Grafton Preview & Best Bets – 22/02/2024

Grafton Tips for Thursday, February 22

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

BEST BET 🏆

Race 5:  No.1  AMADOR

Toby Edmonds heads south of the border today and saddles-up AMADOR here who is having his third race start and looks a big chance of success here. Last start, the Benfica gelding showed a ton of improvement from his debut run when he beat all but one home in a 1410m Maiden on this track. With Andrew Mallyon aboard, the four-year-old took the turn as the widest runner and was carted even deeper by the eventual winner and did a mighty job to finish within half a length of glory that day. Mallyon sticks with him today will have options from gate seven. A trouble-free run has him in the firing line to break through here.

NEXT BEST 🥈

Race 7:  No.3  LASER BEAM

Gold Coast galloper, LASER BEAM sees the Grafton track for the first time today and in good touch this preparation, looks a serious contestant for this assignment. Last start, the Deep Field gelding came off an impressive maiden win at Beaudesert when he missed by a whisker of going back-to-back at Ipswich in a Class 1 Hcp over 1100m. He led to the turn, then in the run home he settled down to a two-horse war and on the line, was out-bobbed by a $21 chance, making the pain of losing hurt even more. Damien Thornton is the new pilot today and from gate two, he probably leads again. Well-seasoned this time in, he is in consistent form and will take beating in this contest.

BEST VALUE 💰 

Race 4:  No.4  GOLDEN BREEZE

The Margaret De Gonneville-trained GOLDEN BREEZE resumes off a 19-break today and will be looking for better luck than he had ending his last campaign. The Smart Missile gelding was coming off a big win at Taree in BM58 company when he lined up in a Class 3 over 1262m at the same track. Passing the 500m pole, he tipped Jeff Kehoe out of the saddle and finished the race riderless that day. Prior to that start, he was in great touch, missing a podium finish just three times from his previous eight starts. He is Port Macquarie-based but has a win and a minor placing from three starts at the Grafton track. Finishing runner-up in both first-up appearances to date, he can perform when fresh and down in grade here, he looks a solid winning chance at odds today.