Raceday preview, inside mail and best bets for Port Macquarie

Up-and-coming trainer Angela Graham is chasing an emotional win at Port Macquarie in a named after her grandmother.

Trainer Angela Graham with Stellar Style.

Up-and-coming trainer Angela Graham has extra incentive to add to her growing tally of winners when she saddles up two of her five resident horses in Sunday’s Janice Avery Memorial Class 3 Handicap (1206m) at Port Macquarie.

“I would personally like to win that race because it is named after my grandma,’’ Graham said.

“She only passed away in July and basically all of my family are coming, so it would be great to win it.’’

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Graham’s mother, Country Championship-winning trainer Jenny, is represented in the family feature by Pendleton, whose own prospects are somewhat dampened by the wet track.

Not so for daughter Angela’s Run Rory Run, whose two wins were on heavy tracks.

In fact, the grandson of Choisir’s current career highlight came as recently as his last start when he led throughout to win at Port on a Heavy 8.

“He is a very special little horse to a lot of us,’’ Graham said.

“He is named after a friend of ours’ little boy who has extreme medical conditions, so he has got a very big following.

“He is really, really working well and going well and I feel he will run very well too.’’

Run Rory Run is one of the best bred horses imaginable.

His fifth dam, Spring Adieu, is the mother of Danehill while his sixth dam foaled another breed-shaper in Northern Dancer.

Graham, meanwhile, is more bearish than bullish on the chances of Leica Bita Fun in her grandmother’s race given the horse’s preference for firmer footing.

“Leica Bit Fun has won on a Heavy track but we were trying to get a dry surface for him to give him the opportunity to keep going forward like he is,’’ Graham said.

“It’s a good race for him generally but he gets over (more) ground better, so this is just a stepping stone for him because he will get up to 1800/1900m.’’

Janice Avery, grandmother of racehorse trainer Angela Graham.

Graham will wait until race morning to make a decision on whether to send her yard’s most promising young horse Stellar Style around in her scheduled mission.

A daughter of Golden Rose winner Astern, Stellar Style sent out some encouraging signs at her first campaign when fifth on debut before clocking in well down in the order in the $200,000 Inglis Challenge at Scone in May.

“She did enough at her first prep but unfortunately she doesn’t handle those wet tracks too well,” Graham said.

“She is still learning a fair bit as she is going along.

“She was eligible for the Scone two-year-old race, which is why we opted to take her there.

“If it wasn’t that sort of race, we wouldn’t have taken her there on the Heavy but you don’t get the opportunity to have a go at a race like that so you take it.

“The Asterns are all seemingly coming along as three-year-olds and … so hopefully she will keep going.’’

SHAYNE O’CASS’ TOP SELECTIONS

BEST BET

Race 4 No.1: BUCK PHAROAH

Neil Godbolt-trained son of American Pharoah who has barely out a hoof wrong. Has matched it with superior rivals to these.

NEXT BEST

Race 3 No.3: DE LOVELY LAD

Another of the Neil Godbolt runners at home on Sunday who has been the proverbial model of consistency throughout.

VALUE BET

Race 5 No.10: CONTINUUM

Forever the bridesmaid with one win and 10 seconds, this Coffs Harbour visitor is weighted, and drawn, to post a well-earned win.

QUADDIE

Race 4: 1, 8

Race 5: 1, 10

Race 6: 2, 3, 5

Race 7: 4, 6, 10

JOCKEY TO FOLLOW

Grant “Bucko” Buckley’s army of followers will be lining up to back him to win Sunday’s TAB Jockeys Challenge at Port.

INSIDE MAIL

RACE 1

Ocean Flyer is a daughter of Cox Plate winner Ocean Park. Her third dam is Pampas Fire and her fourth is Summoned, all of which makes her worth a tidy sum as a broodmare. She’s not quite ready to hang up the silks yet given that she has many more races to win. She is coming off a career-best having beaten Duble Memory and subsequent booming winner, (stablemate) Proost. That said, Duble Memory was only a nose behind so there’s not a lot to make up on her behalf.

Bet: Ocean Flyer to win, quinella 1,3

RACE 2

Twigman, like Ocean Flyer, is trained by Paul Shailer who is a hard man to beat here at Port. Twigman is owned by Magic Bloodstock (aka part of the Winx crew) and is a son of another ex-Waller multiple Group 1 winner in Preferment. Huge run on debut, if this was a mile, he’d be a near certainty. World Atlas led and ended up being beaten four lengths last start but the winner (Youthful) “goes good”. Has to go in. Golden Button shapes well from the draw.

Bet: Twigman to win, exacta 11 to beat 10

RACE 3

De Lovely Lad is a locally housed gelding who has raced six times and placed on four occasions. The Neil Godbolt-trained grandson of Deep Impact has a good racing pattern, in that he will invariably take up a handy spot. You would think that is the case again today with gate 5 and Bucko. Lord Bronn is winless after 14 starts but has placed nine times. Not sure about him on a 9 or a 10 but we’ll see. The Hulkbuster and Stellar Style have claims.

Bet: De Lovely Lad to win

RACE 4

Buck Pharoah is another of the Neil Godbolt string in action at home on Sunday. This son of American Pharoah has got talent; that much is obvious given his current CV of two wins, three seconds and a third from his seven starts. He goes well fresh, is one for one here and two from two on heavy. Easy to like. Velvet Haze beat the aforementioned De Lovely Lad here at her debut then had the break, resuming at Muswellbrook with a close second. I’ll Tell You Now, Flash Palace and Our Boy Malcolm all have claims to varying degrees.

Bet: Buck Pharoah to win, exacta 1 to beat 8

RACE 5

Continuum has only managed to win once in her 36 starts but she has placed 15 times, 10 of them are seconds and a few of those could easily have been wins. In fact, the David Matts-trained mare was being hailed the winner at Taree last start before she got bloused bang on the post. Barrier 1, Jon Grisedale, very fit, Class 1, etc. Ticks all the boxes. Geewiz Johnny is an obstacle (if he comes) or it’s over to the stablemate Alibi Dot Com to act as the danger.

Bet: Continuum to win

Amelia Denby is going for a hat-trick of wins on Uzziah. Picture: Tim Marsden

RACE 6

Uzziah is a lightly-raced son of Outreach, trained at Newcastle by Scott Aspery. Just by the by, Monday is his actual birthday – it will be four years to the day that he was foaled. As for his chances today, Uzziah is very well placed indeed, particularly having drawn barrier 4. Worth noting that Amelia Denby is two for two on him and that’s both of his career wins. Oh, and one other thing, he has Anamoe form from the 2021 Run To The Rose. Lord Avatar has some compelling numbers at the track, trip and surface. Heir Apparent is a major player.

Bet: Uzziah to win

RACE 7

Apache Red comes from good stock! His 10th dam is Entreaty, the mother of Phar Lap. Granted, Apache Red has not quite reached “hero to a nation” status but he has done better things in his time than a horse with a record of one from 15. For starters, he has placed five times, four of them seconds. There is a lot going for him here. Just needs to get through the slop. Cubic Zirconia is a last-start winner. Has a winning draw. Cliffsinger generates interest having his first run for David Matts. Heavy is the query but he could still run well.

Bet: Apache Red to win.