Overview
The Defender has won four races in a row over the past 90 days, and he brings that streak to Rockhampton on Friday for the Phil Peel Jewellers BM70 over 1200m. He won on his only previous visit to Callaghan Park too, so the track holds no surprises for him. The question is whether the handicapper has finally caught up, and with only eight in the field, we don’t think so.
That streak is where these Rockhampton racing tips start, but it isn’t the only strong hand on a seven race card. The K N Smyth stable has three runners with W G Satherley aboard, a pairing with six wins from ten rides together at this track, and the 1600m Dick Sullivan Memorial Plate pits two horses with serious Rockhampton form against each other. Racing runs from 2:07PM to 5:49PM on a Good track, with trips from 1050m to 1600m. Scratchings have trimmed the Great Northern Handicap to four runners and the last to ten. Bookmaker markets were not open when this was written, so there are no prices quoted below.
Rockhampton: the setup
Callaghan Park rewards the regulars. Plenty of today’s runners have been here before, and a handful have made it their home, which gives us more track form to work with than most country Fridays.
| Horse | Runs | Wins | Places | Win% | Place% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Next Stop Jupiter | 4 | 3 | 4 | 75.0 | 100.0 |
| Determination | 4 | 2 | 4 | 50.0 | 100.0 |
| Remember The Boys | 7 | 3 | 5 | 42.9 | 71.4 |
| King’s Duty | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50.0 | 50.0 |
| Intrepid Lad | 4 | 2 | 2 | 50.0 | 50.0 |
| General Wolffe | 10 | 0 | 5 | 0.0 | 50.0 |
| Sujeed | 10 | 1 | 4 | 10.0 | 40.0 |
| Proviseur | 8 | 2 | 3 | 25.0 | 37.5 |
The riding ranks are deep. W G Satherley has had more rides here than anyone engaged today and wins with roughly one in six, while Aidan Holt has a smaller sample but finds the frame on half his rides.
| Jockey | Runs | Wins | Places | Win% | Place% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aidan Holt | 20 | 3 | 10 | 15.0 | 50.0 |
| R Wiggins | 72 | 10 | 35 | 13.9 | 48.6 |
| W G Satherley | 125 | 22 | 58 | 17.6 | 46.4 |
| Nikki Olzard | 87 | 11 | 36 | 12.6 | 41.4 |
| Tahlia Fenlon | 44 | 4 | 18 | 9.1 | 40.9 |
Among the stables, Alisha Taylor has the best strike rate at the track, though she has only one runner left today. Kevin Miller wins with one in five here and has four runners on the card.
| Trainer | Runs | Wins | Places | Win% | Place% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alisha Taylor | 36 | 11 | 19 | 30.6 | 52.8 |
| J E Mcconachy | 53 | 7 | 26 | 13.2 | 49.1 |
| Ricky Vale | 74 | 8 | 30 | 10.8 | 40.5 |
| Kevin Miller | 34 | 7 | 13 | 20.6 | 38.2 |
| Jason Morgan | 32 | 6 | 12 | 18.8 | 37.5 |
| K N Smyth | 46 | 6 | 15 | 13.0 | 32.6 |
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Rockhampton race by race
Race 1: Have Your Christmas Party At Callaghan Park Mdn Plate, 2:07PM, 1300m
Ten maidens, and not one of them has won a race in the past 90 days. Hard to have a confident view in a race like this, so we lean on the horse that keeps finishing close. Wave Dancer has placed in two of his three runs in that window and was third last start, with form of 4-3-2-2-8-3 that says he is rarely far away. He has been placed once in two runs here.
The draw is the knock. Barrier 10 asks R Wiggins to use some petrol or go back, but Wiggins hits the frame with close to half his Rockhampton rides and knows how to get one into the race from out there.
Frosty’s Gotcha is the obvious danger on paper, with form of 3-2-2-4-2-7 and the inside draw, but he has had four goes at this track without placing. Each-way on Wave Dancer, small stakes.
Race 2: Great Northern Hcp, 2:43PM, 1400m
Two scratchings leave four runners, and the race shape is simple: King’s Duty is the class horse and the track horse in one. He has won three of his six starts at Rockhampton, and his last four runs have produced two wins and a third, with form of 0-4-6-3-1-1 showing he has won his last two.
The booking matters. W G Satherley rides for K N Smyth, and that combination has won six of its ten rides together here, placing in seven. That is a stable putting its best local rider on a horse in form, and you don’t need to look much further.
Aztec State is the one that could make him work. He has had one run in the past 90 days for a fourth, and Raul Silvera Olivera rides him for Ricky Vale, a stable that places with four in ten of its runners here. Cash Artist has not won in two Rockhampton starts. Win bet on King’s Duty and use him as the multi anchor.
Race 3: Dick Sullivan Memorial Plate (C4), 3:25PM, 1600m
Does Next Stop Jupiter keep the run going, or does Remember The Boys finally get the better of a horse it has never met? This is the best race on the card, and the two names on top both have Rockhampton form that would stand up anywhere in the region.
Next Stop Jupiter has won three of his four starts at the track and placed in all four. Over the past 90 days he has five runs for three wins, and he has not finished out of the first three in that time. His form line reads 1-1-2-2-1-1, which is about as clean as it gets in a C4. Kevin Miller wins with one in five of his Rockhampton runners, and Aidan Holt, who rides, won on his only ride for the stable on 23 October.
Remember The Boys is no passenger. He has won three of seven at Rockhampton with five placings, and two of his three runs in the last 90 days were wins. Jason Morgan‘s runners win nearly one in five here, and Raul Silvera Olivera has the gate four draw to get a soft run. If the pace is honest and he gets the first crack at Next Stop Jupiter on the turn, this could be very close.
Intrepid Lad deserves a mention as the third horse. He has won two of four here and has two wins from his last four runs, but his recent figures are a touch more up and down than the top pair.
Our order is Next Stop Jupiter, Remember The Boys, Intrepid Lad. The consistency edge is small but real: Next Stop Jupiter has not missed a placing at this track. Win on Next Stop Jupiter, with an exacta that has Remember The Boys running second.
Race 4: Phil Peel Jewellers (Bm70), 4:03PM, 1200m
The Defender has turned four races into four wins over the past 90 days, collecting in every start in that stretch, and his form line of 4-4-1-1-1-1 reads like a horse still on the way up. He has been to Rockhampton once and won.
The Mcconachy and McIver partnership is a big part of the appeal. They have teamed up 24 times here for four wins and 12 placings, and J E Mcconachy places with nearly half of his Rockhampton runners. Barrier 8 is the widest in an eight horse field, but over 1200m with this few runners, C McIver can find cover from there or sit outside the leader.
Determination is the danger. He has placed in all four Rockhampton starts with two wins, and carries top weight for Ricky Vale after a form line of 2-1-1-8-2-4. He jumps from barrier 1, so he will be handy. Nicconori won his only run here and his only run in 90 days, for a G J Clem stable that has won four of its 13 Rockhampton starts, so he is the next best.
Win bet on The Defender. This is the best bet on the card.
Race 5: Tab Breeders Mdn Plate, 4:43PM, 1050m
Two-year-old maidens with almost no form to go on. Roweiner’s Magic is the one with a proper reference: second on debut, his only start, and William Kenning has Anthony Allen aboard from barrier 2.
Boogie On By ran third on debut for T Button and is the clearest danger on what is known. Keep an eye on Sanderosa, too. This is a first starter from a wide gate, but Alisha Taylor wins with almost a third of her Rockhampton runners, and that kind of record makes any debut runner worth respecting. Tom Smith runs three, all first starters, which can mean a lot or nothing.
Small win on Roweiner’s Magic. If you want an each-way angle at a bigger price on the day, Sanderosa is it.
Race 6: Wade Hunt It Hcp (55), 5:19PM, 1400m
Satherley and Smyth again, and Proviseur is in better shape than the price of a BM55 usually suggests. He has won two of his last four with three placings in that span, and his form line of 8-4-3-4-1-1 shows he has found his level. He has two wins from eight starts at the track.
The weight is the question. He carries top weight in a field of eleven, and barrier 3 means W G Satherley can take a sit and choose when to go. Over 1400m, that tactical position should outweigh the extra kilos.
Four Leaf Wonder is the one to fear. His one run in the past 90 days was a win, and he has Raul Silvera Olivera aboard for Kevin Miller from barrier 2. Purposely, who won his only Rockhampton start for P H Duncan, has jumped out to barrier 12, which makes his job harder. Win on Proviseur, with Four Leaf Wonder as a saver.
Race 7: Hotondo Homes Hcp (55), 5:49PM, 1100m
Four scratchings have cleared a path, and the market will have to sort out ten runners with patchy profiles. Rock Angel is the one we like for value. A winner on the only previous visit to Rockhampton, Rock Angel has a form line of 2-4-1 with the win the most recent, and comes from the Kevin Miller stable with Aidan Holt aboard. Barrier 8 is fine over the sprint trip.
Kamala also won on the only Rockhampton visit, and the latest run was a win, so Kamala is the main threat with C McIver up. Eminen is the consistency play, having placed in three of his last four, and Gotta Hero has been in the first three three times from six runs in the past 90 days.
Win on Rock Angel. Kamala gets the saver.
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Where the money goes
NAP: The Defender (Race 4, 4:03PM). Four starts in the past 90 days, four wins. A horse that keeps lifting with the grade is a horse you stay on until it tells you otherwise.
Value: Rock Angel (Race 7, 5:49PM). A winner here first time, and from a stable that wins with one in five at the track. In a weak handicap that is plenty.
Banker: King’s Duty (Race 2, 2:43PM). Four runners, a three time track winner, and the in-form pairing of the meeting. That is what a multi leg should look like.
Each-way: Wave Dancer (Race 1, 2:07PM). He keeps finishing in the first three, and in a maiden this soft his wide draw is the only reason not to back him to win.
Course angle: When W G Satherley rides for K N Smyth at Rockhampton, they win six times out of ten. They team up on King’s Duty and Proviseur, and Sujeed in Race 4 too.
If The Defender makes it five in a row, the next question is how high Mcconachy can take him before the weight stops him.
Rockhampton racing tips FAQ
What time does racing start at Rockhampton today?
Race 1, the Have Your Christmas Party At Callaghan Park Mdn Plate over 1300m, jumps at 2:07PM. The last, the Hotondo Homes Hcp over 1100m, is at 5:49PM.
Who are the top jockeys and trainers at Rockhampton?
W G Satherley has 22 wins from 125 rides here, the most of any jockey on the card. Alisha Taylor has the best trainer strike rate at the track, with 11 wins from 36 runners, and Kevin Miller has seven wins from 34.
What are the best bets at Rockhampton today?
The Defender in Race 4 is our NAP after four wins from four runs in the past 90 days. King’s Duty in Race 2 is the banker, and Rock Angel in Race 7 is the value play.
Where can I find the best odds for Rockhampton races?
Markets were not open when these Rockhampton predictions were written. Check the bookmaker list above and each racecard for the best price on the day before you bet.