Scone, Albury best bets, inside mail for Friday, March 21, 2025

Trainers Paul Messara and Leah Gavranich can get the day off on the right note at Scone with the well-bred Arrowfield filly, Lady Olenna.

Trainers Paul Messara (pictured) and Leah Gavranich look to be in for a big day at Scone. Picture: Getty Images

Racenet and The Daily Telegraph form analyst Shayne O’Cass provides his best bets and analysis of the quaddie legs at Scone and Albury on Friday.

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!

SCONE

BEST BET

Race 1 No. 7: Lady Olenna

Messara/Gavranich filly who has trialled supremely well ahead of this.

NEXT BEST

Race 8 No. 5: Bjorn Ironside

Arrives for the Wild Card in absolute peak form and condition.

VALUE

Race 5 No. 9: Mount Bona

Paid the price for the a wide draw on debut. Better than that.

QUADDIE

Race 5: 2, 8, 9

Race 6: 5, 6, 7, 10

Race 7: 1, 6, 7

Race 8: 5, 7

Aaron Bullock will be popular in the Jockey Challenge. Picture: Getty Images

JOCKEY TO FOLLOW

Aaron Bullock will be hard to beat in the Jockeys Challenge

ALBURY

BEST BET

Race 5 No. 4: Brial Rose

Pet trip, at home, drawn well, flies second-up.

NEXT BEST

Race 3 No. 9: Fourthtimelucky

Lightly-raced from a good barn. One for one at the track and distance.

VALUE

Race 8 No. 9: Medatsu

Put the writing on the wall at Randwick second-up.

INSIDE MAIL - SCONE

RACE 5

MOUNT BONA had trialled rather well prior to her debut at Tamworth on Championships Qualifier Day but ended up paying a hefty price for barrier 9 of 10 that afternoon. You would imagine she would have benefited from the race-day experience and the extra 100m can’t hurt this time. SMART BUY was very good at Dubbo in that 1300m Super Maiden last time. His home track is going to suit him a lot better than Quirindi and Dubbo has.

Bet: Mount Bona each-way, trifecta 2, 6, 8, 9

RACE 6

WANDJAD could be reserved for Taree on Tuesday. That being the case, Zucchero is going to be even more popular and rightly so. He string together two impressive wins for Messara and Gavranich to start the new campaign as a gelding. Bit plain at the provincials last time but back to a winnable race again. Tasmanian-bred mare ALPINE KANDY has two wins and eight placings from her 13 starts. Take note that one of those two wins was here at Scone.

Bet: Wandjad to win or if scratched Zucchero to win

The favourite Ritzsun pulls away and wins the third at Scone for @singletonracing! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/6BLK16Vbii

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) August 30, 2024

RACE 7

RITZSUN is a lightly-raced and talented local from the Scott Singleton stable who’s resume reads; two wins and a second from five starts. First off, both wins are here at Scone and both were easy, all the way wins. Last two runs were in Highways; the Jan 25 one was behind Clear Thinking. SEBILLA is a Rod Northam-trained local with a compelling record at the home ground. SHOW BUSINESS was a Kembla Maiden winner on debut. Drawn favourably.

Bet: Ritzsun to win, trifecta boxed 1, 4, 6, 7

RACE 8

BJORN IRONSIDE Is ‘132’ this campaign; the ‘3’ was in the MNC Championship Qualifier at Port Macquarie over 1200m. This is 1400m at Scone and even though it will be a new challenge for the horse, you would think in some ways it should play to all of his strengths. This could be a Colt Prosser clean sweep given the way stablemate KAIHOKO is going. You don’t see too many widely draw, backmarkers, win at Canterbury like he did last start. DANCES WITH HOOVES had next time written all over her out of the Tamworth Heat.

Bet: Bjorn Ironside/Kaihoko each-way, quinella/exacta 5, 7, box trifecta 4, 5, 7, 8

INSIDE MAIL - ALBURY

RACE 5

BRIAL ROSE is a Ron Stubbs-trained local with a career resume of seven starts, two wins, two seconds and a third. Six of those seven runs (and all of her wins and placings) have been at this trip. She ran into a potentially above-average one here first-up. Flies second-up too. Barrier 5 seals the deal. So much interest in CHOLANTE who makes her stable debut for Scott Collings. There is real talent there and the trials are super. SWEET PAREE is a place chance.

Bet: Brial Rose to win, exacta 4 to beat 2

RACE 6

VILLASAURUS is another Albury-housed galloper; this one from the Donna Scott barn. The gelding has a fine record of three wins and four placings from 10 starts. His record at Albury is one win and one second from only two runs there. Best of all, he was third, beaten a length, in the SDRA Heat at Wagga on March 1. FUTURE FUND was fifth in the SDRA Heat. Won twice here at Albury, just needs a bit of luck perhaps from the wide alley.

Bet: Villasaurus to win, Daily Double 1st Leg (1), 2nd Leg (6)

Medatsu through the middle gives @KPMcEvoy a Rosehill double!@cwallerracing | @aus_turf_clubpic.twitter.com/ha6aOhGFuJ

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) October 12, 2024

RACE 7

MEDATSU has participated in three Cups so far; a Wyong Cup, Dubbo Cup (what a run that was) and Rosehill Cup behind Fawkner Park who has the unenviable task of taking on Medatsu’s stablemate Via Sistina in the Ranvet on Saturday. As for Medatsu, he well and truly put the writing on the wall with that second-up fourth at Randwick behind Albury Cup favourite KINGS VALLEY. Impossible not to like this Kerrin McEvoy ride; just the wide draw is a potential concern.

Bet: Medatsu each-way, quinella 9, 10

RACE 8

FINGERS HUNTER did what the mighty Angst was unable to do in her brief but spectacular career and that is win the Wellington Boot (last year). Fast forward to last start and the Brett Cavanough-trained filly justified her $1.35 starting price winning a Class 1 at Tamworth. The fact that Cavanough has booked Blaike McDougall speaks volumes. BIDE YOUR TIME was unbeaten in his two starts prior to an honourable second in that Feb 22 TAB Highway at Rosehill. Go well. CONCHIERO has barrier 2 so ought to be prominent from the outset.

Bet: Fingers Hunter to win, quinella 5, 6