Race day focus: Best bets, inside mail for Gosford, Coffs Harbour

Following an impressive debut win, a Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou-trained filly can end the day on high note at Gosford and make it back-to-back wins. BEST BETS, INSIDE MAIL

Trainers Gerald Ryan (right) and Sterling Alexiou can end the day at Gosford with a winner in Extraweird. Picture: Getty Images

Daily Telegraph form analyst Shayne O’Cass gives his best bets and runs the rule over every race for Gosford.

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!

GOSFORD

BEST BET

Race 8, No.7: EXTRAWEIRD

Well-bred filly from the Ryan/Alexiou camp who brought her trial form to the races when an easy debut winner last month at Hawkesbury.

NEXT BEST

Race 1, No.3: FAIREY BARRACUDA

Granddaughter of Shindig; placed two of four and has been trialling up very well indeed lately.

VALUE BET

Race 7, No.10: ROCSTAR BOY

Drawn wide but has a big finish on him and scope to be aimed at, and win, better races this time in and the next.

QUADDIE

Race 5: 1,2,7

Race 6: 1,5,7

Race 7: 5,10

Race 8: 8

William Pike will take beating in the TAB Jockey Challenge at Gosford. Picture: Getty Images

JOCKEY TO FOLLOW

William Pike’s fans from Broome to Bondi will be lining up to back the champion jockey at Gosford on Thursday.

COFFS HARBOUR

BEST BET

Race 3, No.3: GIMME THE CASH

Led throughout to post a comfortable (first) career win at Port Macquarie last Thursday. Can keep progressing.

NEXT BEST

Race 1, No.2: SHERRIFF CODY

Lightly-raced gelding who can stay at least a mile, only win was on a Heavy track too.

VALUE BET

Race 2, No.3: BAD BAY DARBY

Won his last two, beating a subsequent winner (Gobbled) at his most recent victory.

THE INSIDE MAIL FOR GOSFORD

RACE 1

Fairey Barracuda is a Kris Lees-trained granddaughter of Shindig who won a Coolmore Classic when trained by his legendary father, Max. Fairer Barracuda will turn six on August 1 and has only raced four times but she won’t go to stud without winning - that’s almost guaranteed. Form reads well for this but you have to mark the daughter of Rothesay ‘up’ on her trials. Fairy Barracuda’s two main dangers tomorrow, Latin Lyric and Silica Sand have started 46 times between them but no wins on the board. That said, they have both placed 10 times and shape well in this style of race. Both of them, Latin Lyric and Silica Sand get through anything and if anything, would probably prefer it Soft.

Bet: Fairey Barracuda to win

RACE 2

Aquileon could easily be saved for a 2400m race at Warwick Farm this Monday. There is 2600m which is no worry at all, this grandson of Galileo is plenty fit. Seems to be that he does handle Heavy tracks but like a lot of horses, he might like it more Soft than bottomless. Funambulist is costly but consistent. Gives the impression that he is looking for a trip like this now. Aperol Sprint is likewise fit and flying; the Matthew Smith-trained mare is on a hat-trick, so is her jockey, Blake Spriggs.

Bet: Aquileon to win or if scratched Funambulist to win

RACE 3

My Eloise is trained by Joe Pride who also housed her very handy grandam, Judged, who won three Group 3’s. My Eloise’s mother, Judicial Rock, was runner-up in a Summoned. As for the filly herself, Mt Eloise was tipped out after a fading fourth behind Mars Mission on Australia Day. Trials have been great. Ditto a lot of that for Privatisation who was $10 into $6 when she debuted at the midweeks. Mark Minervini-trained filly Exo Angel is a great type and impressed with the way he hit the line winning a trial here.

Bet: My Eloise to win

Alysha Collett has the ride on the Joe Pride-trained My Eloise when she resumes on Thursday. Picture: Getty Images

RACE 4

Sneaky Island looked a good thing on paper last start but was beaten by two others at the $1.95 in that Goulburn maiden. Hard to make excuses for horses that get rolled in the red but she had 60kg. She has 57kg this time but it is a harder race (if they all run). Last chances stuff now but could come through for the true believers. Superargo was more like the ‘real one’ when finishing runner-up at Hawkesbury on May 19. Great draw and Keagan Latham riding again. Satness has placed at half of his 12 starts. He will get there one day. Finds a winnable race, but we thought that last start too and he was run down.

Bet: Sneaky Island to win

RACE 5

The Rockwell Scale was a borderline ‘moral’ first-up (in my opinion) off his barrier trials and his race day debut third to Fluctuate at this same track on New Year’s Eve. He only won by a neck but looking back, he deserves a lot of praise. For starters, he was there to beaten the way it was and the horse that he staved off was Shishov who has won since. All eyes are on Alicia Roma here. She is ‘untapped’ just like The Rockwell Scale. You could make a sane case that she should in fact be unbeaten in her two starts. Loaded with talent and promise and trialling liked a bomb. Boomsong will be nowhere else but prominent from the outset.

Bet: The Rockwell Scale to win, quinella 2,7

RACE 6

Awesome Wonder is an Irish-bred daughter of Galileo out of our own Coolmore Stud Stakes Group 1 winner Nechita which makes her a sister to Group 3 winners Harpo Marx and Forbearance. This John O’Shea-trained filly was a big winner at Wyong at her Australian debut. She never really got into the race at Rosehill after that but expect more here or at Hawkesbury on Sunday if she is scratched from this. Five Crowns is a Kris Lees-trained son of the dual Doncaster winner Sacred Falls. The gelding has raced eight times for three wins and two seconds. This is just the perfect race for Five Crowns with the perfect barrier and perfect jockey. Mandalorian is ready to come back to provincial racing having gone away and won at Nowra and Bathurst last month.

Bet: Awesome Wonder to win or if scratched Five Crowns to win

Trainer John O'Shea prepares Irish-bred filly Awesome Wonder who can bounce back at Gosford. Getty Images

RACE 7

Rocstar Boy is a talented horse who could end up in Provincial-Midway Championship Final. Granted there is a lot of water to flow under the bridge before that happens but his trainer, Angela Davies, knows how to win one, think Through The Cracks. As for Rocstar Boy, he has drawn wide but will come in a fair few perhaps with scratchings on the day. No matter what happens, he can go back and charge anyway. The Denzel has a pretty tidy C.V of a win and five placings (four of them seconds) from his 11 starts. Has some genuine depth to his form and he trialled well at Randwick six-days ago. Crimson Rock has drawn wide but he could come in a few too and of course they can still win, wide, from this start.

Bet: Rocstar Boy to win, exacta 10 to beat 5

RACE 8

Extraweird is trained by Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou and is out of a stakes-placed sister to the camp’s Light Fingers winner, Perignon. Long story short, Extraweird trialled like a champion on April 29 at Rosehill but was - face value - nowhere near as good there a week later which probably accounts for why she was $10 on debut. We should have known better and stuck solid, because she won and won easily. Po Kare Kare, the Savabeel replica from the Bryce Heys camp was $3.30 but lost no admirers in defeat when beaten on the Kensington track bearing in mind, she was last of the 11 at the top of the short straight yet clocked in third only two off the winner, Glittery. Phule is a Kris Lees-trained filly in the Australian Bloodstock colours who clocked in fourth spot in the same Po Kare Kare race.

Bet: Extraweird to win

Originally published as Race day focus: Best bets, inside mail for Gosford, Coffs Harbour