Canterbury Preview & Best Bets - Friday December 16
Gold Coast Preview & Best Bets – Saturday December 17
Gold Coast Tips 17/12/2022
Our form expert provides Gold Coast tips for today’s horse racing at Gold Coast Racecourse and gives his best bets.
BEST BET 🏆
Race 4: No.7 SHAKAKHAN ($4.80 with Palmerbet)
The Chris Waller-trained SHAKAKHAN has won two of her three starts this time in and she looks well placed here to rack-up another one. Last start, the Shalaa mare was trapped three-wide most of the way but still found enough in the run home to take out the BM68 Hcp by half a length, here over the 1350m trip. She ran her last 600m, 2.7 lengths quicker than benchmark, the best last-start effort in this field. Even after covering the extra ground, she also recorded the fastest final 800m to 200m sectionals for the run. Unbeaten in two starts here over the 1350m journey, Robbie Fradd has the reins again and drawn nicely in gate three, she will play leading role in the outcome of this contest.
NEXT BEST 🥈
Race 5: No.6 RUSSIAN QUEEN ($2.80 with bet365)
The Annabel Neasham-trained RUSSIAN QUEEN here who is second-up and looks set to improve. Last start, the Russian Revolution filly came off a first-up win on this track when she returned here and finished fifth in a Class 3 Plate over 1100m. After a Stewards enquiry, it was determined that the filly didn’t handle the hard track. Her prayers are answered here as the current track rating is a Soft 6 which should suit her better. Jag Guthmann-Chester sticks with her (after steering the three-year-old to her two career wins to date, and both on this track. The stable swap the winkers with blinkers for this event and with conditions better suited to her, she looks a genuine winning chance here.
BEST VALUE 💰
Race 8: No.6 HYDE ($5 with Neds)
Annabel Neasham saddles-up HYDE in this contest and in top-shelf form this preparation, he looks a serious player in this company. The Snitzel gelding won his Maiden here two starts back, then last start, lined-up in a BM0-62 Hcp over 1200m at the Sunshine Coast. Not disgraced, he ran a gallant third, coming from back in the field. The extra distance should suit after three runs in and is drawn to do no early work from gate three. Michael Hellyer steered him to that Maiden win and returns here for this assignment. With a trouble-free run, he can give this a real shake.
