Ballina Preview & Best Bets – 04/12/2023

Ballina Tips for Monday, December 04

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

BEST BET 🏆

Race 5:  No.5  ONE ‘N’ ONLY  ($3.85 with BoomBet)

Gold Coast galloper, ONE ‘N’ ONLY, slips south of the border today and third-up here, looks a serious contender for the major prize. Last start, the Deep Field mare saw the Ballina track for the first time where second-up, she beat all but one home in a BM58 over 1250m. She led the field of 12 from the outset and while no match for the winner, held the rest of them at bay to claim the silver medal that day. She draws ideally today in gate four and maps to be up near the speed. Stacey Callow was aboard for that last-start effort and sticks with the mare today. Even fitter for those two runs back, she has her third start for trainer Kim Loy and with a trouble-free run, she looks a major competitor in this contest.

NEXT BEST 🥈

Race 3:  No.2  GOOMERI  ($4 with bet365)

Matt Dunn saddles-up GOOMERI here who is third-up and coming a short city campaign, looks much better placed here and should take beating. Last start, the Vancouver gelding led from barrier rise, but faded badly in the run home and finished last of the nine runners in a BM68 over 1200m at Doomben. A vet’s inspection post-race revealed the horse was lame (near-foreleg) which is a fair excuse for the performance. The stable have removed the blinkers here as Brodie Loy has his first ride on the four-year-old. He maps to lead them from gate seven today and provided he has fully recovered, he should take catching here.

BEST VALUE 💰 

Race 1:  No.8  SCUD  ($4.80 with Picklebet)

The Paul Shailer-trained SCUD has been in great touch this time in and looks in the mix in this contest today. Two starts back, the Smart Missile filly broke through for her maiden at Taree and did it in style, putting 2.5 lengths on them in the 1007m event. Then last start, she missed the jump and settled last when she made up a ton of ground to finish fourth, beaten less than two lengths in a BM58 over 1006m at Grafton. Matthew Palmer steers the ship today and from gate three, she maps to settle better than mid-field with cover. In great form after five runs back, she can give this contest a real shake today.