Ballarat racing preview & best bets | Sunday, July 10
| What | Ballarat Races |
| Where | Ballarat Turf Club – 240 Kennedys Rd, Miners Rest VIC 3352 |
| When | Sunday, July 10, 2022 |
| First Race | 12:20pm AEST |
We head to Ballarat Turf Club on Sunday afternoon for an eight-race card on a Soft 5 track with the rail out 6m for the entire circuit. Recently at Ballarat it has been no disadvantage to be close to the speed throughout the day, so perhaps look for those runners who are likely to gain an easy lead. The day of racing gets underway at 12:20pm AEST.
Best Bet at Ballarat – Golden Crusader
Having smashed his rivals on his Australian debut at Donald on June 18, Golden Crusader from the Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr yard looks a clear best bet of the day. The French import led the field up over 1620m on that day and gave nothing else a chance in the home straight, and a similar effort in this BM64 should see him bring up a second win from as many starts for his new stable. The four-year-old gelding has the early speed to overcome the tricky draw of barrier 12 and he looks near certain to be the leader throughout. It is unlikely Jake Noonan will make this a sit and sprint given Golden Crusader needs to lug 60kg, so as long as he is bounding along out in front, he should prove too hard to run down for this lot.
Best Bet
Race 5 – 
#1 Golden Crusader (12)
4yo Gelding | T: Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr | J: Jake Noonan (60kg)
Next Best at Ballarat – Gusmao
The Mitch Freedman-trained Gusmao settled towards the rear of the field in each of his last two starts, but if he can sit midfield or a touch closer this Sunday, it could be the day he breaks his maiden at last. He unleashed a devastating turn of foot two starts back at Geelong, storming home from the rear to just miss out by the narrowest of margins. The three-year-old gelding clearly has the best finishing burst in this field, and in a race where there looks to be enough speed engaged, it sets up perfectly for Gusmao to take advantage of some potentially vulnerable leaders. The $4.60 on offer with Palmerbet is a generous price.
Next Best
Race 3 – 
#2 Gusmao (10)
3yo Gelding | T: Mitch Freedman | J: Jarrod Fry (59.5kg)
Best Value at Ballarat – Sylvan Sisterhood
The Archie Alexander-trained Sylvan Sisterhood produced a bit of a hidden run on debut at Donald on June 26. The four-year-old was held up until the final 200m, but once in clear she really knuckled down and hit the line to signal she might be one worth following at her next start. The Starcraft mare jumps from barrier 13 this time round, so traffic should not be too much of an issue. This maiden is not the deepest, so a similar effort to what she showed on debut should be enough to get the job done. At $11 with online betting sites, we are willing to find out how she goes.
Best Value
Race 4 – 
#11 Sylvan Sisterhood (13)
4yo Mare | T: Archie Alexander | J: Jamie Mott (57.5kg)
Sunday quaddie tips for Ballarat
Ballarat quadrella selections
Sunday, July 10, 2022
- 1-2
- 4-5-12
- 1-2-6-7-9
- 1-2-3-7-12
Investment: $150 for 100%