Townsville Preview & Best Bets – Thursday July 21
Townsville Tips 21/07/2022
Our form expert previews Thursday’s meeting at Townsville Racecourse and gives his best bets.
BEST BET 🏆
Race 8 No. 1 PALENCIA – ($3.70)
The three-year-old’s are set to do battle as the season draws ever so nearer to a close. The question here is, how do we knock PALENCIA? The answer of course is we don’t. There are two main form lines coming into this event with Palencia front and center as the dominant last-start winner over seven-furlongs here. The gelding cops another 1.5kg penalty while coming back slightly to the 1300 meters, which would appear to be in his favor. He had Kamarcher chase him home late, a horse who is still yet to work out how to put his races away. Nothing else much doing from the rest, and the same could be said of the bunch beaten by More The Merrier.
NEXT BEST 🥈
Race 7 No. 8 OAKFIELD HIAWATHA ($6)
Local trainer Jeffrey Caught looks set to cash in with recent stable acquisition OAKFIELD HIAWATHA. Having his first prep in Queensland, Oakfield Hiawatha caught the eye late on resumption over 1000m. Pass-mark second-up as he seemed to race a little flat over six-furlongs, again doing his best work late. Stable then sent the horse out over more ground when racing over the mile at his third run. Oakfield Hiawatha settled behind the leaders on a Heavy track before hitting the front into the straight. Overhauled while wanting to hang badly, the stable now apply the blinkers with a change of jock while also coming back a furlong.
BEST VALUE 💰
Race 9 No. 9 MY BEST EFFORT ($7.50)
The Roy Chillemi-trained ROBIG loves the mud and will be in his element here today. Last start, the Rothesay gelding put in a shocker when finishing down the track, seven lengths from the winner in Open company, here over 1400m. Last on settling, he followed stablemate Tennessee Boy into the straight and from there, never got a clear crack at them, held-up all the way to the line. Stable rider Stephen Wilson returns for the ride today, having already steered the four-year-old to victory three times. Five of his seven wins have come on wet tracks so look for a sharp improvement from him today. He lines-up here a genuine each-way chance in this field.