Our top five racing tips at Rosehill and Flemington, March 18
GOLDEN Slipper Day is almost upon us and what a card it is at Rosehill this Saturday.
Australia’s best thoroughbreds are in action which includes Winx, Hartnell and a host of talented two-year-olds in the Slipper itself.
We have done the form at both Rosehill and Flemington to find our tip five tips across the two meetings this Saturday. Both meetings offer competitive racing fields and we believe the bookmakers are offering great value for some quality runners.
Our first tip runs at Flemington in the VRC Thanks Greg Miles Trophy at 1.10pm and it’s a runner which has plenty of potential going forward.
Theanswerismyfriend – Flemington Race 2
Theanswerismyfriend finished second at Flemington last start, but it had no peace in front and this looks an ideal race for it.
The Robert Smerdon-trained three-year-old was hassled the entire trip and was only caught late by Mr Sneaky. Its win prior came by over three lengths and it looks to have a fair amount of potential.
Its best efforts have come when it leads, so if Luke Nolen can get it into a nice rhythm, we expect the +110 chance at Ladbrokes.com.au to be too tough for this field which looks tough on paper, but it should have their measure.
Tactical Advantage – Rosehill Race 3
It’s hard to fault the form of a horse which has rattled off four consecutive wins this campaign. The James Cummings-trained gelding has looked well above average so far this season and we’re expecting another win.
The three-year-old by Bel Esprit only scored its maiden win in December and it has already notched up a stakes win which came in the Spark Life Stakes last start.
Its last two wins came over the likes of Spending To Win and Scarlet Rain, so it’s beating talented horses and both wins came on rain-affected ground.
Drawing barrier nine shouldn’t be a concern for punters as jockeys will be looking to send their horses wide around the Rosehill track. This should give it plenty of time to find its feet over the sprinting distance and there are no standout runners in the field which are likely to beat it.
Bookmakers are keeping it short in the market at +150 with CrownBet.com.au, but that’s a price worth taking and it can see it shortening on race day.
Antonio Giuseppe – Rosehill Race 4
Hartnell is going to tough to beat, but it didn’t enjoy the heavy track last start and we believe the $1.90 for the win is too short, so we’re going with Antonio Giuseppe to place (+115) at Sportsbet.com.au.
The Chris Waller-trained four-year-old wasn’t able to finish off on the slow track last start when second to Tavago in the Sky High Stakes. We’re prepared to overlook that effort as it came second-up and it’s form in the heavy is a perfect two-from-two.
The nicely-bred son of Shocking has won four from five starts at Rosehill and although it’s weighted poorly at 59kg, it has the ability to run in the money and it has only seven rivals to beat.
We’re confident it has the staying ability to perform on the group one stage.
Glenall – Rosehill Race 8
We’re not convinced Glenall is the best horse in the Group 1 Galaxy, but history suggests a three-year-old that isn’t fresh up has a great winning record.
The Galaxy is known for the upset result and we’ll stick with history for this race. Russian Revolution is the current favourite and whilst it’s a three-year-old, it is fresh up and only one favourite has won in the past 20 runnings of The Galaxy.
That leaves us with Glenall which has race fitness under its belt and a fair amount of ability. It closed nicely behind Samantha in the Fireball Stakes last start and it appears to handle the sting out of the track.
There will be plenty of speed in this race and we think jockey Andrew Adkins should sit just off the pace and use the 50kg to its advantage. The $16 at Ladbrokes is a fair price for a talented runner which could cause yet another Galaxy upset.
Verstappen – Flemington Race 7
There is always plenty of confidence surrounding Verstappen in the market, but punters are getting a good price of +500 at WilliamHill.com.au.
The three-year-old should have won last time out at Moonee Valley when second behind Tigidig Tigidig and its form prior featured some nice results.
The Danny O’Brien-trained gelding didn’t fire in the Hilton Stakes behind Souchez, but its win prior at Cranbourne came by 2.25 lengths and there is potential there.
It does tend to mix its form, but the drop in weight from 57.5kg to 54kg is ideal and it’s a value runner at Flemington on Saturday.