Raceday focus: Preview, best bets and inside mail for Sunday’s meeting at Queanbeyan
The Joseph/Jones team are aiming for a feature race double when they head to Queanbeyan on Sunday before turning their attention to the $2m Big Dance.
Training trio Barbara Joseph, Paul and Matt Jones are aiming for a clean sweep of Queanbeyan’s two main feature races as their $3 million Big Dance tilt fast approaches.
While Royal Randwick bound gelding Super Helpful will spend a lazy Sunday in his box at home in Canberra, a handful of stablemates will make the short trip into New South Wales territory.
The camp is represented in both weekend features via Zelago in the Thunderbolt (1000m) and Nieces And Nephews in the Cup (2000m).
Zelago, a $20,000 Inglis Yearling purchase, raised the bat on 50 starts on Everest Day when clocking in a close third in a Wagga Benchmark 74 over 1300m.
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“We know that he is probably going to be run off his legs early but if Queanbeyan is giving them a chance to run on, he will definitely be hitting the line very strongly.” Paul Jones said.
“If he starts to grab the bit at the 600m and he can track up within a couple of lengths of them, he is going to be strong to the line.
“They do skip away in the straight at Queanbeyan but if Zelago is within two lengths of them coming down the hill, you know he is going to fly.”
A Nieces And Nephews’ Cup victory would naturally be a welcome result for his huge band of owners including the iconic ‘Queen of Bombala’ Barbara Joseph herself who bred the son of Zariz.
“Nieces And Nephews dropped back from a mile in the Coonamble Cup to the 1200m at Bombala but we just couldn’t have a Bombala Cup without a horse in it so we had to send him around,” Jones explained.
“He acquitted himself well. He led them up, they went past him but, on the line, he was coming again at the 1200m so let’s call that a track gallop for Sunday.”
This will be Nieces And Nephews’ third visit to Queanbeyan and his first since finishing third in the 2021 edition of the Cup.
Even with a Cup placing on his C.V, his presence this weekend wasn’t always predestined.
“He was a late nomination.” Jones said.
“When we saw the size of the field and the quality of the field probably designated that he had to go.”
Joseph can also take extra credit should the lightly-raced but clearly promising Louie’s Legacy post his fourth career win at start 12 in Sunday’s Greenway Turf Showcase Handicap (1400m).
The gelding is a son of Joseph’s own mare Because We All Can who is a three-quarter-sister in blood to former Horse of the Year, Weekend Hussler.
“He is a pit pony,” Jones said. “He is a little horse but he bats way above his weight.
“He has taken a little while to come together but his gallop on Tuesday, he worked with a nice horse and really went to the line under a stranglehold and that indicated to us that he is ready to go.
“We had this race picked out. He’s had plenty of work so first up at 1460m, I am not worried about at all.”
SHAYNE O’CASS’ TOP SELECTIONS
BEST BET
Race 6 No. 3: Upper House
Runner-up in the 2021 Queanbeyan Cup. Could argue he is going better now and that this is an easier edition of the race.
NEXT BEST
Race 5 No. 11: Legris
Winless after 11 starts but has placed 3 times including at Forbes last time out. Getting close.
VALUE BET
Race 8 No. 6: Man From Brussells
Denman gelding who wasn’t asked for much late in his trial at Narromine. Market watch advised.
QUADDIE
Race 5: 2, 10, 11, 12
Race 6: 2, 3
Race 7: 4, 5
Race 8: 6, 7
JOCKEY TO FOLLOW
Louise Day will be popular with punters in the TAB Jockeys Challenge.
INSIDE MAIL - QUEANBEYAN
RACE 1
Lethal Lady has a very tidy C.V of 13 starts, three wins and five placings. She was third in the Black Opal Preview and fifth in the Black Opal itself. She has run well at other times as well. Barrier 2 and the claim are pluses but the Queanbeyan track layout is not. Stablemate Miss Belgium has the talent to figure. She has ‘form’ in town to varying degrees of success. Champers Girl, the great granddaughter of Champagne, is a last start track and trip winner.
Bet: Lethal Lady to win
RACE 2
Jazz All Knight led throughout to ‘win’ a 1200m Maiden at Canberra only to have the race taken off her in the stewards room. Visors go on this time. She was building up to that ‘win’ last start so her trajectory stays the same and 1460m suits. Tim Martin-trained Ruff has finished second at his last two, both over 1400m in the ACT which is reason enough to expect him to be in the finish again on Sunday. Wandjina Girl will be prominent for a long way.
Bet: Jazz All Knight to win
RACE 3
Louie’s Legacy is probably the one with the most scope in what is still a pretty good line-up. As handy as he may turn out, he might have struggled a bit to beat some of these with 61.5kg but the 3kg off has to sway things back in his favour. That leaves Spats Pav Bowie as the designated topweight but that hardly rules him out as the potential winner given his compelling numbers at the track and distance. Lady Tabloid and Bandolero have claims.
Bet: Louie’s Legacy to win, quinella 1, 2
RACE 4
Soul Lady was bought by Joe Cleary as a yearling for $30,000. The daughter of Supido has won $30,725 in three starts thanks to a win and two seconds, one of them by a nose. Soul Lady resumes at home over a trip easily manageable and with her regular rider Kayla Nisbet on. Ultragirl has got a big finish on her but big enough to peg back those in front of her at a track which favours the on-pacers? Perhaps Time will tell. Big Steve has great numbers here and at the trip.
Bet: Soul Lady to win, box trifecta 2, 7, 9, 10
RACE 5
Legris remains winless after 11 starts but the son of Zariz has placed three times, one of those was at his most recent starts at Forbes. This one is as open as the heads as they say with plenty of hopes. Just for what it is worth, Legris got the nod for a few reasons. one of them being that he is well enough weighted against some others. The same goes for Hardazhell who is trained here. That said, he gets back a long way and that can be a worry here. Craft has obvious claims. Luna Angel too.
Bet: Legris to win, box trifecta 2, 10, 11, 12
RACE 6
Upper House has contested the last two Queanbeyan Cups, finishing second and fifth respectively. It could be a case of third time lucky for a host of reasons beginning with the fact that he is still racing so well with 73 starts on the board. You could argue that he was unlucky in the Cootamundra Cup and there was nothing wrong with his run at Wagga after that. Nieces And Nephews has placed in both of his track/trip starts, one of them was a win, the other a third in the 2021 Cup. Invincible Dash won a trial post the Cootamundra Cup second.
Bet: Upper House to win, quinella 2, 3, Daily Double 1st leg (3), 2nd leg (6)
RACE 7
Zelago raised the bat of 50 starts when he ran third at Wagga on October 14. The Joseph/Jones housed gelding won his 49th start, that was on Cootamundra Cup Day, the point there is that he is racing in, and holding, good form. If this was somewhere other than Queanbeyan, he’d be almost a good thing. Being Queanbeyan favours Master Joe even though he has never raced here before. He’s a very fast horse - granted not the only one in the race but that’s why it is called the Thunderbolt. Look Only has performed in better races.
Bet: Zelago to win, quinella 4, 5
RACE 8
Man From Brussells has a Melbourne Cup connection in his pedigree. His 5th dam is Light Handed who was a sister-in-blood to who else but Roy Higgins’ beloved Light Fingers. Don’t expect to see Man From Brussells over two miles - ever. He’s a speed horse if his trial is anything to go by. Wild Beau’s best run out of his four starts was first-up at Orange behind a reasonably handy horse. Soho Sushi is from an astute stable and ran a good race here first-up suggesting he has come back well.
Bet: Man From Brussells each-way
Originally published as Raceday focus: Preview, best bets and inside mail for Sunday’s meeting at Queanbeyan
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