jockey incident blows minds
Footage of a jockey performing an insane act has forced commentators to come up with a new word for the English language.
Gai’s $2.7m import shows he is Melbourne Cup quality
Sir Delius, a $2.7m purchase, rubber-stamped his Melbourne Cup credentials with an impressive victory at Doomben in his debut for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.