Newcastle (Beaumont) Preview & Best Bets - Tuesday March 21
Ballina Preview & Best Bets – Tuesday March 21
Ballina Tips 21/03/2023
Our form expert provides Ballina tips for today’s horse racing at Ballina Racecourse and gives his best bets.
BEST BET 🏆
Race 1: No.3 DON’T DOUBT KATIE ($6 with Ladbrokes)
Formerly trained by Nathan Doyle, DON’T DOUBT KATIE has her first start for Richard Laming today and fresh off a 23-week spell, she can give this contest a real shake on fresh legs. Last start, she ended her four-start preparation finishing unplaced in a BM66 Hcp over 1100m at Port Macquarie. She travelled three-deep most of the way and failed to fire on the Soft 6 that day. She returned to work recently and has placed in two trials, with Tegan Harrison in the saddle on both occasions. Harrison has the reins for the first time here as well and drawn perfectly in gate two, she maps to settle mid-field, with cover. All three career wins to date have been over the 1000m trip and she is also a two-time winner first-up. There’s plenty to like about her chances here and is currently at good odds with the bagmen.
NEXT BEST 🥈
Race 6: No.3 NO LOVE LOST ($3 with Neds)
Gold Coast galloper NO LOVE LOST sees the Ballina track for the first time today and second-up, is capable of taking this contest out. Last start, the Your Song gelding was fresh off a 17-week break when he beat all but one home in a BM58 over 1000m at the Sunshine Coast. Race-favourite (The Rattlesnake), had the better run and pinched a winning break on straightening that night, but the four-year-old chased hard all the way, taking ground off the winner over the final 100 metres. Tegan Harrison was aboard for that run and sticks with the gelding here. Unplaced in two second-runs to date, the extra trip here will help and he gets the gun-run from gate one. He looks right in the mix in this contest.
BEST VALUE 💰
Race 3: No.5 OCEAN FLYER ($7.50 with Palmerbet)
The Paul Shailer-trained OCEAN FLYER is second-up today and gave every indication when resuming that the extra trip here will benefit her in every way in this contest. Last start, the Ocean Park mare resumed off a 16-week spell and had no luck when finishing just behind the placegetters in a BM58 Hcp over 1400m at Coffs Harbour. Settling in the back half of the field, the mare found herself seeing every runner on the turn and had nowhere to go on straightening. Ben Looker eventually had to cross off heels and once he found daylight, she stormed home over the final 100m to finish fourth in the race. A little further and we may have had a different result. Luke Dittman has the reins today as the mare maps to settle in a similar position from gate seven here. The mile looks ideal for her today and fitter for that first-up run, a clear passage home here could see the mare saluting.
