Armidale Preview & Best Bets – 03/12/2023

Armidale Tips for Sunday, December 03

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

BEST BET 🏆

Race 6:  No.6  ROUSSOS  ($4 with Unibet)

Tamworth galloper, ROUSSOS, resumes off a nine-week break today and boasting a strong fresh record, looks in the mix for a win in this contest. Last start, the Dream Ballad gelding ended his last campaign finishing unplaced in the Spring Cup on his home track, indicating a need for some time off. Trainer, Craig Martin, obliged and sent him to the paddock for a couple of months. He returns today with Ben Looker in the saddle and from gate five, maps to settle just behind the speed. Four previous first-up runs produced three podium finishes, including a first-up win last preparation. If the speed is genuine here and he enjoys a trouble-free run behind the pace, he could prove hard to hold out today.

NEXT BEST 🥈

Race 3:  No.4  TWENTYEIGHTDRAGONS  ($6.50 with Ladbrokes)

Locally-trained by Jane Clement, TWENTYEIGHTDRAGONS is in great touch this time in and looks well placed here to go on with it today. Last start, the Foxwedge gelding was shooting for back-to-back wins when he failed by a whisker to pull it off, grabbed on the post by a swooper in a Class 1 over 1300m at Moree with Braith Nock in the saddle. That was just his second start for the new stable (after transferring from the Benjamin Smith camp. He gets the gun-run here from gate one as he sees his new home track for the first time. Nock sticks with him today and the indications are he will run a bold race again.

BEST VALUE 💰 

Race 8:  No.10  THE AFFIRMATIVE  ($8.50 with Neds)

Craig Clegg saddles-up THE AFFIRMATIVE here who is four starts into this campaign and should be ready to produce today. Last start, the No Nay Never mare showed her best effort this time in when she beat all but one home in a BM58 over 1000m at Quirindi with Chelsea Hillier on board for the first time. From gate one, she box-seated to the turn and ran home strongly, but just couldn’t reel in the leader that day, beaten less than a length on the line. She’ll have to do it from gate seven today where she maps to settle mid-field with cover. Hillier sticks with her here and rock-hard fit after four starts back, she can give this contest a real shake at odds.