Orange Preview & Best Bets – Sunday January 15

Steve Bennett

in Bets of the Day 15 Jan 2023

Orange Tips 15/01/2023

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

BEST BET 🏆

Race 6: No.5 CHEPTEGEI ($3.50 with Palmerbet)

The Michael Mulholland-trained CHEPTEGEI was also nominated to run in the Cowra Cup (race 7) but the stable have decided to run him here where he looks the one to beat on paper. Last start, the Tavistock gelding came off a disappointing run in the Coonabarabran Cup where he bounced back to clobber his rivals in the Gilgandra Cup over today’s distance. Settling mid-field, he overpowered them in the run home to cross the line more than two lengths ahead of the field with Serg Lisnyy in the saddle. He is a three-time winner over the trip and has Lisnyy sticking with him today. With a trouble-free run today, he should prove hard to hold out.

NEXT BEST 🥈

Race 2: No.2 SOLOIST ($3 with Palmerbet)

Hawkesbury galloper, SOLOIST is second-up today in a race of few winning chances, he looks the pick of crop here. Last start, the Your Song gelding was fresh off a lengthy 22-week break when he beat all but one home in a BM60 over an unsuitable 1200m at Canberra. Despite finishing runner-up, he still recorded the fastest final 800m to 200m sectionals for that race. He has placed when second-up and is a winner at the Orange track. He gets the gun-run from gate one today where he maps to settle in the first half-dozen. Fitter for one run back, he will take beating here.

BEST VALUE 💰

Race 7: No.9 SEA OF FLAMES ($5 with Neds)

Michael Mulholland saddles-up SEA OF FLAMES for this year’s Cup (having scratched Cheptegei who runs around in race 6), and down in the weights here, looks a genuine threat to victory today. Last start, the Pluck gelding dropped back in grade where he destroyed a BM58 field over the mile trip at Orange. With Jake Barrett aboard, he was given the run of the race and took full advantage of that, beating home the 10-strong field by more than two lengths on the line. He ran the fastest final 800m and 600m sectionals for that race which turned out to be a good workout for today’s big race. Barrett sticks with him here and after his claim, the five-year-old drops 6kgs from that last-start win and carries just 53kgs today, 2kgs under the limit. Already a track and distance winner and a four-time winner over the mile, he looks a big threat to the top two in the market and is capable of taking home the trophy today.