Grafton Preview & Best Bets – 14/04/2024
Grafton Tips for Sunday, April 14
Our form expert provides Grafton tips for today’s horse racing at Grafton Racecourse and gives his best bets.
BEST BET 🏆
Race 4: No.4 INLANDA
The Stephen Lee-trained INLANDA is second-up today and looks well placed here to make it three straight wins in this contest. Last start, the Invader gelding was fresh off a 17-week break (after ending his previous campaign with a win at Ballina), where he showed no signs of fatigue in winning a Class 1 Hcp, here over 1025m with Les Tilley aboard. Awkwardly placed (mid-field on the fence) on settling, Tilley managed to ease out on straightening and when the gap came, he steered the three-year-old through and finished too strong for them in the end. Fitter for that run and already a winner at the track and distance, he is ideally drawn in gate two and looks the one to beat here.
NEXT BEST 🥈
Race 7: No.5 MAXIMUM VORTEX
The Ballina-based MAXIMUM VORTEX saves his best for here, boasting track specialist status, and down in grade today looks a serious contender at good odds. Last start, the Kuroshio gelding came off a win here in BM74 company when he stepped-up to Open Class and finished down the track that day. He drew poorly in gate 10 (of 12) where he burnt a lot of calories to cross and lead which cost him dearly in the end, weakening out of it in the run home. Matthew Palmer returns to steer the ship today, having already ridden the four-year-old to victory previously. He has drawn wide again today but is down in grade and after three runs back, should be at his peak for this event.
BEST VALUE 💰
Race 8: No.12 YUKANUMA
Another from the Stephen Lee stable is YUKANUMA who drops back in grade today and lines up here at (currently) double-figure odds to please the value-minded punters. Last start, the Real Impact gelding faced a BM74 challenge but wasn’t quite up to it on the day, finishing mid-field in the 1590m event on his home track at Ballina. He needs things to go his way to produce his best and today it could happen. He gets the gun-run from gate one and has a new pilot with Andrew Mallyon taking the reins for this assignment. He also drops back in grade and is a two-time winner at the track. Fighting fit after five runs this time in, he certainly looks well worth an each-way ticket here.