Shayne O’Cass’s best bets and inside mail for Kembla Grange on Saturday, plus tips for Tumut and Gilgandra

Form analyst Shayne O’Cass presents his best bets, quaddie picks, jockey to follow and inside mail for Kembla Grange on Saturday, as well as tips for Tumut and Gilgandra.

Form analyst Shayne O'Cass gives Too Many Kisses a terrific winning chance at Kembla Grange on Saturday. Picture: Bradley Photos

Racenet and The Daily Telegraph form analyst Shayne O’Cass presents his best bets, quaddie picks, jockey to follow and inside mail for Kembla Grange on Saturday, as well as tips for Tumut and Gilgandra.

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KEMBLA GRANGE TIPS

BEST BET
Race 2 No.7 ALL SAINTS
Local who has trialled up like he will be in the fray from the outset.

NEXT BEST
Race 1 No.5 TOO MANY KISSES
Last run was a lot better than it looked. Suitable race now.

VALUE
Race 8 No.4 CRYPTONIC
Couldn’t have been any more impressive winning last time.

QUADDIE
Race 5: 1,4
Race 6: 1,2,3
Race 7: 1,2,4
Race 8: 3,4

JOCKEY TO FOLLOW
Grant ‘Bucko’ Buckley makes a welcome return to racing today.

KEMBLA GRANGE INSIDE MAIL

RACE 1: 2&3YO MAIDEN HANDICAP (1000m)

TOO MANY KISSES (5) will be, if successful, Jason Coyle’s 100th winner at Kembla (alone). This filly’s form reads as 7th of 8 then 9th of 11 but that last one wasn’t nearly as bad as all that – and it was at Warwick Farm. Gives the impression that Kembla will be right up her alley. FABRES (3), a grandson of that wonderful race filly/broodmare Portillo, is a 2YO foaled on Dec 1 (2022) so it gives away a lot of ‘age’ but has talent.

BET:TOO MANY KISSES (5) to win.

RACE 2: MAIDEN PLATE (1000m)

ALL SAINTS (7) makes her debut here at home with a gun draw and over an ideal distance. Trial watchers will be on nothing else in this race and understandably so. Top local stable and no one rides Kembla better than Keagan Latham. MLINZI (8), which is apparently Swahiili for ‘bodyguard’, is a Debbie Kepitis filly with Brad Widdup who has had plenty of time and trials to find her feet. Has a future.

BET:ALL SAINTS (7) to win (best bet).

RACE 3: 4YO+ MAIDEN PLATE (1600m)

WEBEJAMIN (9) has raced 8 times for 4 seconds and 2 thirds. The other two were a fourth and a distant fifth. You could argue that the main reason as to why she hasn’t won yet is that is her pattern of getting back but that said, wide draws haven’t helped some of the time. Good enough? Absolutely. Brad Widdup’s Sea The Stars mare SUNSET PARK (8) was well backed on debut in a 1300m at Newcastle. Beaten (with every possible chance!) but not by far.

BET:WEBEJAMIN (9) to win, quinella 8,9.

RACE 4: BENCHMARK 64 (1600m)

DJAPANA (8) is no Super Impose but what she is, is a miler, pure and simple. The Clarry Conners trained mare’s overall record of 20 starts for 2-2-1. Those wins and placings are all at circa 1600m (in nine goes at the trip). Runner-up on the Kensington track two back. IRISH BLISS (1) has also accepted for Saturday’s Midway at HQ. AL RAS BLUES (6) has only managed 1 win from 17 starts but it was over 1600m and she has run well in better races than this at times.

BET:DJAPANA (8) to win.

RACE 5: CLASS 1 HANDICAP (1400m)

BELLA KHADIJAH (1), a Brad Widdup-trained daughter of Pierata, has raced 8 times for a (Doomben) win and four placings, one of those was at Randwick. Sent out all the right signs there on the Kensington first-up. Lands in the perfect race. MERCHANT EMPIRE (4) won on debut on Jan 28 in 2024 at Wyong but wasn’t seen in action again until Jan 21, 2025 when a honourable fifth at Newcastle. EMPRESS OF JAPAN (8) has always shown some talent.

BET:BELLA KHADIJAH (1) to win.

RACE 6: FILLIES & MARES BENCHMARK 64 (1200m)

GANGSTA GRANNY (3) is a Team Hawkes-trained filly that clocked in third to Aeliana and Diddle Dumpling on debut on the Kensington track on Aug 14. She went to Hawkesbury a month later and won pretty easily in the end. Trialled up nicely for this. City class every day of the week. Adam Duggan-trained ROCKIN’ MILLIE (2) really hasn’t put a foot wrong in all her 10 starts. If ever a horse looked to be peaking third-up, it’s this one.

BET:GANGSTA GRANNY (3) to win, quinella 1,3, DD 1st Leg (3), 2nd Leg (4).

RACE 7: MAIDEN HANDICAP (1200m)

KARMARDO (2) is trained by John O’Shea and Tom Charlton. O’Shea knows this family better than most given this horse’s ‘uncle’ is his Rosehill Guineas winner, Zabrasive. Lots to like about Karmardo’s two trials. In actual fact, there is a lot to like about the horse in general, short and long term. This preview is all assuming AMPLIFY (4) ran Friday night at Canterbury of course. CENTURY SONG (1) was scratched from Canterbury last night to run here at home instead. Fit, in-form and good enough.

BET:AMPLIFY (4) to win or if scratched KARMARDO (2) each-way.

RACE 8: BENCHMARK 64 (1200m)

CRYPTONIC (4), a replica son of his sire Encryption and part-owned by SKY Racing Dreams co-host Tim Gilbert, was fast and furious early on in his career but whether through design or circumstance has turned into a horse with a very strong finish when off the pace. Whatever is happening, he was just awesome last start winning a good quality Midway Class 1 at Newcastle. HELL’S ITCH (3) is a lightly-raced 5YO who has improved with each passing run/day. Trialled a lot better than it reads on paper. Go well.

BET:CRYPTONIC (4) to win, quinella 3,4.

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TUMUT BEST BET
Race 3 No.2 STARLIGHT GIRL
Posted her fourth win at start 10 on Jan 17. Can add another today.

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GILGANDRA BEST BET
Race 2 No.2 INFINITE PRINCE
Won 1 from 20 but placed 9 times, mostly in better races than this.