Overview
Insta Worthy has won the last two starts, and the Cairns booking behind that run is back on again in Race 7. L Morrison rides for Sharlee Hoffman, and that pair have won five of their twelve rides together at this track. That is the anchor for the whole afternoon, and it sits right in the middle of the quaddie.
Behind her there is plenty to work with. Devine Force has finished in the first three in all five of his Cairns starts, Worthy Gem is unbeaten in two visits here, and Brave Agenda lines up in a four horse handicap chasing a third straight win. Eight races on a Good track, first jump 12:58PM and the last at 5:20PM local time. These Cairns racing tips go race by race, then finish with the NAP, the value play, a multi banker and an each-way angle. One housekeeping note: bookmakers had not opened markets when this was written, so there are no prices quoted below. Check the racecard links before you bet.
Reading the Cairns card
The track is rated Good, and six of the eight races are run at 1250m or shorter, including three races at 950m. Short trips at Cairns reward horses that can hold a position early, so barrier and gate speed matter more than usual in Races 1, 2 and 5.
The riding ranks are where the course data really speaks. L Morrison has ridden 64 times here for 19 wins, comfortably the best strike rate of anyone on the card with a decent sample. R Wiggins is the other rider to follow, winning about one in five and placing close to half the time.
| Jockey | Runs | Wins | Places | Win% | Place% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L Morrison | 64 | 19 | 34 | 29.7 | 53.1 |
| C Whiteley | 6 | 1 | 3 | 16.7 | 50.0 |
| Aidan Holt | 38 | 5 | 18 | 13.2 | 47.4 |
| R Wiggins | 49 | 10 | 23 | 20.4 | 46.9 |
| Mitch Goring | 8 | 1 | 3 | 12.5 | 37.5 |
| B Kennedy | 26 | 3 | 8 | 11.5 | 30.8 |
Among the stables, S J Royes and S Massingham both place better than four times in ten at Cairns, while Georgie Holt has the eye catching strike rate from a smaller book of runners.
| Trainer | Runs | Wins | Places | Win% | Place% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgie Holt | 13 | 5 | 8 | 38.5 | 61.5 |
| S J Royes | 36 | 6 | 16 | 16.7 | 44.4 |
| S Massingham | 63 | 9 | 27 | 14.3 | 42.9 |
| F J Wieland | 49 | 5 | 19 | 10.2 | 38.8 |
| Sharlee Hoffman | 24 | 5 | 8 | 20.8 | 33.3 |
| Trevor & Peter Rowe | 92 | 10 | 29 | 10.9 | 31.5 |
Several horses also bring real track experience, which is not always the case at a midweek northern meeting.
| Horse | Runs | Wins | Places | Win% | Place% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devine Force | 5 | 1 | 5 | 20.0 | 100.0 |
| Vouchers | 4 | 2 | 3 | 50.0 | 75.0 |
| Colours Of Autumn | 4 | 1 | 2 | 25.0 | 50.0 |
| Coppabella Road | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 50.0 |
| Singular | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 40.0 |
| Manhattan’s | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0.0 | 40.0 |
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Cairns predictions, race by race
Race 1: Ladbrokes Flex Your Multi Stays Alive Mdn Hcp, 12:58PM, 950m
A two year old maiden over 950m where most of the field has either never raced or has shown nothing yet. That makes it a race about connections more than form, and the connections that stand out belong to Shorts Fury.
Shorts Fury debuts for S Massingham with R Wiggins aboard, a combination that has produced five wins and seventeen placings from 32 rides together at Cairns. Barrier 5 is workable and 57kg is fair for a first starter. Mr Strong and Design Power have both had a look already without threatening, Mr Strong running ninth and Design Power out of the first ten, so the experience edge is thin. The danger is Morning Glory, another debutante who gets N Thomas for Scott Cooper. Hard to have a confident view on babies with no form, so keep it small. Shorts Fury, saver win bet only.
Race 2: Family Of League Race Day, Sunday 22nd November Hcp, 1:33PM, 950m
Can anyone beat a three year old that has won both of its starts at this track? Worthy Gem brings that record into a tidy seven horse handicap, and the recent figures back it up: a win and two placings from three runs in the last 90 days, with a last start win to go on.
Anthony Allen keeps the ride for F J Wieland, and 60kg is the burden for a horse whose form line reads as a sprinter on the way up. From barrier 4 there is no reason to be caught wide over a short course.
Alberta Bound is the one to fear, with two wins from the last three starts, including last time out. Top weight of 60.5kg is the burden, but R Wiggins rides, the second best jockey here on strike rate. If Alberta Bound jumps well and holds the rail from gate 3, this becomes a two horse race. Carlando won at the only Cairns visit and is the roughie for the trifecta. Worthy Gem to win, with a saver exacta reversed with Alberta Bound.
Race 3: Ladbrokes New Betslip Hcp, 2:12PM, 1450m
Two scratchings have left four runners, and with no pace to speak of this becomes a tactical 1450m. The horse in form is Brave Agenda, chasing a third straight win after two victories from his last four starts.
Brave Agenda drops into 54kg with C Whiteley, who has had only six rides here but has placed in half of them. Six year olds on a winning streak at this level tend to keep going while the handicapper catches up, and the light weight helps.
Turn Bird is the obvious danger and the most consistent horse in the race, placing in five of six runs over the last 90 days. The trouble is only one of them was a win, and Turn Bird lumps 60kg, six more than the top pick. Colours Of Autumn has won here before and Arctic Bear keeps running into the minors without winning. With four runners the place market is a waste of time. Brave Agenda win bet.
Race 4: Ladbrokes Racing Extra In Multi Mdn Plate, 2:47PM, 1250m
L Morrison wins close to three in every ten races she rides at Cairns, and her one ride in this maiden is Better Option. That booking does a lot of the work in a weak race.
Better Option has had two starts, running fourth then second, and placed once in two runs over the last 90 days. Graham R Hughes has only six runners at the track on record, but this placement in a soft maiden plate makes sense for a lightly raced three year old at 57kg. Barrier 11 is the worry, so Morrison will need to find cover early.
Mean Zipper is the improver, with a 7, 4, 2 progression in three starts and a second at the only recent outing. Dee Three has been placed in three of five starts and is the each-way type. This is a maiden, so the confidence level is moderate. Better Option win, small.
Race 5: Ladbrokes Turn On Flex (Bm65), 3:27PM, 950m
Five starts at Cairns, five finishes in the first three. That is Devine Force, and it is the most reliable track record on the card. Only one of those five was a win, but in a 950m sprint where the first leg of the quaddie is often a lottery, reliability is worth a lot.
Devine Force has 59kg and barrier 5 for F J Wieland, with Anthony Allen riding. The recent form reads 3, 2, 3, 1, 2, then a ninth last start, so there is a run to forgive, and the two runs in the last 90 days produced one placing. Back on a track that clearly suits, expect a return to the frame.
The danger is Latin Boss, who won three races in a row before a sixth last start and has won two of four in the last 90 days. Top weight of 60.5kg is the knock. Singular and Coppabella Road are both regular placegetters without the knack of winning. Devine Force is the multi leg, and a place bet for the conservative.
Race 6: Great Northern Brewing Co. (Bm60), 4:04PM, 1400m
Vouchers or Superstitions? Both have won at Cairns, both have shown form lately, and the gap between them is weight.
Vouchers is the pick, with two wins from four starts here and three placings, and the form has turned up with a win two starts back and a second last time. R Wiggins rides for S J Royes, whose Cairns runners place more than four times in ten. Barrier 2 and 57.5kg give him the run of the race.
Superstitions has been the more consistent recently, with two wins and four placings from six runs in the last 90 days, but carries 61.5kg as top weight and has not won in the last four starts. Mr Sugar Daddy won last start and comes in at 57.5kg, though the recent record is patchy. Vouchers to win, Superstitions in the exacta.
Race 7: Ladbrokes Hosted Pots Hcp (C4), 4:42PM, 1250m
Sharlee Hoffman does not have a big team at Cairns, but when she pairs with L Morrison here they have won five of twelve. Insta Worthy carries that partnership into this race on the back of two straight wins.
The last 90 days read three wins and a placing from five runs, and a form line of 3, 1, 5, 2, 1, 1 shows a horse that has found its level and kept improving. One win and two placings from three runs on this track settle the course question. The weight is 59.5kg from barrier 8, a fair task for a horse in this kind of form, and Morrison has the tactical sense to get into the race without being trapped three wide.
The rest of the field does not look up to it. Khabalov‘s recent form is ordinary, Corpulent has a mixed profile, and The Honey Badger has a Cairns win from three starts but finished sixth and unplaced at the last two runs.
Novela is the main danger, placing in three of five runs over the last 90 days without winning, and gets 58.5kg with Samantha Pointon. That profile reads as one running on for second. Materialist has placed twice from three runs here and is the trifecta roughie.
This is the best bet of the day. Insta Worthy, win bet, with confidence.
Race 8: Celebrate Christmas At The Cairns Jockey Club Hcp (55), 5:20PM, 1250m
Twelve runners and a low rated handicap to close the card. The stable move belongs to Georgie Holt, whose runners have won five of thirteen at Cairns, and who sends out Ziggy Starcraft with Aidan Holt aboard.
Ziggy Starcraft won last start, capping a form line of 5, 5, 6, 4, 3, 1 that has improved run on run, and two runs in the last 90 days produced a win and a placing. Top weight of 60kg and barrier 13 are both against the horse, so this is a value play rather than a banker.
Minnie Vegas is the each-way horse of the day. The last five runs read 4, 2, 2, 2, 4, four placings from five starts in the last 90 days without a win. R Wiggins rides from barrier 3. Vincentvangee won last start after a second the time before, a win and a placing from two recent runs. Ziggy Starcraft to win, Minnie Vegas each-way.
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Where the money goes
NAP: Insta Worthy (Race 7, 4:42PM). Two wins in a row, a rider who wins nearly a third of her Cairns rides and a partnership that has struck five times from twelve here. Few horses on any card arrive with that much going for them.
Value: Ziggy Starcraft (Race 8, 5:20PM). The wide gate and top weight should push his price out, but his form has improved every start and Georgie Holt‘s Cairns strike rate is the best on the card.
Banker: Devine Force (Race 5, 3:27PM). Never out of the first three in five tries at this track. Exactly what a multi leg needs.
Each-way: Minnie Vegas (Race 8, 5:20PM). Four placings from the last five runs. Keeps finding the frame and gets R Wiggins.
Course angle: L Morrison. Nineteen wins from 64 Cairns rides, and both her mounts today, Better Option and Insta Worthy, are on our list. When Morrison rides for a small local stable, take note.
If Sharlee Hoffman keeps saving L Morrison for her best chances, that partnership will be the first thing to check every time Cairns races.
FAQ
What time does racing start at Cairns today?
Race 1, the two year old maiden over 950m, jumps at 12:58PM local time. The eight race card finishes with Race 8 at 5:20PM.
Who are the top jockeys and trainers at Cairns?
L Morrison leads today’s riders with 19 wins from 64 rides at the track and places more than half the time. R Wiggins has 10 wins from 49. Among trainers, Georgie Holt has won with five of thirteen Cairns runners, while S Massingham has the biggest team today with 63 runners here for nine wins.
What are the best bets at Cairns today?
Insta Worthy in Race 7 is the NAP after two straight wins and three wins from five runs in the last 90 days. Devine Force in Race 5 is the multi banker, having placed in all five Cairns starts. Worthy Gem in Race 2 is unbeaten in two runs at the track.
Where can I find the best odds for Cairns races?
Markets were not open when these Cairns best bets were written. Each race heading above links to its RacingBase racecard, which shows the best available price from our partner bookmakers once betting opens. Compare the bookmakers listed in our table above before you bet.