Best bets and inside mail for Moruya Cup Day and Tamworth on Monday, January 6

Form expert Shayne O’Cass analyses Monday’s NSW fields at Moruya and Tamworth, presenting his best bets, quaddie picks and inside mail.

All Machiavellian, pictured winning at Kembla Grange in June, is one of Shayne O'Cass' best bets of the day on Monday. Picture: Bradley Photos

Form expert Shayne O’Cass analyses Monday’s NSW fields at Moruya and Tamworth, presenting his best bets, quaddie picks and inside mail.

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MORUYA TIPS

BEST BET
Race 5 No.2 CENTURY SONG
Half-brother to Accredited; is lightly-raced and has talent.

NEXT BEST
Race 7 No. 4 ALL MACHIAVELLIAN
Been racing well without a lot of luck this preparation.

VALUE
Race 1 No. 13 COMPLAISANCE
Pierata filly on debut. In good hands and trialled well.

QUADDIE
Race 5: 2
Race 6: 1,2,3
Race 7: 4,7
Race 8: 1,2,5

JOCKEY TO FOLLOW
Champion jockey Tommy Berry has a 29.8 per cent winning strike-rate at Moruya.

MORUYA INSIDE MAIL

RACE 5: SUPER MAIDEN HANDICAP (1010m)

CENTURY SONG (2) is the fifth foal of his dam, Well Credentialled, whose fourth was Accredited. Century Song was $3.50 into $2.20 when runner-up at home at Kembla at his only start so far back on October 3. Tommy Berry sticks, he rode him in his super impressive trial win at Kembla on Dec 17. ZOUPHISITICATE (12), a $650,000 yearling, is having his first run for (the new) Matthew Dale stable here. INSAIN (5) won a trial by eight-lengths recently but has drawn wide.

BET: Century Song to win (best bet).

RACE 6: MORUYA SHOWCASE TOWN PLATE (1200m)

KATTEGAT (3) is something of a track specialist with a record of three wins, two seconds and a third from nine starts here. On top of that, the Natalie Jarvis-trained gelding has been in some of the best races the venue hosts including on Dec 22 when he finished third in the Narooma Cup. MAJOR TIME (1) has won nine times in all, one of them was here. Comes off a distant and fading third in the Thunderbolt. Speedy. MARNIX (2) has trialled really well, twice, since a first-up loss.

BET: Kattegat to win.

RACE 7: MORUYA SHOWCASE CUP (1425m)

ALL MACHIAVELLIAN (4)’s first visit to Moruya was a second-last in the Town Plate at this meeting last year. That was 1200m and while still effective at that trip, he seems to be better once he gets to 1400m. Been racing well without luck. BLUFF ‘N’ BLUSTER (7) has six wins and 18 placings from 63 starts. How many of those placings could be wins but for his pattern? Pat Murphy paid $2,500 for VICTORY ROLL (10) in Mar 2024 and has won 4 from 8 with him.

BET: All Machiavellian to win, trifecta 1,4,7,10 (boxed).

RACE 8: CLASS 3 HANDICAP (1200m)

TWIN TELEPATHY (2) was unplaced in his four starts while trained and housed at Randwick. Gerry Harvey sent him to Joe Cleary and bang, two starts, two booming wins, by a combined margin of six and a half-lengths. They were at 1000m, this 1200m but he’s drawn 4. VELLA FOX (1), Tommy Berry’s last ride of the day, was fourth in a Highway on Dec 14 then 11th of 15 in another Highway 14 days later but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it reads.

BET: Twin Telepathy to win, quinella 1,2.

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TAMWORTH TIPS

BEST BET
Race 2 No.5 LIVE TO RISE
Ran way above her $26 SP on debut at Gunnedah. Go well.

NEXT BEST
Race 1 No.5 SUIT DAY
Won or placed at half of his 12 starts. The one to beat.

VALUE
Race 3 No.12 SAN GAVINO
Needs to, and can, bounce back from an ordinary first-up run.

TAMWORTH INSIDE MAIL

RACE 4: MAIDEN PLATE (1200m)

SAINTLY SANDS (11) is a daughter of the Skyline Stakes winner Santos who stands in NZ. This filly’s third dam Clean Sweep beat the colts in the country’s 2000 Guineas. As for this Rodney Northam-trained three-year-old, she hit the line big time in her Scone 900m heat. SAVETHEBESTTILLAST (3) is indeed the last foal of her dam, Hairpin (by Octagonal). In the top Tamworth stable and closed well first-up in a deep maiden.

BET: Saintly Sands to win, quinella 9,11.

RACE 5: CLASS 1 HANDICAP (1000m)

AUTOFOCUS (5) is trained on the track here at Tamworth by Melanie O’Gorman. This daughter of Star Turn was very good indeed at her first prep with a win, two seconds and a fourth in a good maiden here on debut. Maybe a tad short of her best but she is fresh. POCKET PICKER (4) has a record of one win, three seconds and a third at his home track and over this same trip. Almost ‘has’ to go in. GENERAL LEMARQUE (3) is a big market watch.

BET: Autofocus to win.

RACE 6: BENCHMARK 66 (1200m)

CRIMSON RUBY (9) is a handy mare trained here by Sue Grills. She’s had 10 starts for two wins and four placings and has mixed and matched in some pretty strong country Class 1s and 2s around here. Ran well first-up in a good Class 3 here on Dec 23. Cody Morgan-trained OFF THE PRESS (8) had promised to ‘win like that’ first-up here on Dec 10. Long story short, he drew 8, was 8th at turn but passed them all to win by a length. On his way now perhaps.

BET: Crimson Ruby to win, quinella 8,9.

RACE 7: BENCHMARK 58 (1400m)

THREETIMESALADY (1) has been very consistent this preparation, namely ‘4125’. The first three runs were in Benchmark 58s, the last one was a Taree Benchmark 66 where she crossed the line a length off the winner. She has won up to a mile and is crying out – and perfectly tuned – for 1400m now. RURA PENTHE (2) has finished on the podium at 10 of his 19 starts but given he has only won once, it is not unfair to say that he has been a bit costly. Still, wide draws a general ‘go back’ pattern aren’t always conducive to winning.

BET: Threetimesalady to win, quinella 1,2.

Originally published as Best bets and inside mail for Moruya Cup Day and Tamworth on Monday, January 6