Placing a bet on a favourite – some punters can’t get enough of them, while others steer clear of them. Racing writer Justin Devine looks at some of the more fancied runners for this weekend’s horse racing and decides if he loves them 😍 or if he should leave ❎ them!
We have reached the final day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival! NATURE STRIP was too good for the best sprinters in the land last start in The Everest and can make it back to back Group 1 VRC Sprint Classics at Flemington. The on-fire Waller stable have placed mare SELEQUE beautifully for her first up run at Rosehill and she looks hard to beat. BECANDLENI has won her last couple on the Goldie and should prove too strong for her rivals at Eagle Farm 😍.
ZAAKI hasn’t really fired as expected in Melbourne this Spring, and I’m happy to oppose him in the Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes at Flemington. ADDICTIONS will need a bit of luck with 58kgs and the wide gate to win at Morphettville, while PURE DEVOTION will need to cover an extra 600m with a new jockey riding to win at Ascot ❎.
Good Luck Punters!
Rosehill R4 – 4. Seleque @ $2.70 😍
The Waller trained SELEQUE returns after a 10-week layoff and will have benefitted from a recent trial hit out at Rosehill. She has a tremendous fresh record (3: 2-1-0) and the stable is absolutely airborne at present. SELEQUE won her only other 1100m run and looks beautifully placed. Yes please!
Eagle Farm R3 – 6. Becandleni @ $3.40 😍
This looks like a perfect race for BECANDLENI. The 5yo mare has won her last two over 1800m at the Gold Coast including a 6+ length win last start. She does step up in class this week, but that is offset by 4.5kg drop in weights. She is rock hard fit and is drawn to enjoy a nice run in the race before powering home down the straight. I’m on!
BET ON EAGLE FARM RACE 3 HERE:
Flemington R6 – 1. Nature Strip @ $1.35 😍
We are starting to run out of adjectives to describe NATURE STRIP! He is a superstar and enigma all rolled into one. His run to win The Everest was enormous and this week he heads down the straight at Flemington for the VRC Sprint Classic. He put on a stunning display to win the race two years ago (below) and is arguably going better this year. James McDonald and Chris Waller have made the carnival their own so far and can add another Group 1 here. He won’t be a big price, BUT he will be winning!
Will Nature Strip claim his second VRC Sprint Classic on Saturday? pic.twitter.com/7c6m1Eujrh
— Racing.com (@Racing) October 31, 2021
BET ON VRC SPRINT CLASSIC HERE :
Morphettville R5 – 5. Addictions @ $2.50 ❎
ADDICTIONS was placed at big odds last start in a BM76 and drops back in grade to a BM60 this week. An on speed runner, the wide gate looks like an issue for jockey Claudia Lions. Does she have the speed to sit outside the leader? Will she take a sit? Can she accelerate with 58kgs? There are more questions than answers for me. Pass.
BET ON MORPHETTVILLE RACE 5 HERE:
Ascot R3 – 1. Pure Devotion @ $1.95 ❎
PURE DEVOTION came from the rear under the urgings of the Wizard Pike to win over 1600m last start. This is an apprentices race over 2200m, so no Pike! Jett Stanley is a promising young hoop but a lot can happen over 2200m with a field of apprentice jockeys. The pressure will be on and this is a sharp step up in distance. I cannot take the odds on. No thanks.
Flemington R8 – 4. Zaaki @ $2.30 ❎
ZAAKI has dominated in Sydney and Queensland, but not so much in Melbourne this year. The import hasn’t travelled that well when racing anti-clockwise and went down as a $1.28 favourite in the Group 1 Might And Power (below). Since then, the gelding has been scratched from the Cox Plate and while you have to trust that he is fully fit, you wonder if he can win a Group 1 this week? He looks under the odds and I will be betting around him.
PROBABEEL KNOCKS OFF ZAAKI IN THE GROUP 1 MIGHT AND POWER STAKES… pic.twitter.com/naomjd1rA1
— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) October 9, 2021