Morphettville Preview & Best Bets – Saturday 24 February
Our form expert provides Morphettville tips for today’s horse racing at Morphettville Racecourse and gives his best bets.
Morphettville Tips 24/02/2024
BEST BET 🏆
Race 3 No. 1 KALASEC – ($4.25)
Senior rider Jacob Opperman keeps the ride on KALASEC for Richard & Chantelle Jolly. Jacob won on this horse last month as a claiming apprentice when asking him to come back from a similar gate over this track and trip. The race was put on for them with Mintulee setting a new land speed record out in front. We were on Vexatious Dancer who was caught on a limb while towing Kalasec into the race. Opperman steered Kalasec towards the outer part of the track where he sprinted powerfully to score in a convincing manner. Vexatious Dancer has drawn more favourably here in what looks a much easier tempo on paper. Key for Jacob here is that he should find cover in a three-wide trailing line behind the likes of Desert Dancing.
NEXT BEST 🥈
Race 1 No. 1 CONQUEROR – ($4.40)
Lindsay Park head back over the border on Saturday to Morphettville Racecourse with CONQUEROR. The stable boasts a strong record when bringing horses to South Australia, and the horse himself has won both times he’s raced here. Conqueror lobbed out the back before sprinting best off a slow tempo to gun down Yuri Royale over 1550m on the Parks track nearly twelve months ago. That BM76 field rated similar to this with Conqueror half a kilo more in the win before coming out to win over this track and trip a fortnight later. He was okay when making ground the fence first-up over 1200m at Flemington and may pay to overlook his most recent outing at Caulfield.
BEST VALUE 💰
Race 7 No. 2 HASTA LA WAR – ($8.50)
Freshness may have helped HASTA LA WAR settle a lot closer to fast speed first-up in the Listed JRA Cup at Morphettville. Teagan Voorham found herself out on a limb through the early part as she attempted to slot in from an outside gate. The idea to roll forward off that awkward draw on the corner perhaps signaled some intent from leading Naracoorte trainer Sue Murphy. The speed was surprisingly clamped on however with Second To None bowling along and horses pushed up under Voorham to hold a position. Voorham began feeling for her mount as the pressure came right on prior to straightening. Hasta La War seemed to be struggling between horses as The Map went around the field to score. Hasta La War came on again into the straight, suggesting that he is fit and wanting further. Will meet the winner better off at the weights in either the Lord Reims Stakes in a fortnight, or the upcoming Adelaide two weeks later.