Overview
Hanuman has been to Wellington twice and won both times, and on Sunday it lines up in the Kfc Wellington (Bm66) with the jockey and trainer who have combined for two wins from three runs together. Molly Bourke rides for M D Griffith, a stable that has won two and placed three times from its five starters at this track. That is the story we keep coming back to on a seven-race card.
It is not the only horse worth following. Aoife won its only Wellington start and has finished in the first two in four of its last five runs, so the Izzy’s Gift Country Boosted (Bm58) looks the second-best betting race of the day. Noble One has won three of its last five, Spectacular Star has run second at each of its last two starts, and Tampa Bay won its only Wellington start before a couple of quieter runs.
The track is listed as Good, Race 1 jumps at 1:35PM and the last goes at 5:15PM. Only the opener had a market up when this was written, so most of these Wellington racing tips lean on form and connections rather than prices. Every race is covered below, then we narrow it to five plays.
Wellington: the setup
Limited course form across today’s fields. Hanuman and Denman Force have two starts here each, Polens has two, and everything else has one or none. So the horses tell us little about the track; the riders and stables tell us more.
Jockeys at Wellington (5+ rides)
| Jockey | Runs | Wins | Places | Win% | Place% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K Dunbar | 8 | 1 | 3 | 13% | 38% |
| Clayton Gallagher | 19 | 4 | 7 | 21% | 37% |
| Jacob Stiff | 21 | 3 | 7 | 14% | 33% |
| J Pracey-Holmes | 21 | 3 | 7 | 14% | 33% |
| Zoe Hunt | 9 | 2 | 3 | 22% | 33% |
| MS M Weir | 12 | 0 | 4 | 0% | 33% |
| Jordan Quince | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0% | 33% |
| Kody Nestor | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0% | 30% |
Trainers at Wellington (5+ runners)
| Trainer | Runs | Wins | Places | Win% | Place% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MS M Harrison | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20% | 80% |
| M D Griffith | 5 | 2 | 3 | 40% | 60% |
| M C Lynch | 7 | 1 | 3 | 14% | 43% |
| C Lundholm | 8 | 2 | 3 | 25% | 38% |
| Brett Thompson | 23 | 4 | 7 | 17% | 30% |
| Brett Robb | 14 | 3 | 4 | 21% | 29% |
| Connie Greig | 19 | 2 | 4 | 11% | 21% |
Clayton Gallagher is the rider to follow. He wins about one in five here from a real sample of 19 rides, and he has five mounts today. Brett Thompson has the most volume of any stable on the card, 23 Wellington starters for four winners, while Connie Greig saddles more runners than anyone today but strikes at barely one in ten here. Small samples, but M D Griffith‘s two wins from five is the line we act on.
Best Bookmakers for Today’s Racing
Ranked for today’s racing
Sponsored-
1
Dabble
Dabble is a mobile-first Australian betting app best suited to racing punters who want live streams, copy betting, social features and fast withdrawals.
Visit Dabble
-
2
Picklebet
Top 4 Betting - Extra Place, Every Race
Visit Picklebet
-
3
Ladbrokes
Watch Live Racing Streams and use the Racing Infohub.
Visit Ladbrokes
-
4
Bet Right
Excellent Choice for Racing, Sports and Esports Betting
Visit Bet Right
-
5
Neds
Place a Bet After the Jump on Thoroughbreds and Harness
Visit Neds
-
6
Colossalbet
Comprehensive Racing Options
Visit Colossalbet
18+ only. Advertising disclosure: we earn a commission from operators listed. Gambling Help 1800 858 858.
Wellington racing tips: race by race
Race 1: Lss Locksmith & Security Country Boosted Mdn Plate, 1:35PM, 1400m
The market can’t split Woollen and Zoysia, both $2.90 with Unibet, and that is where the opportunity sits. Neither has won, and their most recent runs were an eighth and a sixth. Spectacular Star has the stronger recent shape: second at each of its last two starts, two placings from three runs over the past 90 days and an average finishing position just over third.
Jacob Stiff rides for Brett Thompson, a combination with plenty of Wellington mileage. Stiff has three wins from 21 rides here and Thompson four winners from 23 starters. Gate 3 should let Stiff find the fence early in an eight-horse field.
Listen Closely is the unknown. The Angus Stewart three-year-old debuts at $6.50 with Unibet and is the one that could make the form horses look slow. Spectacular Star at $5.50 with Unibet is the bet. Each-way, because a maiden that keeps running second can keep doing it.
Race 2: Barnson Pty Ltd Hcp (C2), 2:10PM, 900m
Seven runners, a 900m sprint and two horses that already know how to win here. Tampa Bay won its only Wellington start, and over the past 90 days it has two wins and four placings from eight runs. The catch is the recent sequence: its last three read fourth, ninth and fourth, so the early-season peak has eased.
Denman Bandit also won its only start at the track. It has raced just once in the past three months, a fourth, and J Pracey-Holmes takes the ride from gate 5 for Brett Thompson. Mr Cacciatore draws the rail and won its latest start for Ben Lees, which makes it the danger from the inside.
Hard to have a confident view in a race this short and this open. Tampa Bay on the strength of its course win and gate 4, but small stakes only. No live price yet.
Race 3: Barlow & Peadon Schute Bell Mdn Hcp, 2:45PM, 900m
Three scratchings already, and plenty of three-year-olds with nothing to go on. Aerialize has the most solid profile left: five runs in the past 90 days for two placings, finishing fourth at its last two. Clayton Gallagher‘s booking adds weight, and gate 6 is workable.
Long Live has been placed twice from five recent runs for Kieren Hazelton and draws the inside, with Shannen Llewellyn aboard. Little Bubbles ran third last time for Connie Greig. Watch race, but if you need one for a multi, Aerialize to place.
Race 4: Wellington Soldiers Memorial Club Super Mdn Plate, 3:20PM, 1100m
Does a single second placing make Moon Dart the horse to beat? In a field this thin, it might. Moon Dart ran second at its only start in the past 90 days, and while it finished fifth on its one previous visit here, its latest form shows a horse finding its way. Sairyn Fawke rides for Brett Thompson from gate 10.
Call The Option is the wildcard: a first starter for MS G Williams, whose two Wellington runners have both placed, with Clayton Gallagher riding. Heart Reset and Blazing Courage are still searching for a first placing. Moon Dart to win, a saver on Call The Option if it shows any market support.
Race 5: Wellbuilt Constructions Hcp (C3), 3:55PM, 1400m
Two profiles here. Noble One wins races: three from its last five, four placings, an average finish of 2.6. Marinera is the one improving: its last three runs read second, second, then a win, and it has four placings from six over the past 90 days.
We side with Marinera. Brett Robb has three winners from 14 starters at Wellington and Gallagher is on top. Gate 14 is the problem, and the reason this is not a bigger bet, but a horse in that form can afford to give up a little ground over 1400m. Noble One ran seventh last time from what looked a winning sequence, which is the doubt, and it draws 11 for Connie Greig.
Quasimoto is also here, a dual acceptor with Race 7. It has won its last two and placed in four of five, so if it stays in this race it becomes the main danger. Mariota, placed in two of three recent runs, gets in light. Win bet on Marinera.
Race 6: Izzy’s Gift Country Boosted (Bm58), 4:35PM, 1600m
Aoife has the best form in this race and the right draw to use it. Its last two starts were wins, and it won its only Wellington run too. Across the past 90 days that is two wins and four placings from five, an average finish of exactly second. Gate 4 in a big 1600m field means H Van Der Hoven can take a sit behind the speed without spending petrol.
Kylie Kennedy has one winner from six runners here, so the stable stats don’t add much. The horse carries this one. It does carry one of the heavier weights against some in-form rivals, which is why we would not take short odds about it.
Way To Divine is the each-way play. It has won one and placed in three of four recent runs, its last three read fifth, second, then a win, and it ran second on its only Wellington start. Ferrari Man is also in form with a win last start, but gate 14 is tough. Take The Chance, second at its only visit here, rounds out the danger list. Aoife to win, Way To Divine each-way.
Race 7: Kfc Wellington (Bm66), 5:15PM, 1100m
M D Griffith doesn’t need many runners at Wellington to make an impression: five starters, two winners, three in the frame. Hanuman fits that pattern. It has raced at Wellington twice and won both, and over the past 90 days it has two wins and three placings from three runs, with an average finish of 1.7. Its latest was a third, after two wins.
The rider fits too. Molly Bourke has won one of her two Wellington rides, and with Griffith she has won two of three together. From gate 6 in what should be a field of around a dozen once the scratchings settle, Hanuman can sit handy and kick.
Fearn Trick is the danger. It won its only start here for R Lomax, who has two winners from four Wellington starters, and Shannen Llewellyn draws gate 4. Miss Capricorn won last start and has two wins from seven recent runs, but gives the leaders a head start from gate 9. Quasimoto, if it lines up here rather than Race 5, adds pressure from gate 3.
Back Hanuman to win and use it as the anchor in any quaddie.
18+ T&C’s Apply. What are you really gambling with? Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a Deposit Limit For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au
18+ T&C’s Apply. What are you really gambling with? Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a Deposit Limit For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au
18+ T&C’s Apply. What are you really gambling with? Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a Deposit Limit For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au
Where the money goes
NAP: Hanuman (Race 7, 5:15PM). Two from two at the track, two wins from its last three anywhere, and a jockey and trainer pairing with two wins from three together. Everything about this placement looks deliberate.
Value: Spectacular Star (Race 1, 1:35PM), $5.50 with Unibet. The market has the two favourites at $2.90, yet neither has run as well recently as this one, which has finished second at each of its last two.
Banker: Aoife (Race 6, 4:35PM). Back-to-back wins, a Wellington win already on the board and an inside gate. The safest leg for multis.
Each-way: Way To Divine (Race 6, 4:35PM). Three placings from four recent runs and second on its only visit here.
Course angle: Clayton Gallagher. Four wins from 19 Wellington rides, and he partners Marinera, Aerialize and Call The Option today.
If M D Griffith keeps picking his Wellington targets this carefully, his runners will be the first thing to check every time this track races.
FAQ
What time does racing start at Wellington today?
Race 1, the Lss Locksmith & Security Country Boosted Mdn Plate over 1400m, jumps at 1:35PM. The last, the Kfc Wellington (Bm66) over 1100m, goes at 5:15PM.
Who are the top jockeys and trainers at Wellington?
Clayton Gallagher has won four of his 19 rides at Wellington and placed in seven. Jacob Stiff and J Pracey-Holmes have three wins each from 21 rides. Brett Thompson has the most volume among trainers, four winners from 23 starters, and M D Griffith has two winners from five.
What are the best Wellington bets today?
Hanuman in Race 7 is our NAP, two from two at Wellington. Aoife in Race 6 is the banker after two straight wins, and Spectacular Star in Race 1 is the value, second at each of its last two starts.
Where can I find the best odds for Wellington races?
Compare prices with the bookmakers listed above. At the time of writing only Race 1 was priced, with Woollen and Zoysia $2.90 with Unibet and Spectacular Star $5.50 with Unibet.