Cairns Preview & Best Bets – 08/01/2024

Cairns Tips for Monday, January 8

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

BEST BET 🏆

Race 6:  No.1  STORMY LEGEND  ($2.20 with bet365)

Local trainer, Steve Massingham saddles-up STORMY LEGEND here and with jockey Ryan Wiggins boasting a 28% success rate with the stable, together they look the benchmark for this contest. Last start, the Not A Single Doubt gelding came off a BM55 win here (with Wiggins aboard) and franked that effort by destroying his rivals in a BM58 event, also here over the 1250m trip. Nathan Thomas was the pilot that day and he drew every ounce of effort out of the six-year-old as he carried 60kgs to cross the line more than three lengths ahead of the 10-strong field. Now four starts back, he will be at his peak here as Wiggins returns to in search of his second win on the galloper. He draws gate five and maps to be parked just behind the speed. Surely just bad luck deprives him of a hat-trick today.

NEXT BEST 🥈

Race 7:  No.3  SNAP CHAT  ($4.65 with BoomBet)

Local galloper, SNAP CHAT boasts eight podium finishes from his 12 starts at Cannon Park and coming off four-straight top-three finishes here, he ticks enough boxes to suggest he can bring up career-win number four today. Last start, the Spirit Of Boom gelding found one better (yet again) as he finished second in a Class 3 contest, here over the 950m sprint. Graham Kliese had him settled mid-field and on straightening, wound the six-year-old up, who responded well but just couldn’t reel in the leader that day. Similar tactics look on the cards here as Kliese sticks with him today. With a trouble-free run here, today can be his day.

BEST VALUE 💰 

Race 5:  No.8  ZOUHOPE  ($5.25 with Bet Right)

Recently crowned a track specialist, the Joe Russo-trained ZOUHOPE has really found his mojo of later and looks a serious challenger in this contest. Last start, the Zoustar gelding made it two wins from his past three starts when he proved too good for the 12-strong field in a BM60 Hcpp, here over 1500m. With Tessa Townsend aboard for the second time, he carried 58.5kgs comfortably that day and arrived in time to grab the winner’s purse. He is now two from two at the Cannon Park track and the advice here is, strike while the iron is still hot.