Overview
Ben Thompson has ridden ten winners from seventeen rides for Jack Bruce at Ipswich, and on Friday the pair team up again with Switz, a last-start winner, in the Springfield Mo Men Fundraiser Handicap. That partnership is the strongest thread running through a seven-race card, and it is the reason Race 6 is where our biggest bet of the afternoon sits.
The rest of the card is a mix of staying races, a pair of crowded 1203m sprints and a Bm58 over 1476m with a big field. The track is rated heavy at the time of writing, which matters: several runners on this card have shown their best when the ground is soft. These Ipswich racing tips go race by race from the 1:34PM maiden to the 5:22PM last, with a clear pick, the main danger and a staking call for each, then a short list of where the money goes. Only Race 1 had a bookmaker market up when this was written, so prices are quoted there and nowhere else.
Ipswich, the setup
Ipswich throws up a decent amount of course form on Friday, with ten of today’s runners having had three or more starts here. The first-four figures below count a run as “placed” if the horse finished in the first four.
Horses with course form
| Horse | Runs | Wins | Top 4 | Win% | Top 4% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Better Sweet | 6 | 2 | 4 | 33.3 | 66.7 |
| Chance de Lune | 5 | 1 | 1 | 20.0 | 20.0 |
| Down Under Stunnah | 4 | 1 | 4 | 25.0 | 100.0 |
| Ludik | 4 | 1 | 2 | 25.0 | 50.0 |
| Ninjitzou | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 50.0 |
| Crypto Magic | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Bertus | 3 | 1 | 1 | 33.3 | 33.3 |
| Blue White Blue | 3 | 1 | 1 | 33.3 | 33.3 |
Jockeys (5+ rides at Ipswich)
| Jockey | Runs | Wins | Top 4 | Win% | Top 4% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Thompson | 113 | 26 | 66 | 23.0 | 58.4 |
| Ryan Maloney | 41 | 9 | 23 | 22.0 | 56.1 |
| D Peisley | 19 | 2 | 10 | 10.5 | 52.6 |
| Jag Guthmann-Chester | 40 | 3 | 21 | 7.5 | 52.5 |
| Kyle Wilson-Taylor | 32 | 5 | 16 | 15.6 | 50.0 |
| Taylor Marshall | 55 | 8 | 24 | 14.6 | 43.6 |
Trainers
| Trainer | Runs | Wins | Top 4 | Win% | Top 4% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Hoysted | 35 | 5 | 21 | 14.3 | 60.0 |
| Jack Bruce | 69 | 16 | 40 | 23.2 | 58.0 |
| T J Gollan | 118 | 26 | 64 | 22.0 | 54.2 |
| Chris & Corey Munce | 63 | 10 | 30 | 15.9 | 47.6 |
| C J Waller | 78 | 12 | 36 | 15.4 | 46.2 |
| M J Dunn | 53 | 10 | 21 | 18.9 | 39.6 |
Ben Thompson is the rider to follow at this track, with more than a hundred rides here and a winner roughly every four. Matthew Hoysted has a smaller book but gets six in ten of his Ipswich runners into the first four, and he has three live chances on Friday.
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Ipswich race by race
Race 1: Tab Mdn Plate, 1:34PM, 2395m
Highland Kitty has been knocking on the door for months and gets its best chance yet. It has finished in the first four in four of its five starts since the start of August without winning, and its last three runs of 3, 2, 2 tell you it is always there at the business end. The 54.5kg is a big help over 2395m on heavy ground, and barrier 2 lets Jett Newman save every inch.
The market agrees: it was $1.80 with Bet Right when this was written. Short, but this is a weak maiden and it is the most reliable horse in it. She Loves Me ($4.40, Bet Right) is the danger. Its last three runs read 2, 3, 4, and it has finished in the first four in two of four starts this window.
Win bet on Highland Kitty, and it goes in as the leg to build multis around.
Race 2: Great Northern Hcp (C3), 2:12PM, 2395m
Does a top weight with a wide gate still get the job done over 2395m? With Backhander, the answer looks like yes. He has won two of his four starts since August, including his latest, and finished in the first four in three of them. The 60kg is the price of that improvement, and barrier 9 means Ben Thompson has to make a decision early, but this is a horse in a winning cycle.
Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald also run Disgruntled, who won one of four starts this window, but Thompson has chosen Backhander. Thompson has ridden for the stable seven times at Ipswich for a win and four top-four finishes.
Down Under Stunnah is the one to fear. He has run in the first four in all four of his Ipswich starts, winning once, and he ran second last time. B Lerena from barrier 5 gives him the run of the race. Back Backhander to win, with a saver on Down Under Stunnah for the place.
Race 3: Allclass Kubota Mdn Hcp, 2:50PM, 1203m
A big maiden sprint with no standout, so tread carefully. Logan Downs is the one we lean to. He ran second at his only start since August, his form line reads 4, 9, then that second after a break, and he gets Jag Guthmann-Chester for Matthew Hoysted. That combination has four Ipswich starts together and all four finished in the first four.
The worry is barrier 17. Even with scratchings, he has to find cover from out there on a heavy track.
Major Hot is the danger. He has run in the first four in four of his eight starts since the start of 2025, including his only start here, and G Cartwright draws barrier 10. Hills Of Minto, with two top-four finishes from four starts since the start of 2025, is the other worth having in exotics. Each-way on Logan Downs, small stakes. This is a race to watch rather than load up on.
Race 4: Cruice Creations Hcp (C1), 3:27PM, 1203m
Several last-start winners clash here, and the one already proven at Ipswich is Hell Of A High. He won at his only start on this track and comes in off a win, form reading 8, 7, 2, 1. J W Healy only has eight Ipswich runners on the books, but two of them have won, and M Rodd gets 56kg from barrier 8.
Dragon Link is the main threat. He won his only start since August, his form shows 2, 2, 1 at his last three, and Guthmann-Chester rides for Hoysted again. He carries 130kg as top weight, though, and that is 6.6kg more than Hell Of A High on heavy ground.
Quantum Overdrive is the value runner. He also won his only start this window, and Ryan Maloney, who gets more than half his Ipswich rides into the first four, takes the ride from barrier 2 for Neasham and Archibald. Win on Hell Of A High, small saver on Quantum Overdrive.
Race 5: The Don Moore Memorial Race (Bm58), 4:04PM, 1476m
The market problem in this race is likely to be Copper Star. He has finished in the first four at all five of his starts since August without winning, form reading 3, 2, 2, 3, 2, and that sort of profile usually ends up short in betting. He is a sensible each-way play, but he has to prove he can win.
Mission Of Joy is the pick. He has had two starts since August for a win and a second, and his form reads 4, 5, 1, 2 at his last four. He is another for Hoysted and Guthmann-Chester, and 59.5kg from barrier 10 is a fair task for a horse who is going this well.
Sir Maurice has the best course record in the race, a win and another top-four finish from two Ipswich starts, and he is trained by Jack Bruce. The 61kg he carries is the knock. Langan, trained by the Munce stable, won one of two starts this window and gets in light with 56.5kg for Ben Thompson.
Win on Mission Of Joy, each-way on Copper Star.
Race 6: The Springfield Mo Men Fundraiser Hcp (C2), 4:41PM, 1476m
Switz is the bet of the day. The form line of 3, 2, 2, then a break, then 2, 1, shows a horse who won last time and hasn’t run worse than third in his last five. He hasn’t raced since before August, so this is a horse coming back off a break, but Jack Bruce knows how to have one ready at Ipswich: 16 winners from 69 runners here, and close to six in ten finishing in the first four.
Then there is the rider. Ben Thompson and Bruce have teamed up seventeen times at Ipswich for ten winners and fourteen top-four finishes, and their latest win together came here on 15 October. When this stable books Thompson here, it is usually with a reason. Switz gets 57.5kg from barrier 8, which is a good spot in a field with this many scratchings.
Better Sweet is the danger, and a real one: a genuine Ipswich specialist with two wins from six starts here and in the first four two times out of three. The 55kg and barrier 2 for Leslie Tilley suit.
Graceful Warrior, a winner at one of two starts this window, carries just 52kg for Jett Newman and is the roughie. Back Switz to win, with a saver on Better Sweet.
Race 7: Mumma Jean Is 80 Hcp (C1), 5:22PM, 1848m
Doingiteasy and Mahmoa come at this from different angles. Doingiteasy grinds: he has finished in the first four at all three starts since August, reading 4, 2, 2, and from barrier 1 A Mallyon can hold the rail and wait. Mahmoa comes off a win, according to his racecard form of 3, then a break, then 2, 5, 6, 1, and he draws 9 for Leslie Tilley.
We side with Doingiteasy. M J Dunn has trained ten Ipswich winners from 53 runners, and the stable also runs Valouri, who has strung together three straight seconds and finished in the first four in three of five starts this window. With 56kg, Valouri is the each-way alternative.
Silent Answer won one of three starts since August and is the other to keep in mind. Win on Doingiteasy, and box Doingiteasy and Valouri in the trifecta.
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Where the money goes
NAP: Switz (Race 6, 4:41PM). A last-start winner with Thompson on board for Jack Bruce, at a track where that pair wins more often than it loses.
Value: Quantum Overdrive (Race 4, 3:27PM). Won its only start this window, gets a light weight and a good draw, and is likely to sit behind two more fashionable last-start winners in betting. No market was open when this was written.
Banker: Highland Kitty (Race 1, 1:34PM). $1.80 with Bet Right is short, but it has run in the first four in four of its last five and this maiden is weak.
Each-way: Copper Star (Race 5, 4:04PM). Five top-four finishes from five starts this window. It is the place bet on the card.
Course angle: Matthew Hoysted and Jag Guthmann-Chester. All four of their Ipswich runs together have finished in the first four, and they team up with Logan Downs, Dragon Link and Mission Of Joy on Friday.
If Bruce and Thompson add another winner to their Ipswich tally, they become the first combination to check every time this track races.
Ipswich racing FAQ
What time does racing start at Ipswich today?
The first race, the Tab Mdn Plate over 2395m, jumps at 1:34PM. The last, the Mumma Jean Is 80 Hcp over 1848m, is at 5:22PM.
Who are the top trainers and jockeys at Ipswich?
T J Gollan has the most Ipswich winners among today’s trainers, 26 from 118 runners, while Jack Bruce has the best strike rate of the big stables at 16 from 69. Ben Thompson leads the jockeys with 26 wins from 113 rides and gets more than half of them into the first four.
What are the best bets at Ipswich today?
Our best Ipswich bet is Switz in Race 6 for Thompson and Bruce, a pair with ten wins from seventeen rides together here. Highland Kitty in Race 1 is the banker, and Quantum Overdrive in Race 4 is the value.
Where can I find the best Ipswich odds?
Only Race 1 had a market open when this was written, with Highland Kitty $1.80 and She Loves Me $4.40 at Bet Right. Check the bookmakers listed above for Ipswich odds once the later races are priced, and compare before you bet.
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