Morphettville Preview & Best Bets – Tuesday 26 December

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

Morphettville Tips 26/12/2023

BEST BET 🏆   

Race 8 No. 1 MANZALA – ($9)

Murray Bridge trainer Ashton Downing has found form with her stayer MANZALA who continually flies under the punter’s radar. The market has again opened near double figures for Manzala who won another race over this track and trip last start. That’s a silly quote for a horse who is a multiple city winner and proven weight carrier. We can only speculate as to whether much of Tuesday’s opposition will even run a strong 2500 metres. Manzala is racing in as good form as he ever has been and is a dual winner over the track and trip. Maggie Collett can settle the experienced campaigner anywhere she wants in the run and Manzala will have plenty of room to move from an outside gate.

NEXT BEST 🥈   

Race 6 No. 2 VINTAGE STAR – ($3.60)

South Australia’s leading stable of Richard & Chantelle Jolly have four horses engaged in the sixth race at Morphettville Racecourse on Tuesday. VINTAGE STAR is the three-year-old we think holds the most upside in the race and gets in well with the claim for Kelsey Hannan. The team hasn’t been afraid to use apprentices on their horse with Sheriden Tomlinson booting Vintage Star home twice from two runs this prep. Tomlinson had been able to use the natural pace of Vintage Star to hunt into a forward position at both Murray Bridge and the smaller Parks track. Vintage Star has been able to score on pure ability on both occasions while doing plenty wrong in the straight. 

BEST VALUE 💰   

Race 9 No. 3 HALF A DRAM – ($9.60)

We find a strong Class One race to finish the Boxing Day card at Morphettville Racecourse on Tuesday. We highlighted the Matthew Seyers trained debutante HALF A DRAM who bolted in for us at Gawler last prep. She was well-supported throughout in betting to find plenty of favours in the run to score a comfortable win. Half A Dram was subsequently sent to the spelling paddock after finishing a distant last at her next start in town. She pleased in a recent trial with Jess Eaton not asking a lot of her. Both the winner and runner-up snuck through along her inside, and have been involved in close finishes at the races since. Seyers finds a good race for Half A Dram to resume, and she could win this with any natural improvement from last prep.