Armidale preview: Tips, best bets and inside mail

Winona Costin’s allegiance to Taree trainer Mark Stewart has led her to Armidale for the first time where she will ride five of his horses.

Winona Costin makes her first visit to Armidale on Sunday. Picture: AAP

Former champion Sydney apprentice and the state’s reigning leader female rider by wins, Winona Costin, will make her first visit to Armidale on Sunday.

Costin, a one-time apprentice to Bede Murray, Gai Waterhouse and Peter Snowden, has ridden more than 500 winners all over NSW, but until Sunday has never ridden at Armidale.

Costin, not surprisingly, has a full book of rides in the Tablelands, five of them for the Taree-based trainer Mark Stewart.

“Winona and her manager always tell me that whenever my horses are in, she will come and ride them and I feel a bit privileged for that,’’ Stewart said.

“For someone of her calibre to come and ride my horses is something that I am grateful for. From the moment she first started riding them, she has always tried to jump on anything she can whenever she can.

“She said if I look after her, she will look after me and it’s working really well. I hope we can get a few more on Sunday.’’

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Stewart and Costin are scheduled to combine five times at Armidale on Sunday, bar any scratchings.

The pick of the bunch, according to Stewart, is All Beans who lines up in the Country Boosted Class 1 Handicap (1300m).

A son of Ellsberg’s sire, Spill The Beans, All Beans’ only win in his 13 starts (together with five seconds) came at Armidale.

That said, the four-year-old turned in what was a career best at his most recent start when finishing a close second on the provincial circuit.

“He was just nipped out at Gosford so he should be strong enough in a Country only race,” Stewart says.

“I am trying to get him ready for the Country Championships but he needs to win a couple straight away now.

“Hopefully, he needs to knock one or two off and get his benchmark up so I can head towards the Country Championship.”

All Beans’ sole win was over 1100m and he will need to go 1300m on Sunday and 1400m some time after that if and when he is at Royal Randwick in the half million-dollar Country feature.

“Last prep I would have been concerned but this prep he has come back really strong,’’ his trainer says.

Costin’s army of fans can get an early bank on Guyra Cup day when she is legged aboard the Stewart trained Gracious Gracie in the opener.

A daughter of former champion European sprinter, Dream Ahead, Gracious Grace remains winless after 19 starts but has placed 10 times, seven of those seconds.

A valuable descendant of the celebrated American broodmare Fall Aspen, Gracious Gracie rounded out her last campaign running fourth over 2000m but is talented and versatile enough to make her presence felt in the 1100m Guyra Fuels Maiden Plate.

“She wants 1400m but she is fresh enough,” Stewart said.

SHAYNE O’CASS’ TOP PICKS

BEST BET

Race 1 No.4: BONJOUR RUPERT

Would only have t go close to repeating his debut third at Scone in a better race than this to be winning handsomely.

NEXT BEST

Race 6 No.10: DRACHENFELS

Aims to successfully defend his 2021 Guyra Cup win. Comes off a ‘good last’ at Gosford into this. Keep the faith.

VALUE BET

Race 45 No.2: KANALAIDE

Found the line quite well at Coonamble last start. Should relish the 1900m – he is a very fit horse.

QUADDIE

Race 4: 2,7

Race 5: 2,3

Race 6: 10

Race 7. 4,7,10

JOCKEY TO FOLLOW

Ashley Morgan is going to be a very, very popular pick to win the TAB Jockeys Challenge and rightly so.

INSIDE MAIL

RACE 1

Bonjour Rupert is a Brett Cavanough-trained son of Winning Rupert (naturally) who is going to have plenty of admirers here after his debut third at Scone to the handy enough types Shilanic and Pyramid Of Fire. What’s more, Cav’s horse was only beaten a neck or so and this is a hundred times below that race, quality wise. Dubliner By is a grandson of multiple stakes-winning mare Tickle My. Hard to see him, or anything beating Bonjour Rupert, but at least he has drawn well and has Ben Looker on. Luvdaloot’s third dam is Eight Carat!

Bet: Bonjour Rupert to win (best bet)

RACE 2

Arliebel has more talent than her CV which reads as five starts for one second. Take note that she has finished fifth three times and best of all, her current PB came first-up so she has clearly come back in good shape. Makes strong appeal. War On Bling is another of the Brett Cavanough/Ash Morgan huge chances headed to Armidale on Sunday. This one is a lightly-raced filly who has enough tactical speed to be super handy and hard to run down. Little Bit Yours is getting very close to a win. Inside alley should be an advantage to her.

Bet: Aribel to win, quinella 1,13

RACE 3

Hoku, the grandson of Moment’s Pleasure, has accepted for a race at Scone on Tuesday so we will have to wait and see where he goes. This is a pretty attractive option for the Zoustar gelding given that he has drawn barrier one which more often than not is a gift around Armidale. Handles the wet. Cav and Morgan could be on a hat-trick here, you never know, and they could easily win this one too via Quick Angel. She did a wholly honourable job last start finishing fourth at Muswellbrook bearing in mind that she was 1100m to 1500m in nine days.

Bet: Hoku to win, quinella 5,11

RACE 4

Shamalie was building up to that last start win at Coonamble and what a win it was! The Cameron Crockett-trained daughter of Shalaaa drew barrier 10 of 10 but led and ended up winning by upwards of four and a half lengths. Imagine how much better served she is from barrier one around Armidale! Master Of Rewards is a lightly-raced gelding whose three starts include a win and a second. That win was here at Armidale and it was a Heavy 9 that day so he’s got two boxes ticked to start with. All Beans is back to Country grade again.

Bet: Shamalie to win, trifecta 7 (standout) to beat 2,3,11 (boxed)

RACE 5

Kanalaide is a Cody Morgan-trained son of Adelaide who has been waiting his whole life to get out to a trip and this is it. Kanalaide’s last three starts are all over 1600m and Sunday is 1900m. For one, he is very fit, and two – hopefully, he can race a bit handier now. Grey gelding Eezee Boomer was finishing faster than anything in front or behind him when he clocked in a distant but diminishing five-lengths third at Quirindi over 1450m last start. Hardyo has won two of four on Heavy tracks. Hombre Grande won on Cup day at Taree.

Bet: Kanalaide to win

RACE 6

Drachenfels is the defending Guyra Cup champ. The son of Street Cry – trained by Jeremy Sylvester – ran last at his most recent outing, but was really warming up late to be beaten three and a bit lengths. Plenty of us have been burnt before by Drachenfels but he is easy to like here. Kingstar Bullet is trained here by Stirling Osland. The mare has raced at home four times for two wins, a second and a third. She is two starts for a win and a second at the track/trip. One more thing; her trial at Coffs was an absolute ripper. Red Beryl is another local, he has never raced here until now but he’s going okay in better races

Bet: Drachenfels to win

RACE 7

Don’t Forget Dad makes genuine appeal here first-up from the good draw with Winona Costin on for the fifth consecutive time. Costin, who is on her first visit to Armidale, won on the Mark Stewart gelding at Gosford last prep. Timely Bel, a daughter of Black Caviar’s sire Bel Esprit, has changed stables since her last run which was an all the way win here on a Heavy 10. Races well here. Roussos is a million times better than his last start. Placed at only two runs on the Heavy. Midweek Hussler and Bill Peyto have claims.

Bet: Don’t Forget Dad to win

Originally published as Armidale preview: Tips, best bets and inside mail