Overview
So You Are arrives at the Bendigo Cup on three straight wins, and nothing else in the race has banked prize money like it over the last 90 days. Four starts in that window have produced three wins, a placing in the other and $582,250, and Rachel King rides for Bjorn Baker from barrier 1.
The Cup is Race 8 on a nine-race Wednesday card, all on turf rated Soft, starting with a three-year-old maiden at 12:50PM and finishing with an MCC Series heat at 5:30PM. These Bendigo racing tips go race by race, with live prices where the market was up when this was written. The first five races had full markets; the last four, the Cup included, did not, so the back half carries fewer numbers. Scratchings have hit hard in places too. Race 7 lost Tsarine and Imperial Award, two of the most in-form horses on the whole card, and Race 4 lost five. The rider to follow all afternoon is Jabez Johnstone, who has won five of ten rides here.
Reading the Bendigo card
Soft ground all day means stamina and a willingness to grind matter more than raw speed, and that is worth remembering in the two races over 2400m. Limited course form across today’s fields, though. Most runners have one or two starts here, and only Jawsome Rob has three.
The riders and stables are a different story. Several jockeys have enough Bendigo rides to mean something, and two trainers bring real volume.
| Jockey | Runs | Wins | Places | Win% | Place% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jabez Johnstone | 10 | 5 | 9 | 50.0 | 90.0 |
| Ethan Brown | 8 | 3 | 7 | 37.5 | 87.5 |
| Craig Williams | 9 | 3 | 5 | 33.3 | 55.6 |
| W Egan | 35 | 5 | 18 | 14.3 | 51.4 |
| Ben Allen | 13 | 2 | 6 | 15.4 | 46.2 |
| Declan Bates | 24 | 4 | 11 | 16.7 | 45.8 |
| D W Stackhouse | 38 | 5 | 15 | 13.2 | 39.5 |
| Trainer | Runs | Wins | Places | Win% | Place% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E & D Browne | 6 | 3 | 5 | 50.0 | 83.3 |
| Jerome Hunter | 14 | 3 | 9 | 21.4 | 64.3 |
| M M Laurie | 19 | 5 | 11 | 26.3 | 57.9 |
| C Maher | 54 | 9 | 25 | 16.7 | 46.3 |
| Ben, Will & JD Hayes | 47 | 8 | 21 | 17.0 | 44.7 |
| A & S Freedman | 15 | 4 | 5 | 26.7 | 33.3 |
Johnstone’s record needs one more line of context. All ten of those Bendigo rides have been for C Maher, so the five wins and nine placings belong to the partnership as much as the rider. There are four more rides today, all for the same stable.
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Bendigo predictions, race by race
Race 1: Rsn Bendigo 945am Mdn Plate, 12:50PM, 1000m
Scoville ran second on debut and has only had the one start, which is thin, but the booking says the stable expects more. Ethan Brown rides for C Maher, a combination with 24 wins from 92 runs together, and Brown has won three of eight rides at Bendigo with seven placings. At $2.60 with Unibet Scoville is the shortest in the market, and that feels about right for a three-year-old drawn in 3 over a sprint.
Resonant is the obvious danger. Resonant ran second last start, placed on the only Bendigo visit, and the market barely separates them at $2.90 with Ladbrokes. Roll forward from gate 8 and find the fence, and that one takes some catching. Hot Samba is scratched. Win bet on Scoville, small saver on Resonant.
Race 2: Catanachs Jewellers (Bm64), 1:25PM, 1300m
Does a top weight with two wins from three recent starts deserve to be fourth in the betting? The market says Hydro Rush does, and that looks wrong. Hydro Rush won last start, won on the only Bendigo visit, and has three runs in the last 90 days for two wins. Damian Lane rides for A G Pace from barrier 1, which hands over the run of the race in a six-horse field.
Purgatorio is the favourite at $3.50 with Ladbrokes and has a win and two placings from three recent starts. Craig Williams rides for A & S Freedman, who have four winners from 15 runners here. Sound Byte won last time out and is $4.20 with Bet Right. It is a tight race on paper, but Hydro Rush at $6.25 with Bet Right is the price I want. Win bet.
Race 3: Wild Plumbing (Bm66), 2:00PM, 1100m
Four scratchings, including Semantics, have thinned this out to twelve, and the one that interests me most has had a single start. Prestige Lucky won that start and collected $27,300 doing it, so nobody quite knows the ceiling. Ben Allen has two wins and six placings from 13 Bendigo rides, and Matt Jenkins has given the horse a soft spot at BM66 for its second run. $5.00 with Neds is fair for something this unexposed.
Romantic Miss has a win and two placings from the last three and is $8.00 with Bet Right. Holly Durnan has two wins from 12 rides here. Purple Streak heads the market at $4.60 with Neds but has not raced in the last 90 days. Star Of Omaha, at $6.00 with Ladbrokes, is one of Johnstone’s four rides for Maher and comes in light. Each-way on Prestige Lucky.
Race 4: Brb Electrical (Bm66), 2:35PM, 2400m
Five scratchings leave thirteen to run a long way on soft ground, and that suits a horse that keeps finishing races. Melek is the favourite at $2.35 with Unibet, with two placings from three runs in the last 90 days, no wins, and a third last start. C Maher trains, John Allen rides. The most likely winner, but the price leaves nothing on the table.
Amawasha is the one I want. Five runs in the window for three placings, no wins, and the lightest weight in the race. That profile, a horse that keeps hitting the frame and gets in cheaply, is made for an each-way bet over 2400m, and $9.50 with Ladbrokes is generous. Celtic Park, at $8.00 with Unibet, has two placings from three recent runs. Each-way Amawasha, and leave Melek for the multis.
Race 5: Prestige Event Hire (Bm70), 3:10PM, 1600m
Savannah Chill has the best recent record in this race and the market has it at $13.00 with Unibet. That is the race in one sentence. Five starts in the last 90 days have produced two wins and four placings, and the form line ends 2-1-1, so this is a horse still on the way up. Nadia Daniels rides for the Hayes stable, which has eight winners from 47 runners at Bendigo. Barrier 14 is the one knock, but over 1600m there is time to find cover.
Jenni You Think is the favourite at $4.00 with Bet Right. Two runs in the window have brought two placings, plus a placing on the only Bendigo start, and gets Damian Lane for Maher. Cushioned ($4.80 with Unibet) has Craig Williams but no placings from two recent runs. Stablemate Itsukushima has a win and two placings from three. Win and place on Savannah Chill, the value bet of the day.
Race 6: Bendigo Locksmiths (Bm78), 3:45PM, 1100m
Weapon Clear has been to Bendigo twice and won both times. That is two runs, a data point and not a trend, but the horse also won its only start in the last 90 days, and the form line finishes 3-5-1. Sheridan Clarke rides for D Binaisse, a combination that won as recently as last Sunday. The barrier is 11 of 11 in a sprint, so some luck early will be needed.
The danger is Yolo, Johnstone’s ride for Maher. Two wins and three placings from four starts in the window is strong, although Yolo finished ninth last time. Per Sempre has earned $92,200 from five recent runs, more than anything else in the field, with a win and three placings. No market was up for this race when this was written. Weapon Clear to win, and the first leg of the quaddie.
Race 7: Jarrod Larkin Concreting (Bm70), 4:20PM, 1300m
Tsarine and Imperial Award have both been scratched, which removes four wins from six recent runs between them. That leaves Dirty Look as the form horse. Two starts in the last 90 days, two wins, $60,500, and a form line that ends 5-1-1. M J Dee rides for G M Begg, and Dirty Look shares top weight, which is the price of winning twice.
Alero is the danger, and the reason is the booking. Johnstone rides for Maher again, and Alero has won one of two Bendigo starts. The last run was an eighth, though, so a bounce back is needed. Razzo Rosso has two wins from five in the window. Dirty Look to win, and in the quaddie as a single if you want to save outlay for the Cup.
Race 8: Ladbrokes Bendigo Cup, 4:55PM, 2400m
So You Are is the clear form horse in the Cup, and it is not close. Three straight wins, four starts in the last 90 days for three wins and a placing, and $582,250 in prize money over that period. Next best on that measure is Kings Valley on $313,000, from six runs with one placing. Bjorn Baker has booked Rachel King, and the pair have 29 wins from 119 runs together, so this is a combination that knows each other. Barrier 1 is a gift over 2400m. King can take a sit on the fence and wait.
The weight is the question. So You Are carries more than ten of the other runners, and the horses that come in light are where the danger comes from. See That Storm is the pick of those. See That Storm placed in all three runs in the window with a win among them, and Craig Williams, who has three wins from nine Bendigo rides, takes the ride for Price and Kent. That is the one that can pick up the leader late if the soft ground takes its toll.
The Euphrates has a win and two placings from four recent starts for G Waterhouse & A Bott and $254,750 in prize money, but the last run was well back. Litzdeel has two placings from five and Damian Lane. Starford, from Joseph Patrick O’Brien‘s stable, ran 13th in its only start in the window. Taramansour is scratched.
No market was up for the Cup when this was written. If So You Are opens at a price you can live with, back it to win. Exacta with See That Storm underneath.
Race 9: The Sporting Globe After The Last – Mcc Series Heat 8 (Bm78), 5:30PM, 1400m
Hard to have a confident view in a 17-runner heat with Charming Deel scratched. Chicago Blues has the best recent numbers, two wins and three placings from five starts, though the last of them was an eighth. Teodore Nugent rides for Jason Warren, who has two wins from 13 runners here.
Col Klink won its only Bendigo start and has a win from two runs in the window, and Damian Lane rides. Shaalute has three placings from four recent runs and the lightest weight, with M M Laurie, who places 11 of 19 runners here. Small win bet on Chicago Blues, and Shaalute in the place pool.
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Where the money goes
NAP: So You Are (Race 8, 4:55PM). Three wins on end, the richest recent form in the field and the inside gate over 2400m. The Cup is there to be lost.
Value: Savannah Chill (Race 5, 3:10PM). Two wins and four placings from five recent starts, still improving, and $13.00 with Unibet. That is far too big.
Banker: Weapon Clear (Race 6, 3:45PM). Two from two at Bendigo and a winner last start. The quaddie anchor.
Each-way: Amawasha (Race 4, 2:35PM). Three placings from five recent runs and the lightest weight over 2400m on soft ground. $9.50 with Ladbrokes.
Course angle: Jabez Johnstone riding for C Maher. Five winners and nine placings from ten rides together here, and four more chances today: Star Of Omaha, Jackknife, Yolo and Alero.
If Johnstone keeps landing at nine placings in ten Bendigo rides for Maher, the market will have to start pricing those mounts accordingly.
Bendigo racing FAQ
What time does racing start at Bendigo today?
Race 1, the Rsn Bendigo 945am Mdn Plate over 1000m, starts at 12:50PM. The Bendigo Cup is Race 8 at 4:55PM, and the last race goes at 5:30PM.
Who are the top jockeys and trainers at Bendigo?
Jabez Johnstone has won five of ten rides here with nine placings, and Ethan Brown has three wins and seven placings from eight. Among trainers, C Maher has nine winners from 54 runners and the Hayes stable has eight from 47. M M Laurie has five winners from 19 with 11 placings.
What are the best Bendigo bets today?
So You Are in the Bendigo Cup is the NAP, Savannah Chill in Race 5 is the value, and Weapon Clear in Race 6 is the banker. Amawasha is the each-way play in Race 4.
Where can I find the best Bendigo odds?
Prices were spread across bookmakers when this was written. Savannah Chill was $13.00 with Unibet, Hydro Rush $6.25 with Bet Right and Amawasha $9.50 with Ladbrokes. Races 6 to 9 had no market yet. The bookmaker table above compares current offers.
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