Ipswich Preview & Best Bets – 15/02/2024

Ipswich Tips for Thursday, February 15

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

BEST BET 🏆

Race 7:  No.12  ALPHA  JANE  

Darryl Hansen saddles-up ALPHA JANE here who is three starts into this campaign and at the weights, looks a serious threat to this field today. Last start, the Easy Rocking mare was third-up and just found one better in the run home, finishing second in the Restricted 58 event, here over 1350m. Jai Williams was aboard that day and sticks with the mare for this assignment. After the claim, the four-year-old comes in 1kg under the limit here and does no early work from gate five as she maps to settle near mid-field. She has now seen the track and at her peak today, she looks a genuine winning chance.

NEXT BEST 🥈

Race 5:  No.3  THIS  IS  ONE

The Kevin Kemp-trained THIS IS ONE is third-up today and has shown enough this time in to suggest he is ready to produce his best in this contest. Last start, the Sooboog gelding tried to lead all the way but ran out of puff inside the final 200m, finishing fourth in the Class 3 event over 1000m at the Sunshine Coast. Jim Byrne was aboard that day and sticks with him here as he drops back to the 800m sprint today. Two previous starts at the track (and distance) both ended in minor placings and he has two runner-up finishes from three previous third-up starts. He maps to settle near the speed from gate two and fitter for those two runs back, he will take catching here.

BEST VALUE 💰 

Race 8:  No.7  NEOCLASSICISM 

To the last of the day and it’s a real open affair with half the field under double figures as we run with Gold Coast galloper NEOCLASSICISM who looks a solid each-way chance in this contest. Last start, the Wandjina gelding started well enough but somehow lost ground over the first half of the race, eventually taking the turn, worse than mid-field, six lengths off the pace. In the run home, he baulked as he came off the heels of Sian Star (the eventual winner) , and while never a winning chance from there, still powered home to grab third prize on the line. Sean Cormack returns to steer the ship today and up against similar company and over the same trip, should finish a lot closer here. At his peak today, he looks well worth an each-way ticket.