Port Macquarie Cup Day tips & value bets | Friday, October 6
| What | Port Macquarie Cup Day |
| Where | Manning Valley Race Club – Racecourse Dr, Taree NSW 2430 |
| When | Friday, October 6, 2023 |
| First Race | 1:05pm AEDT |
It’s Port Macquarie Cup Day this Friday afternoon, and due to the state of the track in Port Mac, it will be run at Manning Valley Race Club in Taree. The winner of the $200,000 feature will be eligible for The Big Dance (1600m) on the first Tuesday of November.
The eight-race program is filled with 113 acceptors, and with the rail in the true position to go along with Good 4 conditions, the majority of those should go around. The first race is set to get underway at 1:05pm AEDT.
Port Macquarie Cup: Mount Popa
March of 2022 was the last time Mount Popa found the winner’s enclosure, and this looks like his best opportunity yet to return there. He is second-up after closing well behind Democracy Manifest in the Group 3 Cameron Handicap (1500m) at Newcastle on September 15. That was always going to be short of his best trip, and the eight-year-old gelding should relish this 2000m journey. He has drawn soft in gate three, and with a solid second-up record (7:2-2-1), Mount Popa should be peaking in the 2023 Port Macquarie Cup.
Port Macquarie Cup
Race 7 – 
#3 Mount Popa (3)
8yo Gelding | T: Michael, Wayne & John Hawekes | J: Koby Jennings (60.5kg)
Best Bet at Taree: Headley Grange
Headley Grange was ultra-impressive on debut at Grafton on September 26, going on to score by a narrow margin. He had all the work to do from near-last turning for home, circling all 12 rivals. The margin doesn’t indicate the dominance of the win, and now, stepping into Class 1 company, we’ll get a real measure of the ability of this son of Exosphere. We think he’s up to the task, and we’re getting a nice price from the top online bookmakers.
Best Bet
Race 3 – 
#4 Headley Grange (2)
3yo Gelding | T: Noel Mayfield-Smith | J: Darryl McLellan (57.5kg)
Next Best at Taree: Rogue Bear
Rogue Bear will resume in the opening race for the Kris Lees camp and needs to make a strong impression in this company. The now five-year-old gelding has shown plenty of promise since arriving in Australia, but he hasn’t been able to maintain any consistency. He has trialled with style heading into Friday, and with this being his easiest task to date, if Rogue Bear isn’t competitive, he may land in the ‘forget’ file permanently.
Next Best
Race 1 – 
#1 Rogue Bear (2)
5yo Gelding | T: Kris Lees | J: Benjamin Osmond (a2kg) (62.5kg)
Friday quaddie for Port Macquarie Cup Day 2023
Taree quadrella selections
Friday, October 6, 2023
- 1-2-4-8-10
- 1-2-5-6-8
- 2-3
- 1-3-6-8-13