Shayne O’Cass’s race-by-race tips, analysis for Royal Randwick on Saturday

Form expert Shayne O’Cass delves into the 10-race card for Royal Randwick on Saturday, providing his race-by-race tips and analysis.

Form expert Shayne O’Cass analyses the 10-race card for Royal Randwick on Saturday, providing his race-by-race tips and analysis.

• PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet’s team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW!

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

RACE 1: SHINZO @ COOLMORE PLATE 1000m

Wisnierska has the honour and distinction of being Anders first winner after running them down on debut at Newcastle. Interesting pedigree; her eighth dam is the great Chicquita. Pallaton has trialled like a ‘nice horse’. How good are these Wotton Bassetts? Wow. Chergui is out broodmare gem Essaouira who has produced 14 consecutive foals without ever missing or slipping. That’s incredible. Among her offspring are Astern, Alizee and Tassort. Stablemate Cenotaph has trialled really well.

Bet: Wisnierska each-way, quinella 7, 13

RACE 2: TAB HIGHWAY HCP (C3) 1600m

Moritz Girl and In Summer share the same grandma, Urge To Merge, who is the dam of two Group 1 winners. Moritz Girl has been fantastic in her four runs for Nick Olive. She was fourth at Randwick on Big Dance day to Blazing Harry then a closing fifth to Everido in The Gong Day Highway. Trialled well since. In Summer’s form is more or less faultless. The barrier is the worry. Magic Pharoah is a Randwick mile Highway winner at this same meeting in 2023.

Bet: Moritz Girl each-way

Moritz Girl runs them down with @AlyshaCollett on board.@ANeashamRacing trains the quinella. pic.twitter.com/2t2V84S9HP

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) September 15, 2023

RACE 3: MIDWAY (BM72) 1600m

Rapt accepted for not one, not two but three races on this card. Not that it means anything, but I had her top pick in all of them, that’s how well she looks to be going. The Dynamic Syndications mare just kept on improving last preparation which ended with a Grafton Guineas win. The new one started with a huge fourth in the Listed Just Now at Eagle Farm. Speaking of ‘improving’, Outcast Girl is at the peak of her powers right now and deserves her place here. Big ask but barrier 1, 52.5kg and Deanne Panya make it easier.

Bet: Rapt to win, Outcast Girl to place

RACE 4: INGLIS CLASSIC SALE 9-11 FEB OUT NOW (BM78) 1400m

Llanddwyn has a tidy C.V of 12 starts for three wins and three placings, two of them seconds. The Chris Waller-trained mare’s second-up record is two runs, one win, one second. Here’s a stat; Tommy Berry is two wins from three rides. That first-up run had ‘next time’ written all over it in my opinion. Classique Legend’s little (half) sister I Am Famous won her first three of four runs last preparation thanks to some good alleys and good rides by Classique Legend’s jockey, Kerrin McEvoy. Barrier 4 on Saturday. Dark Glitter is flying.

Bet: Llanddwyn to win, exacta 2 to beat 4, duet 2, 11

Another fav wins at @hawkesburyrc - this time it's Diddle Dumpling for @JoshuaParr8 and @GRyanRacing 👏 pic.twitter.com/eLnb0fFo2r

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) November 7, 2024

RACE 5: PETALUMA (BM72) 1300m

Diddle Dumpling (in the nose roll, first time) was as close to a moral as you get in racing in that Hawkesbury Maiden on November 7, a few weeks after her big run in the Reginal Allen. No wonder she was $1.24. That was the win of a horse who is ready and able to go right on with it now. Riff Rocket’s half-sister Codetta has been so well placed by Michael Freedman, hence the three wins from four starts. She is battle-ready for a Saturday race. Inside Man showed all that Lonhro desire and will to win on debut. He’s going to win plenty more.

Bet: Diddle Dumpling to win, exacta 10 to beat 4

RACE 6: PRECISE AIR (BM78) 2400m

Tastula, the one in the Briasa colours, is not unlike his recent The Hunter winning stablemate in that he is a rapidly progressing racehorse, in his case, in the staying ranks. He won his Maiden at Canterbury by three then went to Kembla and won a Class 1 by the same margin. This is harder of course but it’s not like its Caulfield Cup standard. The King’s horse, Gilded Water, did what he had to do to win his Australia debut. No knock at all, but he had all the favours.

Bet: Tastula to win

The fav Tastula backs up his win at Canterbury with a win at @kemblaraces!@HawkesRacingpic.twitter.com/sdu4dyn9Uj

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) December 12, 2024

RACE 7: CAPTIVANT @ KIA ORA (BM72) 1600m

Just for some context, I have been on German-bred, English-raced import Empire Of Art at both his Australian runs, both sevenths at the midweeks at $16 and $41 respectively. He was terrible at his first run but there were signs in that mile race at Warwick Farm that he might be coming good. We’ll know this weekend. Churchill’s Choice is an unbeaten three-year-old filly from the Nathan Doyle stable. Me? I really like and respect the quality of Maiden and Class 1 that she disposed of in those two runs. Bright Red and Fiddlers Green are major contenders.

Bet: Empire Of Art each-way

RACE 8: JAMES SQUIRE (BM100) 1400m

I was all over Cotehele last time he raced but I didn’t know at the time it was going to be a Heavy 10. Different story this time and he is back at his home track. As mentioned last time he raced, Cotehele is an Alan Brown runner-up and took bronze in last year’s Little Dance. Expect a whole better outcome this time. Palmetto has run in, and won, some big races; the Five Diamonds Prelude, The Coast, etc. Resumes at home at 1400m off two very good trials. Jojo Is A Man and Ang Pow will have fans.

Bet: Cotehele each-way, quinella 1, 3, Daily Double 1st Leg (3), 2nd Leg (4)

Our Kobison returns with a bang at Randwick! 💥@mcacajamez@aus_turf_clubpic.twitter.com/wLi1opP6Cw

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) August 10, 2024

RACE 9: TOYOTA FORKLIFTS (BM94) 1100m

Angela Davies is on 199 wins (one of them a Provincial Championships Final). It would be fitting if her stable captain Our Kobison raises the bat for the barn but Miss Cartel might have already done that at Wyong a few hours earlier. Whatever the case, all I know is that while the sun is shining and the track is firm, it takes a fast horse to beat Our Kobison. Keen to see the flucs when it comes to Much Much Better, He is a most underrated customer with a winning draw.

Bet: Our Kobison to win, box trifecta 1,2,4,9

RACE 10: TAB (BM78) 1300m

Most interesting horse in all day is the ex-Aga Khan galloper now in the care of Kris Lees and wearing the Lucia Valentina colours. It is of course the French import Valimi whose C.V currently reads as seven starts for two wins and two seconds. The wins were over 1600m at Deauville and Longchamp. Take note, the son of Teofilo was fifth, beaten two and a half lengths in the French equivalent of our Rosehill Guineas. Accredited is flying and on the up. Yorkshire is classy.

Bet: Valimi each-way

Originally published as Shayne O’Cass’s race-by-race tips, analysis for Royal Randwick on Saturday