Race day focus: Best bets, inside mail for Newcastle, Wagga
A Team Hawkes-trained filly has shown enough talent in her two starts so far to be winning her maiden at Newcastle. BEST BETS, INSIDE MAIL
Daily Telegraph form analyst Shayne O’Cass gives his best bets and runs the rule over the Quaddie legs at Newcastle and Wagga.
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!
NEWCASTLE
BEST BET
Race 3, No.13: DEAR JEWEL
A Snitzel half-sister to Divine Prophet and super sire Proisir who has talent enough of her own well beyond provincial level.
NEXT BEST
Race 4, No.11: TRIPLES
Granddaughter of Swiftsynd who was disappointing on Boxing Day but worth forgiving.
VALUE BET
Race 5, No.1: CAVALHEIRO
A So You Think gelding on debut for Anthony Cummings and whose trials are better than they read.
QUADDIE
Race 4: 6,11
Race 5: 1,2,5,7
Race 6: 4,5,11
Race 7: 6,12,14
JOCKEY TO FOLLOW
Golden Slipper and Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Brett Prebble could take out the TAB Jockeys Challenge at Newcastle.
WAGGA
BEST BET
Race 2, No.4: KAPPY’S ANGEL
Lightly-raced mare with a good C.V. Won by seven last start. Harder here but has obvious ability.
NEXT BEST
Race 4, No.8: SIASHA JEWEL
Never been closer to a first win; she was run down by a handy horse at Wagga 12-days ago.
VALUE BET
Race 1, No.1: ALLABOUTROY
Great grandson of Our Tristalight on debut off a nice trial in a deep heat at Wagga.
THE INSIDE MAIL FOR NEWCASTLE
RACE 4
Triples is a grey like most of the better horses in the family including her grandam, Swiftsynd, and another distant relative, Gunsynd. As for the filly herself, she was $2.20 into $2.05 at Beaumont on Boxing Day but was very disappointing. She is better than that but she has to show it. Caring Lass wasn’t too bad at Canterbury on New Year’s Day and should be fitter, and better, over 1400m. Outsider, the $1.05m yearling and three-quarter-sister to Pariah, is a major market watch. Infinitive and Twelfth Night are not out of it either.
Bet: Triples to win, exacta 11 to beat 6
RACE 5
Cavalheiro is a son of So You Think bred at Think Big Stud and bought by Anthony Cummings for $100,000 at the Classic Yearling Sale. Now a four-year-old, Cavalheiro has trialled three times and always clocked in way down the order but there was merit in his last two trials beyond how they read. Burns To Embrace has drawn a dream alley and should peak now off a Randwick placing on Boxing Day. San Lucido has drawn wide but at least he has a big finish if he gets snagged back. Draille is a horse going ‘up’.
Bet: Cavalheiro each-way
RACE 6
Linguee has a tidy C.V of 19 starts for four wins and two seconds. She beat a subsequent winner in Spanish Pearl three starts back. Fast forward to Jan 6 and Linguee was a distant second to Sunborn (goes well) when making up more ground than anything else in the race. The Denzel races well here at Newcastle and the Jan 9 Randwick trial was very good indeed. Harlem Grove is in the perfect race with a great barrier and great jockey Two Up is a player. This is the home track and the pet trip for the five times winner and 14 time placegetter.
Bet: Linguee each-way
RACE 7
Mars is a Les Bridge trained gelding bred on a Sepoy/Galileo cross. Just for the record, the grandam is Miss Zoe. This is the most incredible giving family for both Bridge and Kim Harding. Mars is more Galileo than Sepoy that’s for sure so you can count on him to be strong at the end of the mile here. Reggie’s Folly, the half-brother to Coolmore winner Heavens Above has been an eye-catcher of sorts at both of his runs this time in. He has got ‘mile’ and ‘big track’ written all over him. Empress El and Blueskin are the sharp improvers.
Bet: Mars each-way, Reggie’s Folly each-way, quinella 6,14
THE INSIDE MAIL FOR WAGGA
RACE 4
Siasha Jewel has more or less gone better at each outing. The Donna Scott-trained mare looked the winner half way up the straight here last start in a mile maiden up until the potentially quite handy Zabellsareringing blew them away from back in the pack. Gets her big chance here. Overrun ran a big race from a bad alley here on Jan 5 over 1200m. This is 1600m now but his dam won up to 2000m. Up To Me and Side Cash are worth thought.
Bet: Siasha Jewel to win
RACE 5
Aunty Doll was tipped out after a seventh of 12 on debut in mid-July. The Adrian Corby-trained mare has come back in great order having finished third at her two December runs at home at Wangaratta. This is the perfect race for her and she has the perfect draw to boot. Thepeopleshorse could be the value runner here. That last trial at Albury held a bit of hidden merit. Amen Brother has been a bit costly but always consistent.
Bet: Aunty Doll to win, Thepeopleshorse each-way, exacta 7 to beat 6, quinella 6,7
RACE 6
La Sante is one of the more talented horses stationed at Albury. His record says as much given he has won four races and placed nine times in his 19 starts and more often than not in pretty respectable company. Drawn badly - as always - but other than that, he is easy to like. Ruban Bleu has only won five times in 45 starts but he is a last start winner with 60.5kg beating last Saturday’s Highway winner Trooper Knuckle. Temoin Chaud has placed at two of three at this track and trip.
Bet: La Sante to win
RACE 7
Amarantz had her first 12 starts for John O’Shea; winning once and placing four times. She had been unlucky once or twice too. The daughter of Animal Kingdom has been sent down to Danielle Seib who would have been rightfully pleased with her fast finishing third at Goulburn in a 1000m maiden on Dec 16. The 1300m is bang on for her. Zouatica is a big, strong son of Zoustar and was in another league to the others when he won at the Sapphire Coast. Untapped. Burrandana is a lightly-raced last start winner here.
Bet: Amarantz to win, quinella 1,5, box trifecta 1,2,3,5
Originally published as Race day focus: Best bets, inside mail for Newcastle, Wagga
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