Canberra Preview & Best Bets – 12/01/2024

Canberra Tips for Friday, January 12

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

BEST BET 🏆

Race 2:  No.4  SIR MING  ($2.25 with Palmerbet)

Goulburn galloper, SIR MING is third-up today and looks well placed here to bring up win number two in this contest. Last start, the Shalaa gelding drew wide and did it tough before finishing well enough to claim third prize in a strong Class 3 Hcp over 1200m at Randwick. Taking on country class opposition here, he should find this assignment a little easier as he steps-up in distance which looks ideal for him now. He draws well in gate two and maps to be sitting just behind the speed. He finished runner-up at his only appearance in the National Capital and today, Shaun Guymer has the reins for this event. Fitter for two runs back and a winner on soft going, he can get the job done here today.

NEXT BEST 🥈

Race 5:  No.3  CHAMPIONS LEAGUE  ($3.15 with BoomBet)

Andrew Bourke saddles-up CHAMPIONS LEAGUE here who is high flying this time in and looks poised to bring up the hat-trick today. Last start, the Savabeel gelding came off a good win at Bathurst when he franked that performance by destroying an Open class field, here over 1400m on a soft track. With Jake Barrett on board for the first time, he settled back in the field before producing a big finish and going on to score an effortless win, putting more than two lengths on them, eased before the line. He meets similar company here with Barrett steering the ship again today. Rock-hard fit and at his peak for this, he will taking beating here.

BEST VALUE 💰 

Race 8:  No.10  ZAZEL  ($4.40 with bet365)

Locally-trained by Keith Dryden, ZAZEL has run into a purple patch of good form after a stable change and now looks ready to go on with it today. The Rubick filly left the Gary Portelli camp three starts back and hasn’t looked back since. Last start, she came off consecutive runner-up finishes when she went one better and broke through for her first win, here in a 1000m Maiden Hcp. She came off heels after settling mid-field and finished too strong for them in the end. Jack Martin has been the pilot for all three starts under Dryden and remains in the saddle for this assignment. Nicely drawn in gate five, she maps to be right behind the speed and have the opportunity to come off those heels again and go back-to-back on her new home track today.