Overview
Cool As Ted is the bet of the day, because a horse that has been in the first three in all three runs over the past 90 days, and won the last of them, is still paying $5.00 in an open Gundagai Class 1. Brodie Loy rides for Scott Collings, and the gelding has drawn barrier 3.
That is one of three selections from three of Friday’s nine meetings: Gundagai, Ballina and Rockhampton. Bookmakers had only opened markets on the early races at Gundagai and Ballina when this was written, so the best bet and the value bet carry prices, but The Defender‘s Rockhampton market was not up yet and his odds are left blank.
The best bet
Cool As Ted, Gundagai Race 4, 2:10, 5.00 with Palmerbet.
The Helen Castles Scoop Sullivan Showcase Handicap over 1203m comes down to two horses, and the form leans to Cool As Ted. His line closes 2-2-1, and he has finished in the first three every time he has gone around in the past three months. That is the profile of a horse building, not one that has peaked, and barrier 3 should let Brodie Loy hold a spot without spending petrol.
Back Up Plan is the danger and the $4.40 favourite with Bet Right. He has a win and a second from two starts, B McDougall rides, and Darrell Burnet has placed with three of his five runners at Gundagai. That is a smaller body of evidence than Cool As Ted brings, which is why the bigger price looks the better side of the market.
Stablemate Bold Conquer, placed in all three runs in 90 days, is worth adding to the trifecta. Win bet on Cool As Ted.
The value bet
Spirit Of Asia, Ballina Race 2, 1:49, 9.50 with Unibet.
The Ballina RSL Maiden Plate over 1372m is a wide open race, with four runners clustered between $4.20 and $4.60 after Private Max, Dartanyan and Coral came out. In a race that tight, a horse at $9.50 with a genuine form reference stands out.
Spirit Of Asia has one start to her name, and she ran second. Better still, that run came at Ballina, so the three year old has already handled the track. Noriyuki Masuda rides for D Chujo, a stable with one win and four placings from seven runners at the course, which is a solid return for a small team.
Tramca, our pick in the race at $4.40 with Unibet, is the danger: two of her three runs this preparation have been in the first three, and she ran third last time. Small win and place on Spirit Of Asia.
The quaddie angle
The Defender, Rockhampton Race 4, 4:03.
The Phil Peel Jewellers BM70 over 1200m opens the Rockhampton quaddie, and The Defender is the horse to put in as a single. He has won all four runs over the past 90 days, his form reads 4-4-1-1-1-1, and he won on his only visit to Rockhampton.
The connections add to it. C McIver and J E Mcconachy have teamed up 24 times at Rockhampton for four wins and 12 placings, and the stable places with nearly half its runners at the track. Barrier 8 is the widest in an eight horse field, but over 1200m in a small field McIver has room to find cover or sit outside the leader.
Determination is the danger. He has placed in all four Rockhampton starts with two wins and jumps from barrier 1 under top weight, so he will be handy. If The Defender holds up, the quaddie money can be spread across the three open legs that follow.
How these were picked
All three selections come from our full previews of Friday’s meetings at Gundagai, Ballina, Rockhampton, Geelong, Albany, Bordertown, Pakenham, Canterbury and the Sunshine Coast. Price decided the best and value slots: only the early races at Gundagai and Ballina had live markets when this was written, so strong unpriced cases such as Vin Santo at the Sunshine Coast, Divine Justice in Race 7 there, and Beneath The Rock at Canterbury missed out on those spots. Private Max at Ballina is a likely winner, but at $1.20 he is a multi leg rather than a bet in his own right. No priced horse sat inside a quaddie on any card, so The Defender, the most convincing form horse of the day, takes the quaddie slot without a price.