Gold Coast Preview & Best Bets – Saturday January 14

Gold Coast Tips 14/01/2023

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

BEST BET 🏆

Race 6:  No.1  KING OF SPARTA  ($1.85 with Neds)

The Team Snowden-trained KING OF SPARTA only has to contend with a wide gate here and if successful, he looks the one they have to beat in the million-dollar event. Last start, the I Am Invincible gelding came off an 18-week spell and on fresh legs, gave his rivals a galloping lesson in the Listed Falvelon Quality Hcp (1200m) at Doomben. Posting the fastest final 800m to 200m sectionals for the race, he ran a blistering last 600m, covering that, 10.5 lengths quicker than benchmark, the best in this field. Already a two-time winner when second-up, he has James McDonald reuniting with him for this contest and it will take one very smart galloper to be him here.

NEXT BEST 🥈

Race 5:  No.6  BAROSSA ROSA  ($6 with Ladbrokes)

Unbeaten this time in, Wyong visitor BAROSSA ROSA looks well placed here to bring up the hat-trick in this event. Last start, the Adelaide mare made it back-to-back victories when she hung on to claim first prize in the Nudgee (a Listed event) over 1200m at Doomben. She ran it out, 4.6 lengths quicker than benchmark, a new personal best and third-best behind Diamonds here (who jumps from the car park in gate 16). The five-year-old ran the 1200m in a slick 1:08.9, a big effort when second-up. Jim Byrne sticks with her here and from gate seven, she maps to settle right behind the speed. A trouble-free run here could see the mare make it three-straight.

BEST VALUE 💰 

Race 7:  No.13  SKIRT THE LAW  ($8 with Unibet)

As luck would have it, we have a black-booker lining-up here for the big one and all going well, SKIRT THE LAW has the runs on the board to take out MM Classic. Last start, the Tony Gollan-trained filly franked her first-up effort by putting daylight between herself and the rest of the field as she crossed the line more than five lengths ahead the rest in a Two-Year-Old Hcp over 1200m at Doomben. In second gear most of the way, the filly (for the second time), led from barrier to box and jockey Ryan Maloney didn’t raise a sweat in either of her two starts to date. She has never seen the whip and as yet has not seen the back-end of another runner. This is, by far, her biggest test, however the same can be said for the rest of the field. We listed her as a ‘black-booker’ after that second start and now might be the time to cash-in. Unbeaten when she loads into the gates on Saturday, she looks an outstanding each-way investment, (currently) at $8 with Unibet.