Albury Preview & Best Bets – 18/02/2024

Albury Tips for Sunday, February 18

Our form expert provides Albury tips for Saturday’s horse racing at Albury Racecourse and gives his best bets.

BEST BET 🏆

Race 4:  No.4  OH NO MIKKI

The Craig Widdison-trained OH NO MIKKI is in sensational form this preparation and looks all set here to go on with it today. Last start, the Mikki Isle gelding made it five-straight top-two finishes when he beat all but one home in Open company over 1000m at Wagga. The Wodonga-based galloper has plenty of experience here, having raced five times previously on the track and won here three starts back. Nick Souquet returns to steer the ship today and boasts a solid record with the five-year-old with three wins and two runner-up finishes from his seven rides to date. Ideally drawn in gate two today, he ticks all boxes possible and should give us a bold sight in this contest.

NEXT BEST 🥈

Race 5:  No.10  POSITIVE SMILE

Team Hayes saddle-up POSITIVE SMILE here who is third-up today and having just his fifth race start and going by his efforts to date, he looks right in the thick of things in this contest. Last start, the Per Incanto gelding improved off his first-up minor placing at Wodonga when he put in the big ones and broke through for his maiden win, here over 1175m with Jake Duffy in the saddle. Team tactics looked to be the go that day as his stablemate (Faithful Champion) set the tempo in front, leaving the three-year-old sitting second on the fence enjoying the trail. He took over halfway down the straight and went on to win by 1.5 lengths over the line. The stable have a lot of faith in him as he steps up sharply in grade here but if can reproduce an effort like his last start win, he looks a solid each-way chance here.

BEST VALUE 💰 

Race 6:  No.7  BOBOTOV

Local galloper, BOBOTOV is three starts into this campaign and now looks ready to peak for this contest. Last start, the Press Statement gelding was third-up and found his mojo when he finally broke through for his maiden win, here over 1400m. With Nick Souquet in the saddle, he box-seated until straightening where he took advantage of the cut-away rail and with the inside running, went on to score comfortably in the end. Fourth-up today, Souquet remains the pilot here and from gate six, maps to be in a similar position to last start. If he can secure another run along the fence, he can worry these out of it. He looks well worth an each-way ticket today.