Morphettville racing tips, best bets and quaddie picks | SA 8/5
| What | Morphettville Race by Race Preview |
| Where | Morphettville Racecourse, 79 Morphett Rd, Morphettville, SA |
| When | Saturday May 8th, 2021 |
| First Race | 11:40am CST |
| Feature Race | SA Derby – Race 7 |
| Watch Live | |
Day 2 of the Adelaide Carnival will feature the Group 1 South Australian Derby, but the supporting card will provide an outstanding Saturday of racing. The track is rated a Good 4 which should produce perfect racing conditions throughout the day. The first three races will be run on the Morphettville Parks track which sees the rail out 2m from the 1000m to the winning post and true in the remainder, while the course proper will have the rail in the 2m position from the 1200m to the winning post and true the remainder. Horsebetting.com.au brings you coverage of all nine races, including full previews of both the South Australian Sires’ Produce and the Derby, and has found you three best bets and a quaddie for the meeting which will jump at 11:40am in South Australia.
Race 1 – Benchmark 62 (1000m)
Next Best Bet
A field of 10 is set to contest this opening benchmark race and while the favourite comes up short, we are happy to be with her. Star of Uma for the McEvoy stable finished second on debut on the Parks track behind Grandslam and then ran last in the Group 3 Breeders Stakes, but can be completely forgiven. She had a good time on the sidelines and resumed with back-to-back wins by a cumulative margin of six lengths, before running third to Hindaam and La Mexicana at Sandown which is very good form for this. The ear muffs (pre-race only) go on the first time which is a likeable gear change, and Baren Vorster will hop back aboard. Expect her to get the dream run one-out-one-back and be too sharp for these.
Selections: 2-11-1-8
[rmOC_events_list event_ids=1368657_01]
Race 2 – Group 3 South Australian Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m)
The first of the group races sees the two-year-olds do battle in the South Australian Sires’ Produce Stakes over 1400m. Three Kings is looking to make it three straight wins after a great win at Flemington last start and we are confident that he can give the McEvoys a race-to-race double to kick off the program. While he may not lead from barrier six, Luke Currie will be positive on this son of Sebring and that should have him well within striking distance to win this feature. He was unlucky first-up this campaign to miss in a photo, if he had have won that, this would be for four straight and he would be even shorter. He is a great bet.
Selections: 1-10-11-9
[rmOC_events_list event_ids=1368657_02]
Race 3 – Benchmark 82 Autumn Series Final (1400m)
Best Value Bet
This is a wide open affair for the Autumn Series Final, and one that presents a nice bit of value. May Be Fate drove through along the rails in his most recent run when second to a speedy one in Deep Dive over 1200m. That run came first-up off a nine week freshen up, so he had every right to just need the run, so now second up off a three week break should have him peaking. The son of Reward For Effort has only missed the placings once from five starts when second-up, he has won at 1400m in the past and races well on the Parks track. With Ryan Hurdle in the saddle again, the five-year-old is likely to get back but can finish over the top of a hot tempo.
Selections: 4-5-3-10
[rmOC_events_list event_ids=1368657_03]
Race 4 – Benchmark 82 (1200m)
We are back on to the course proper from here on in, and we have got ourselves a race that has an abundance of chances. You could easily make a case for most of these in one way or another, so again we’ve gone a bit wider. Top weight, Octane, has not won for 38 weeks, but that last win came at the end of a three race win streak at Gawler, Morphettville and Flemington in similar races to this. The son of I Am Invincible has been running in quality handicaps, Group 3s and Group 2 races since then, and while he hasn’t won, he’s been in the deep end. Phillip Stokes drops him back in grade severely here and Alana Kelly can use her 3kg claim to get his weight down to 59.5kg putting him right in this at a big price with racing bookmakers.
Selections: 1-2-3-7
[rmOC_events_list event_ids=1368657_04]
Race 5 – Benchmark 64 (1050m)
Lightly raced four-year-old gelding Load And Go comes into this on the back of a nice win on March 6 over 1250m in a similar race, so we are siding with him. The son of Oamaru Force has had four starts for two wins and a second, and is now fresh off a nine-week break which will suit. Will Price is one of the better apprentices in the southern states, so his booking along with the 2kg claim will be beneficial here. Drawn gate four, Price will take this four-year-old to the front and it should be a matter of holding your breath late.
Selections: 6-7-5-3
[rmOC_events_list event_ids=1368657_05]
Race 6 – Benchmark 75 Provincial Super Series Final (1800m)
These types of “final” races are always competitive events, and this one is no different. Former Hong Kong gelding, Reynolds, has had three starts in Australia for two wins and a fast-finishing third last time out in what was a key lead-up to this. Despite losing, it probably worked out well for the Michael Hickmott-trained five-year-old, as he drops 3.5kg and meets Sadente better at the weights this time around. The Exceed And Excel gelding will appreciate getting out to 1800m for the first time this campaign, and the booking of Damian Lane is a strong one. He will take serious beating.
Selections: 7-5-8-1
[rmOC_events_list event_ids=1368657_06]
Race 7 – Group 1 South Australian Derby (2500m)
The main race of the afternoon sees the three-year-olds contest the Group 1 South Australian Derby. A capacity field has been assembled, including two Group 1 winners. We aren’t with either of the Group 1 winners and instead will be siding with a three-year-old who finally gets his chance at 2500m, a distance we believe he has wanted since debut. Deepstrike arguably should have won the Chairman’s Stakes last start, and although he was never tested, he didn’t have a gut-buster like some of his rivals. He has drawn well in barrier nine this son of Tavistock, and again Damian Lane will take over the riding duties which is a plus. He can be strongest at the end of 2500m. Liquero will make his own luck up on the speed, while Abreed could be a blowout hope.
Selections: 6-3-10-15
[rmOC_events_list event_ids=1368657_07]
Race 8 – Listed Adelaide Guineas (1600m)
Best Bet Of The Day
One of the better placed runners around Australia on Saturday is Patrick Payne’s Cherry Tortoni. The son of Night of Thunder gets in here at set weights with only 57.5kg which should be a supreme advantage in this. The three-year-old gelding hasn’t contested a race below Group 3 level since September when third in the Listed Exford Plate at Caulfield over 1400m. He has since won at Group 2 level, finished fourth in the VRC Derby and was narrowly defeated in the Group 1 Australian Guineas in February over the mile at Flemington. His last start fifth at Rosehill can be forgiven as he was racing against the pattern of the day, so with a month between runs and back to the mile, he should be very hard to beat in this at Listed level.
Selections: 1-2-9-3
[rmOC_events_list event_ids=1368657_08]
Race 9 – Benchmark 82 SA Sprint Series Final (1100m)
Trip doesn’t know how to run a bad race with three wins and five seconds from her past eight starts, so at the $7 quote we have her on top. The David Jolly-trained mare was first-up off a decent break when resuming last time out, and after leading all of the way over 1000m, she was just grabbed in the shadows of the post by Streetcar Stranger. She will be fitter for that run and should appreciate getting out to 1100m. Kayla Crowther knows the mare well, having ridden her twice for two placings, and although the wide barrier isn’t ideal, her go forward racing pattern should compensate that. She will be in this for a long way.
Selections: 5-1-6-3
[rmOC_events_list event_ids=1368657_09]
Morphettville quaddie tips 8/5
| Morphettville quadrella selections | |
|---|---|
| Race 6: | 5-7 |
| Race 7: | 1-2-3-6-10-15 |
| Race 8: | 7-9-12 |
| Race 9: | 1-5-6 |
| Investment | 1-5-6 |