Shayne O’Cass’s best bets and inside mail for Hawkesbury and Nowra on Tuesday June 17, 2025

Racenet form analyst Shayne O’Cass presents his best bets and inside mail for Tuesday’s NSW meeting at Hawkesbury, plus tips for Nowra.

  

Racenet form analyst Shayne O’Cass presents his best bets and inside mail for Tuesday’s NSW meeting at Hawkesbury, plus tips for Nowra.

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HAWKESBURY TIPS

BEST BET
Race 6 No.1 CHARLEROI: Highest rated horse in this race off an impressive last start win.

NEXT BEST
Race 2 No.3 ALL SAINTS: Beaten a nose on debut; spelled, trialled like a bomb recently.

VALUE
Race 7 No.6 LIKE LUKEY: Ideally suited out to 1800m, third-up, at a favoured venue.

QUADDIE
Race 5: 2,8,10,11
Race 6: 1
Race 7: 6,8
Race 8: 2,4

JOCKEY TO FOLLOW
Rachel King will be popular with punters to win the TAB Jockeys Challenge.

RACE 1: Maiden Plate (1100m)

HORSESHOE HILL (7) is a 2YO taking on the older horses but only five of them at most. This daughter of dual G2 winner Miss Rose de Lago was tipped out after finishing third to stablemate O’ Ole and Memo in the Wyong 2YO Magic Millions on December 11. Smashing trial win on June 6. VANLEE (6) took a lot of ground off Manaajem late when runner-up at Wyong on New Year’s Eve. Trialling well herself. LAND SPEED (2) has come back in fine order.

BET: HORSESHOE HILL (7) to win.

RACE 2: 3yo Maiden Plate (1000m)

ALL SAINTS (3) was off the map on debut ($2.10 into $1.55) in a Kembla 1000m Maiden on February 8. Beaten a nose with no excuse. They did run 56.66s so not a bad effort in defeat. Spelled, trialled like a bomb (as usual) the other day. CELERITY (5), an $850,000 Easter Yearling, brings strong city form, black-type form in fact, to the provincials today. EL QASABI (1) has claims on a debut second, albeit a distant one.

BET: ALL SAINTS (3) to win, quinella 3,5.

RACE 3: Maiden Handicap (1800m)

REVERBERATES (3) is a valuable filly for later on given she is a granddaughter of Wrap Around, herself a daughter of Beach Gown. This Brad Widdup-housed local has placed at three of her six starts, going within inches of a win at Wyong last time. MALBORK CASTLE (1) is a half to Showtime and Sweet Idea. The son of Castelvecchio is trained by Castelvecchio’s’ trainer Richard Litt and has placed at six of his eight starts. So ready for 1800m today!

BET: REVERBERATES (3) to win, quinella 1,3.

RACE 4: Maiden Handicap (1300m)

AUTUMN HEIR (7) is a possible/probable to go to Nowra today. Go well down there! That being the case, it would open the door for his stablemate JAMARNI (8) who is galloping towards his first win. Could make the case to argue that he turned in a career best last start; Zac Lloyd sticks. EMPRESS TSARINA (6) finished third in that same race at Kembla on June 3 where Jamarni was second. If you like one, you almost have to like the other.

BET: AUTUMN HEIR (7) to win but if scratched JAMARNI (8) to win.

RACE 5: Midway Class 1 Handicap (1300m)

NOTHING BUT NET (11) was $31 for no good reason when he came down the middle and over the top to win a 1000m 2YO Maiden at Goulburn on debut. The downside is, it wasn’t an especially strong affair but the upside is, he won, he will surely take improvement from the day out and he is at home this time. That said, QUEEN’S RHAPSODY (2)’s form is far superior in terms of depth but she still has to go 1300m (first time) from the outside alley.

BET: NOTHING BUT NET (11) each-way.

RACE 6: Class 1 Handicap (1500m)

CHARLEROI (1) was a $360,000 Easter purchase. Gelding now but still worth mentioning that he is a Dundeel out of a stakeswinning Snitzel granddaughter of Monsoon Wedding. The Sara Ryan-trained 3YO was third on debut in town, fourth on the Kenso after that and then went to Kembla and won, not by far, but still with some authority. VIA VARALLO (8) led throughout to win easily at Nowra after running third to Maison Louis no less!

BET: CHARLEROI (1) to win (best bet), Daily Double 1st leg 1, 2nd leg 4.

RACE 7: Benchmark 64 (1800m)

LIKE LUKEY (6) has a tidy C.V of 12 starts, three wins, two seconds and four third. Those three wins came in succession – one by four, one by two-and-a-bit and the third by a length-and-a-half here at her only previous visit. Expecting her to bounce back, big time, off the last start Rosehill run. INCANTATION (8) is a consistent Goldolphin mare who held her ground admirably in town last start. Always looked like a mile-plus type and it’s 1800m today.

BET: LIKE LUKEY (6) to win, quinella 6,8, box trifecta 5,6,7,8.

RACE 8: Benchmark 64 (1100m)

INOUE (4) is a Peter Snowden-trained 3YO and follows Wayupinsthesky, Thousand Years and Vomo Island as residents past and present at his High Street stables. Inoue won first-up at Gosford then went to a Class 1 at Kembla and won it too only this time he beat King’s Secret! Wish the stablemate CASSIEL (2) wasn’t here to challenge because they are hard to split now. Cassiel is fast and a last start winner. THE GREY (6), with a home-track advantage. is presumably fitter for his first-up fifth.

BET: INOUE (4) to win, quinella 2,4.

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NOWRA TIPS

BEST BET
Race 6 No.4 HOLD: Handy mare with a big finish. Both wins are while fresh.

NEXT BEST
Race 1 No.3 KNEEL DOWN: Drawn well for his debut; trial indicates sufficient talent to perform.

VALUE
Race 5 No.5 BEAUTY DASH: Really caught he eye late in her Kembla debut 14-days ago.

Originally published as Shayne O’Cass’s best bets and inside mail for Hawkesbury and Nowra on Tuesday June 17, 2025