Ballina races Sunday: Preview, best bets and inside mail

An eye-catching run from the Colt Prosser-trained Little Prophet last start has her on track to break through for her first win for the season.

Colt Prosser couldn’t be happier with Little Prophet heading into Sunday’s Ballina meeting. Picture: Grant Guy

Conditions are ripe for one-time Country Championships finalist Little Prophet to post her first win in the 2023/24 season when she heads to Ballina for the hotly-contested Open Handicap on the card.

The Colt Prosser-trained mare had the honour and distinction of taking part at The Championships in 2022, having won her way through the Country Championships Final after finishing a narrow runner-up in her Mid North Coast Qualifier at Taree.

Although she finished well down the order at Royal Randwick, Little Prophet has raced well, albeit in patches, in her 13 subsequent starts.

Prosser was himself rightfully pleased with the mare’s most recent efforts when clocking-in third in the Bowraville Cup (1370m) on September 16.

“She ran out of her skin at Bowraville,” Prosser said.

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!

Ben Looker partners Little Prophet at Ballina.

“She just got held up on the back of the wrong horse on the corner and was only just beaten.

“Her fitness is now where I want it to be for those Open company races.

“They are all hard to win and hard horses to beat, they are all Open Class for a reason but I am really happy with our barrier and she has got no weight on her back.”

Little Prophet will be ridden in the Cherry Street Sports Group Open Handicap (1300m) at Ballina by Ben Looker who will steer stablemate Slice Of Heaven in her weekend assignment.

A daughter of Yes Yes Yes’ sire, Rubick, Slice Of Heaven managed to beat just one other home in the Lightning Bend (1000m) on Bowraville Cup Day but went home with valid excuses.

“She was not a good thing beaten at Bowraville but her run was outstanding,” says Prosser.

“I don’t know what her last 600m would have been but she gave them a big headstart and got beat two.

“It’s a nice race for her at Ballina that’s for sure, with no weight on her back.

Prosser has been busier than usual this spring given he now wears two hats; one as trainer, the other as a studmaster.

The Wauchope-based horseman is currently taking a hands-on approach to his beloved ex-racehorse and now stallion, Villified, who is working his way through a small but welcome first book of mares.

“He’s done a good job,” Prosser said.

“He’s served six or seven mares now successfully. It took a couple of weeks learn his job but he’s taking it really well.”

Vilified is the fourth foal of Encosta de Lago mare Sin Sin Sin and was preceded by one year by Todman Stakes, Everest winner and Randwick 1200m course record holder, Yes Yes Yes.

Vilified is a son of Press Statement who collected Group 1 races at two (the J J Atkins) and three (the Caulfield Guineas) for Yes Yes Yes’ trainer, Chris Waller.

SHAYNE O’CASS’ TOP SELECTIONS

BEST BET

Race 5 No. 2: Kirsten

Has been all around the money for pretty much her whole six starts. this might her day.

NEXT BEST

Race 2 No. 2: Lady Tulesa

Nothing says ‘in form’ like this mare’s last four starts namely; ‘1212’. Barrier 3 seals the deal.

VALUE BET

Race 4 No. 9: Gobbled

Seems well weighted on a kilo-to-talent ratio. Been racing well and is building up again too.

QUADDIE

Race 4: 4, 9

Race 5: 2

Race 6: 2, 3, 11

Race 7: 3, 4

Ashley Morgan looks a good chance in the TAB Jockey Challenge at Ballina. Picture: Getty Images

JOCKEY TO FOLLOW

Ben Looker and Ash Morgan look set to slug it out for the Jockeys Challenge.

INSIDE MAIL - BALLINA

RACE 1

Duma is a well-bred Pierro mare housed by Billy Healey with a Glass House Mountains address. The lightly-raced five-year-old has also accepted for a race closer to home at the Sunshine Coast but this one could be an offer too good to refuse. Put it this way, it; is not terribly strong top to bottom. The Gold Coast gelding has accepted for the same race at the Sunshine Coast but seems likely to run here for the same reason - that is to say again, it is very skinny.

Bet: Duma to win or if scratched Wonforwazza to win, exacta 1 to beat 3

RACE 2

Lady Tulesa is a John Shelton-trained mare whose C.V reads well; five wins and nine placings from 25 starts. Just to show how well she is racing at present, the Grafton housed mare is ‘1212’ at her last four appearances. Here is another good number - 3, as in barrier 3. Ain’t She Lovely has a similar overall strike-rate as Shelton’s mare. They are both pretty fast mares so you would think that they are right up on the speed. May the best horse win. Slice Of Heaven has excuses in the Lightning Bend.

Bet: Lady Tulesa to win

RACE 3

Better Golightly is by Better Than Ready out of a mare called Hepburn and you don’t have to be Bill Collins to understand why she is so cleverly named. She had those two runs in December 17 and January 1 respectively; the New Year’s Day was third at Doomben. Trialled like a bomb at Beaudesert back in mid-August. Speaking of good trials, the Chris Munce-trained Lion’s Pride has looked the part in his two albeit well-spaced trials. Big shout out to Rustic Tzar for his trials also up in Queensland. Market watch is essential viewing.

Bet: Better Golightly to win, box trifecta 1, 4, 9, 10

Trainer Brett Dodson has Gobbled close to scoring another win.

RACE 4

Gobbled has been running well without winning for a while now it must be said but the Brett Dodson-trained gelding laid the groundwork for a sixth career win on Sunday with the last start second in the Bowraville Cup. Granted, his rates a bit lower than a lot of these rivals but he does look to be well-weighted on a talent to kilo ratio. Aheadofhistime has been more or less three lengths off the winner at his last four starts but in good races, perhaps better than this one is. One-time Country Championship Finalist Little Prophet was terrific in the Bowraville Cup.

Bet: Gobbled to win

RACE 5

Kirsten is trained at Ballina by Stephen Lee. Pardon a well-worn racing cliche but barely a meeting goes by at Ballina without Lee training at least one winner on the card. If the stats are right, Lee has trained 184 winners at Ballina so far. Kirsten has already done enough to suggest she will soon add to Lee’s tally, so much so that she just looks ‘better than them’. Big watch on Jet Flow from the Paul Shailer yard. Apparently, he might have had an excuse for his poor Australian debut in July and he trialled pretty well for a horse beaten eight lengths.

Bet: Kirsten to win, exacta 2 to beat 1

RACE 6

Vetoed is quite a promising, even exciting, horse. The daughter of Maurice has raced three times for a win and two seconds, either of those she could just about have won. Take note also that her win was here at Ballina and so was her debut second. Won a trial in brilliant order; just wonder about her from the draw? Heroic Miss is a Chris Munce trained mare who hasn’t done much wrong in her 12 starts. Led throughout and pipped on the post first-up at Ipswich. Looks purpose-built for Ballina. Wedding Tent is quick enough to make full use of barrier 1.

Bet: Vetoed to win

RACE 7

Devocean is a Waikato Stud-bred son of five-times Group 1 winner and Cox Plate hero Ocean Park. Trained by Paul Shailer, this five-year-old has raced seven times so far for two wins. His last win was at Taree on August 19 and it was impressive. Had a little virus soon after but is back in business again on Sunday. John Shelton’s consistent mare Enterprise Lassie has the race fitness edge over Devocean which could be crucial in the little battle this Sunday. I Shot The Sheriff and Spiele are in the hunt.

Bet: Devocean to win, quinella 3, 4

Originally published as Ballina races Sunday: Preview, best bets and inside mail