Mackay Preview & Best Bets – 19/03/2024

Mackay Tips for Tuesday, March 19

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

BEST BET 🏆

Race 4:  No.10  WELL RESTED

The Tom Button-trained WELL RESTED is three starts into this preparation and with a major gear change today, looks well in the mix here for victory. Last start, the well-bred Better Than Ready filly came off her maiden win at Bowen when she face Restricted 55 company and just missed a podium finish, taking home fourth prize that day in the 1300m event. The filly could be considered unlucky that day after striking interference from the eventual winner (Orca) who laid-in on her at the 100m mark, forcing Adrian Layt to stop riding her and rebalance after the incident. The stable have decided to fit a tongue tie today and have booked Gabrielle Semmens for the ride (after steering her to that maiden win two starts back). Ideally drawn in gate two, she maps to be box-seating on settling and from there, all she needs is clean air in the run home and she will be there at the finish. Confidence is high with this filly today.

NEXT BEST 🥈

Race 6:  No.2  BRING ME FLOWERS 

The Lindsay Hatch-trained BRING ME FLOWERS is also on a hat-trick mission today and with all the important boxes ticked here, should have every chance of fulfilling her goal in this contest. Two starts back, she resumed off a lengthy 22-week break and on fresh legs, won a Restricted 65 Hcp event over 1000m at Bowen. Then last start, the Sebring mare franked that win by going back-to-back, here in a BM70 Hcp over 1300m with Justin Stanley in the saddle. She meets similar company today over the shorter 1200m trip with Stanley remaining the pilot. She gets the gun-run from gate one here where she maps to be box-seating on settling. Already a winner when third-up and a two-time winner at the track, she looks the testing material here.

BEST VALUE 💰 

Race 5:  No.5  I SAY BOOM

Local trainer, John Manzelmann saddles-up I SAY BOOM here who is in career-best form and looks set to bring up the hat-trick today. Last start, the Spirit Of Boom gelding made it back-to-back victories when he came off his maiden win in Cairns and franked that effort by taking out set weights event in Class 1 company, here over the 1560m trip. With young apprentice, Nikki Olzard in the saddle, the teenager did a mighty job to take out that race, with the saddle slipping in the run. Settling mid-field, the four-year-old travelled well to the turn and in the run home, gathered in the leaders to finish almost a length ahead of them over the line. Manzelmann has kept Olzard on board for this assignment and from gate three, the gelding maps to settle better than mid-field and securing clean air in the run, should have every chance for a third-straight win at odds today.