Flemington Preview & Best Bets – Saturday September 10

Adam Cusworth

in Bets of the Day 8 Sep 2022

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

Flemington Tips 10/09/2022

BEST BET 🏆

Race 5 No. 1 I’M THUNDERSTRUCK – ($2.40)

I am going with the favourite in I’M THUNDERSTRUCK in the feature of the day, the Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m). The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained galloper looks to have come back a better horse this time around and had the measure of the rivals that he meets again in this race in the recent Memsie Stakes (1400m) when flashing home to finish runner-up behind Snapdancer. He has been excellent in his two career runs at Flemington, going 14.9 lengths faster than standard when third up over the 1400m last year before running on to fill the exacta in the All-Star Mile this year behind Zaaki. Mark Zahra just needs to negotiate the inside barrier but if the breaks come at the right time the pair should be very hard to beat.

NEXT BEST 🥈

Race 6 No. 3 POINT NEPEAN – ($3.70)

Love the Team Williams gallopers at this time of the year and the early money trail suggests that POINT NEPEAN should be hard to beat in Race 6. The lightly raced four-year-old has won three of five since coming over to Australia and booked a Melbourne Cup (3200m) spot with a strong win in the Andrew Ramsden Stakes (2800m) last May. He went 13.5 lengths faster than standard that day, which is better than what any horse in this race has produced in this race in the past two years. Suspect that the son of Camelot is open to further improvement this preparation and he gets the services of Jamie Kah.

NEXT BEST 🥈

Race 3 No. 6 OJAI – ($6)

OJAI should be hard to beat in Race 3 for the fillies. The Godolphin galloper was solid in her autumn preparation on wet tracks at Randwick and was 5th in the Golden Slipper (1200m). She looks to have returned in good order, resuming with a fast finishing and unlucky runner-up performance behind Bound For Home in the Quezette Stakes (1100m) on August 13. That came at Caulfield and she was held up from the turn until the 200m, before producing the fastest late split to go 11 lengths faster than standard benchmark. That is more than four lengths better than what any horse in this race has produced. Worth noting that the form has held up with two winners coming out of that race, while Lady Laguna and I’m Lovin Ya placed in the Atlantic Jewel Stakes (1200m) behind another Godolphin filly, Troach, last weekend.

BEST VALUE 💰(EACH-WAY)

Race 1 No. 8 SPACEWALK – ($7)

The opener sees the three-year-olds in action at Listed level down the Flemington straight and I am going with another Godolphin galloper here. SPACEWALK comes down from Sydney and can be an improver after a last start 4th at Group 3 level in the San Domenico Stakes (1100m) behind Sweet Ride. He settled back from the wide barrier that day and was set a task as they went slow early on before producing the fastest last 600m. He was a narrow runner-up in the Rosebud (1200m) prior to that. The son of Exosphere draws to be in the middle of the pack and should enjoy a genuine tempo here. Look for him to be strong late in the piece.

BEST VALUE 💰(EACH-WAY)

Race 9 No. 3 TIJUANA – ($9)

TIJUANA can end the day a winner. The Ben & JD Hayes-trained galloper won his first two starts, including the ANZAC Day Stakes (1400m) at Flemington when second up. He resumed at Caulfield on August 27 over the 1200m in the McNeil Stakes and botched the start before working home nicely to finish 3rd behind Jacquinot and Alpha One. He improved more than nine lengths on benchmark figures between his first and second runs in the autumn and with a better getaway he should be hard to beat.