Raceday focus: Best bets, inside mail for Canterbury

The Daily Telegraph tipster Shayne O’Cass has run his eyes over the Canterbury meeting and has found his winners. See his best bets, tips and inside mail.

Kerrin McEvoy is Shayne O’Cass’s jockey to watch at Canterbury. Picture: Getty

Form analyst Shayne O’Cass runs the rule over Monday’s Canterbury meeting in search of winners.

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

Written Beauty (Race 8 No.14)

Switched stables since six-length win in Gold Coast maiden when running fast time. Brilliant trial.

NEXT BEST

The Bopper (Race 6 No.7)

Broke the Tamworth 1000m course record on debut then waltzed away with the big 2yo race at Scone. Exciting type.

BEST VALUE

Bebeautiful (Race 5 No.2)

Listed winner in France inside five runs. Now With Chris Waller and trials have been very good.

QUADDIE

R5: 2, 4, 8. R6: 7. R7: 3, 6. R8: 14.

JOCKEY TO FOLLOW

Kerrin McEvoy could rack up a few points in the TAB Jockeys Challenge after his Epsom win.

Written Beauty is Shayne O’Cass’s best bet. Picture: Greg Irvine/Magic Millions

MUSWELLBROOK

BEST BET

Valree (Race 6 No.8)

Only been to Muswellbrook twice, winning Godolphin Tiara and finishing runner-up. Handy.

NEXT BEST

Wickmo (Race 7 No.8)

Another Rodney Northam runner. She can hit back hard after a trip to Sydney last start.

THE LATE MAIL: CANTERBURY

RACE 1

Yiyi is a half-brother to ATC Oaks winner Unforgotten and is out of a mare by Galileo which is significant given that he has shown signs that he will likely be a 2000m (plus) horse as his career develops. Yiyi has run over 1300m then 1400m and is at 1550m is a small field today with a good draw. Handy and strong late is the plan here. Ditto that for the Frankel son and stablemate Yangtze Rapids who is likewise eager to get out to a trip. Much Much Better could lead here. Fit and consistent, this is the right race at the right venue.

BET: Yiyi win

RACE 2

Nicci’s Fling is a bargain $50,000 yearling. She has won two of her 3, banked back $33,850, and has a future as a broodmare being a granddaughter of Midnight Fever. She was $1.50 into $1.35 when she resumed at Nowra and she bolted in running good time – easily! Gooree filly Perfect Radiance won debut at Newcastle then came to town and was a (fading) fourth to Peltzer. Trials have been better than they look on paper. Lord Olympus should be unbeaten! Wholesome Delight showed ticker to win at Canberra.

BET: Nicci’s Fling win, box trifecta 1,5,7,10

Kerrin McEvoy is Shayne O’Cass’s jockey to watch at Canterbury. Picture: Getty

RACE 3

Sam Clipperton wasn’t going to let barrier 10 of 10 ruin Aspect Ratio’s chances at Wyong last start, taking her to the front and streaking away to win by nearly four lengths. That came on top of a very good first-up run there from a mare who was famously runner-up in a Ming Dynasty to Derby winner Quick Thinker. Inviciano is the on the back-up after winning well on the Kensington track. Has the ‘winning draw’ again today. Coci Baci was a distant second to Aspect Ratio at Wyong; that was her best run here since she came over from NZ.

BET: Aspect Ratio win

RACE 4

Leaderboard has won three times, once in Ireland, the other two at Riccarton. A stablemate of Epsom winner Probabeel, Leaderbaord trialled well before his Australian debut but was totally unwanted in the market and ran accordingly. He is the big improver up to 1900m. Cisco Bay has raced twice at this track and distance winning once and finished second at the other – not beaten far and only two weeks ago. Needs uck in the early stages. Not so Highmaster who should box seat here as he did when he won so well at Kembla.

BET: Leaderboard each-way

RACE 5

Fascinating runner here is the Listed winner Bebeautiful. She is out of a half-sister to George Ryder winner Gordon Lord Byron and was bought as a broodmare for later on but she has plenty to offer as a racehorse still. Has three wins and two seconds from five runs; deadliest at 2000m but the trials have been fantastic. Market watch advised. Coterie did an admirable job to win with 60kgs last start. Nash sticks and the horse has raced four times at this trip for two wins. Jack The Lad is a lightly-raced three-year-old who is blessed by a good draw.

BET: Bebeautiful win

RACE 6

The Bopper has a boom on him and it is thoroughly well deserved. The Kris Lees trained son of Nicconi broke the 1000m course record on debut at Tamworth (wow) and was a class above again when he won the $100,000 Inglis Challenge at Scone. Got a big race in him sometime down the track. Deference was runner-up to Splintex last preparation. Trialled twice for this and has been good both times. Black Magnum is a ‘track/distance’ specialist. Stablemate Shadow Crush has done nothing much wrong.

BET: The Bopper win, Daily Double 1st leg (7), 2nd leg (14)

RACE 7

Triple Crown mare Misteed has won three from 22 with six placings, five of those are seconds which is the long way of saying that she has been pretty unlucky from time to time. Keep in mind that four of those five seconds have been with margins of between 0.2-lengths or a nose. Loves the track and distance and goes well fresh. Stablemate Mirra Vision is close to a win and absolutely ‘good enough’. Best Stone must be the unluckiest horse – barrier wise – in the Southern Hemisphere.

BET: Misteed to win

RACE 8

Written Beauty is a half-sister to eight winners, five of them are stakes-winners, another two are stakes-placed. What a broodmare she has for a mother! The way Written Beauty has looked in her two starts she will be stakes-winner number six one day. Coolmore/Kris Lees filly Chianti will find this easier than her last start in the Furious. Harto was plain here the other day but is better than that surely.

BET: Written Beauty win

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Originally published as Raceday focus: Best bets, inside mail for Canterbury