Sale Preview & Best Bets - Friday March 17
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New Zealand Tips 18/03/2023
Our form expert provides New Zealand tips for today’s horse racing at Trentham and Tauranga Racecourses and gives his best bets.
TRENTHAM
BEST BET 🏆
Race 7: No.1 SHAMUS ($2.60 with bet365)
The Allan Sharrock-trained SHAMUS is a true track specialist and here he ticks all boxes that point to another black-type victory. Last start, the Shamexpress gelding made it back-to-back victories, here in The Pavemasters Hcp over 1100m, just prior to being sent to the paddock again for a spell. He lines up here fresh off a 10-week let-up and his resume suggests he is more dangerous on fresh legs, being unbeaten in three previous first-up appearances. He is a track and distance winner and in fact has won three of his four starts on the Trentham track. Craig Grylls has steered him to victory twice previously and is in the saddle again for this contest. The stats say it all here as he looks the one to beat again.
NEXT BEST 🥈
Race 5: No.2 BELCLARE ($6 with Ladbrokes)
The Lisa Latta-trained BELCLARE loves racing here and already saluting at Group level, looks set to give this a real shake. Last start, the Per Incanto mare came off a win in Listed company when she beat all but home in the Per Incanto Hcp over 1400m at Awapuni. Here, she returns to the mile trip again, and has Michael McNab back on board who has share the victory dais with the mare twice previously. She has drawn wide here (12 of 15) but has overcome wide gates previously (winning the Group 3 Canterbury Breeders Stakes by 3.5 lengths from gate 14 of 16). She is two from three on the Trentham track and looks set to chalk-up another win here.
TAURANGA
BEST BET 🏆
Race 4: No.2 WAIRAU COVE ($5 with Ladbrokes)
The Mark Walker-trained WAIRAU COVE is four starts into this preparation and looks set for back-to-back victories here. Last start, the Darci Brahma gelding was fourth-up and jumping from the outside gate, fought like a caged tiger all the way home to finish best and take the glory in a BM75 Hcp over 1400m at Otaki. As luck would have it, he has the outside gate again as he meets similar company over the same trip here. Rock-hard fit after those four starts, he looks primed to repeat that start-start performance and go back-to-back here.
NEXT BEST 🥈
Race 5: No.9 VIOLETTA ($6.50 with BlueBet)
The Cambridge-based galloper VIOLETTA is three starts into this campaign and should now be ready to win. Last start, the Reliable Man mare showed plenty of improvement when she finished just behind the placegetters in a BM65 over the mile at Hastings. Carted very wide on the turn, she took lengths off them in the run home, finishing just half a length from victory that day. Fourth-up today and fighting fit, the galloping grey mare should be ready to give her supporters a victory in this contest.
