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THE LAST SAY: Tips, inside mail for Doomben, Scone, Flemington and more on Saturday, May 17, 2025

Ray Thomas provides his best bets and inside mail for racing right around Australia today, including the Scone stand-alone meeting in NSW, Doomben 10,000 day in Brisbane and Andrew Ramsden day at Flemington.

Ray Thomas
Punters – Hold All Tickets Ep 36 – Alex's $21 Group 1 tip
5 min read
10 hours ago.
Updated 9 hours ago

Champion jockey James McDonald can equal his career-best season for Group 1 wins if successful on Sunshine In Paris in the $1.5 million Doomben 10,000 (1200m) at Doomben today.

McDonald has had another stellar 2024-25 season with 18 Group 1 wins, 13 of those on Australian racetracks. He’s also won majors in Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates.

The superstar rider’s best-ever season for big-race wins came in 2023-24 when he rode 19 Group 1 winners including 14 in Australia.

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McDonald reunites with Sunshine In Paris after having ridden the brilliant mare only once previously for her dynamic win in the Group 1 Champions Sprint at Flemington last November.

Sunshine In Paris, trained by Annabel and Rob Archibald, goes to Doomben after a luckless Sydney autumn campaign which included her last start third in the All Aged Stakes.

In latest TAB Fixed Odds betting, Sunshine In Paris is the $4.20 TAB Fixed Odds favourite with Overpass next at $5.50.

• DOOMBEN EXPERT TIPS: Graeme Carey’s best bets, race-by-race tips and analysis for Doomben 10,000 day

Scone’s stand-alone raceday is the feature NSW meeting. Remarkably, nine of the 10 races have capacity fields of 16 starters (plus emergencies).

Written In Code, a stablemate of Sunshine In Paris, is the $4.40 favourite for Scone’s feature race, the Group 3 $250,000 Dark Jewel Classic (1400m).

At Flemington, the Listed $300,000 Andrew Ramsden Stakes (2800m) provides the winner with a “golden ticket” into the Melbourne Cup later this year.

Sydney stayer Athabascan, trained by John O’Shea and Tom Charlton, is the $4.60 favourite for the Ramsden.

• LAURIE’S LONGSHOTS: Laurie Sainsbury keen on $23 chance in the get-out stakes

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SCONE
Weather: Mild, partly cloudy day with the chance of a shower or two and a forecast top temperature of 22c.
Track: Soft (6).
Rail: 2m out from the 800m to the 400m then true the remainder.

DOOMBEN
Weather: Mild, cloudy day with a high chance of showers, most likely in the morning and a forecast top temperature of 26c.
Track: Soft (7).
Rail: True

FLEMINGTON
Weather: Cool, cloudy day with a high chance of showers and a forecast top temperature of 14c.
Track: Good (4).
Rail: 4m out.

MORPHETTVILLE PARKS
Weather: Cool, cloudy day with a high chance of showers and a forecast top temperature of 17c.
Track: Good (4).
Rail: 5m out.

• EXPERT TIPS: Brad Waters’ best bets, quaddie picks and race-by-race tips, analysis for Flemington on Saturday

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BE WARY

Scone’s track is bordering on the heavy range with some showers forecast today. The rail has been shifted out 2m and away from a worn area of the track from the 800m to the 400m. Jockeys tended to steer away from the inside in the straight during Friday’s meeting and expect more of the same at the Saturday stand-alone meeting. Doomben’s track could also tip into the heavy range with showers forecast today in Brisbane. Flemington is on a good 4 but the bleak forecast for Melbourne suggests there is likely to be a downgrade.

• EXPERT TIPS: James Molony’s race-by-race tips, analysis for Scone on Saturday

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SCONE TIPS

BEST BET: Race 1 No.5 JUMEIRAH BEACH looked to be out of contention when he was back in the field and struck trouble at the top of the straight at Hawkesbury two weeks ago. But the Jason Deamer-trained gelding showed admirable determination to pick himself up and charge through the ruck to run down Northern Eyes near the line. Jumeirah Beach also produced a fast-finishing effort to win at Doomben before that and comes to Scone with an undeniable chance to complete a hat-trick of wins.

THE NEXT BEST: Race 3 No.2 AKAYSHA was brilliant on debut over the Kembla 1000m course when she broke 56s to beat boom colt Beadman and Stardom. The form from that race has been franked with both placegetters winning their next starts, Beadman scoring successive wins including a brilliant, runaway stakes success last week. Akaysha then went to Randwick and ran a brave race to beat all but the promising Grand Eagle. Hidden Motive ran third and has since bolted in at his next start. The form around Akaysha is outstanding and she is the one to beat in the Woodlands Stakes.

VALUE BET: Race 9 No.15 ZEITUNG also comes out of the Hawkesbury meeting where she ran a game race to finish to Media World and Just Party in the Hawkesbury Guineas on a heavy track. The Godolphin filly has had four runs from a spell this preparation, improving steadily with each run as she did last spring when winning the Group 3 The Vanity at the Flemington Cup Carnival when deep into her preparation. Zeitung comes up against older mares in the Dark Jewel Classic but she is racing well, handles all track conditions and rates as a very good each way chance.

THE WHISPER: Race 8 No.11 CABALLUS lost all form last spring with five unplaced runs but he has been gelding and underwent throat surgery over summer. He has been deliberately kept fresh for the Scone meeting and goes to the Ortensia Stakes first-up after two good trial efforts. At the start of the season there was some talk Caballus could be in The Everest mix before his form slipped. The stable retains a high opinion of the sprinter and there is confidence he is set to make a winning comeback here.

• $8.50 VALUE BET: Ray & Duff’s race-by-race tips and analysis for Scone on Saturday

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DOOMBEN TIPS

BEST BET: Race 7 No.2 IN FLIGHT goes to Scone in good form after a first-up second to the smart Godolphin sprinter Pisanello at Canterbury then she beat all but stablemate Dragonstone in the Hawkesbury Rush. Trainer Joe Pride has found a perfect race, the Listed Bright Shadow, for In Flight to break through at stakes level. In Flight excels on rain-affected tracks so the soft-heavy conditions are a further boost to her chances.

NEXT BEST: Race 4 No.2 AL MUBHIR, a stakeswinner in England, has improved steadily in each of his three Australian starts this autumn and put the writing on the wall with a good third under a big weight at Randwick behind the in-form Punch Lane last start. James McDonald goes on for the Bernborough Handicap and Al Mubhir is very effective on soft-heavy tracks.

VALUE BET: Race 1 No.13 SCALEXTRICS is a noted wet-tracker – five of his six career wins have been on soft and heavy tracks – and he goes to Doomben in good form. He was third-up when scoring at Warwick Farm before being narrowly beaten when third at Kensington. Scalextrics is up slightly in grade and is drawn wide but the track conditions suit and he’s great value at close to $15.

THE WHISPER: Race 8 No.12 SUNSHINE IN PARIS is an outstanding mare with two Group 1 wins and more than $5 million prizemoney. She hasn’t had a lot of luck with barriers in her career and again was allocated gate 14 for the Doomben 10,000 but after scratchings, she is into barrier 11. Champion jockey James McDonald is back on Sunshine In Paris, having ridden her once previously to win the Group 1 VRC Sprint Classic at Flemington last spring. She has a brilliant finishing surge and just needs even luck in running.

• BIG BETS: Multiple five-figure wagers on two runners on Saturday

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SCONE BIG BETS, MARKET MOVERS
Race 1: Jumeirah Beach $4.60-$3.70
Race 2: Due Calzini $8-$7, Rouge Moulin $11-$7.50
Race 3: Akaysha $4.60-$2.90 including a bet of $2500 at $3.70, Sylph $15-$8.50
Race 4: Oh Diamond Lil $3.60-$3.40
Race 5: Good Banter $6-$5.50, Miracle Spin $8-$6
Race 6: Zealously $4.60-$3.60, Left Field $8-$5.50
Race 7: Soft Love $3.50-$3.20, Thames $11-$4.80
Race 8: The Novelist $8-$7
Race 9: Zeitung $6-$5, Watch My Girl $8-$6.50
Race 10: Gallant Star $6-$4

• 15 EXPERTS: Racenet, Punters form analysts’ tips, betting strategies for Saturday’s Doomben 10,000

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INTERSTATE MAIL
Flemington Race 1 No.6 ONE HARD LADY
Flemington Race 6 No.11 KING ZEPHYR
Morphettville Race 2 No.3 PARTY CRASHER
Morphettville Race 7 No.6 I AM VELVET

• Morphettville, Belmont expert tips: $41 chance an ‘insane’ price

PROVINCIAL MAIL
Kembla Grange Race 1 No.10 EXPLICIT
Kembla Grange Race 4 No.1 MISS SPACEGIRL

#Good luck today and I hope you back plenty of winners

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Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/horse-racing/the-last-say-tips-inside-mail-for-doomben-scone-flemington-and-more-on-saturday-may-17-2025/news-story/3cda4ad8de24c9efb096d045255b942f