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Canberra Racing Tips Sept 18 — Can Feazabeel Go On?
Feazabeel has placed in every single start this year, and on Thursday the Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald trained mare gets another chance to add to a record that already reads five runs, two wins and five placings. That kind of consistency is rare at any level, let alone in a Benchmark 75 at Canberra, and it is the standout angle on a five race card that otherwise rewards the punter willing to dig into placings and stable intent rather than obvious form lines. These Canberra racing tips work through all five races, from the staying handicap that opens proceedings to a maiden littered with first starters, and land on where the value sits once the market catches up to what the formbook already shows. Five races on the Canberra turf today, distances ranging from a 1094m sprint double to a 2187m staying test, with one standout profile at the top of the card and plenty of honest placegetters underneath it.
The lay of the track at Canberra
Canberra’s card runs from that 2187m staying affair down to sprints at 1094m, with grading that spans a same race multi handicap, a maiden and Benchmark races in the 50s, 60s and 70s. Course form is worth leaning on today, because enough runners have been here more than once to make the numbers mean something rather than the usual single run noise.
Miss Stalwart leads the way on course strike rate among today’s runners with a real Canberra history, hitting the frame in two of her three starts at the track. Vainstream and Gatchan have both shown they handle the circuit without quite breaking through for a win, and Showtime Maggie sits a step behind on a smaller sample.
| Horse | Runs | Wins | Places | Win% | Place% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miss Stalwart | 3 | 1 | 2 | 33.33% | 66.67% |
| Vainstream | 3 | 1 | 1 | 33.33% | 33.33% |
| Gatchan | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0.00% | 33.33% |
| Showtime Maggie | 4 | 1 | 1 | 25.00% | 25.00% |
On the jockey side, A Adkins’ record stands out. Three winners and four placings from five Canberra rides is a real number, not the fluke of a tiny sample, and Pierre Boudvillain’s volume at the track, 41 rides for seven winners and better than half finishing in the money, makes him worth following across several races today.
| Jockey | Runs | Wins | Places | Win% | Place% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Adkins | 5 | 3 | 4 | 60.00% | 80.00% |
| Pierre Boudvillain | 41 | 7 | 21 | 17.07% | 51.22% |
| Jean Van Overmeire | 21 | 5 | 8 | 23.81% | 38.10% |
| Q Krogh | 16 | 1 | 6 | 6.25% | 37.50% |
| MS J Taylor | 17 | 1 | 6 | 5.88% | 35.29% |
| Louise Day | 10 | 1 | 3 | 10.00% | 30.00% |
Training wise, Rob Potter and the Neasham and Archibald stable both turn a healthy share of their Canberra runners into placegetters, and Matthew Smith brings three runners to the track today off numbers that have held up across 13 runners rather than one lucky prep.
| Trainer | Runs | Wins | Places | Win% | Place% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rob Potter | 7 | 2 | 5 | 28.57% | 71.43% |
| Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald | 13 | 3 | 8 | 23.08% | 61.54% |
| B Joseph & P & M Jones | 14 | 0 | 8 | 0.00% | 57.14% |
| Matthew Smith | 13 | 3 | 7 | 23.08% | 53.85% |
| C Maher | 13 | 2 | 7 | 15.38% | 53.85% |
| David Pfieffer | 4 | 1 | 2 | 25.00% | 50.00% |
Race by race
Race 1: Tab Same Race Multi Hcp (C1) — 12:45, 2187m
Seven runners go the extended 2187m trip to open the card, and it is a race where the ones who can find another gear late matter more than the ones doing the early work. Unmatched fits that description. The four year old has finished no worse than fourth in five runs this campaign, with three placings and an average finishing position of 2.2, the kind of week in, week out reliability that suggests she is knocking on the door rather than treading water. Trainer Matthew Kelley’s own Canberra numbers are unremarkable, but the horse’s underlying form is doing the talking, and 123.4kg from barrier three is a workable draw rather than a punishing one.
Liyah’s Girl is the one to watch if stable strength matters more than raw recent figures. Trainer Matthew Smith already places more than half his Canberra runners, and Liyah’s Girl herself placed last start after a win a few runs back. She is also carrying topweight at 132.2kg over a genuine staying trip, and that is a lot to shoulder in this grade. If the speed collapses in front of her, she is every chance; if it is run truly, the weight starts to bite late.
Each way on Unmatched. It is the more reliable profile in a race without a standout, and the weight works in its favour.
Race 2: Infinite Joinery (Bm50) — 13:20, 1312m
Inna Zou is the horse that jumps off the page in this 13 horse Benchmark 50. She won one of her two runs at Canberra, and in the past three months she has raced once for one win, a small sample but one that lines up exactly with what the course numbers already say. Trainer N F Gardner has three runners on the card today, and while the stable’s overall Canberra strike rate sits at a modest 5.56% from 18 runners, the place rate is a healthier 38.89%, which says the horses are competitive even on the days they are not saluting.
Minks Written is the each way risk to her. Pierre Boudvillain, aboard today, has ridden more Canberra winners than anyone else in this field, seven from 41 rides, with better than half his mounts finishing top three, and the mare herself placed on her only Canberra start without quite going one better. In a field this deep, that combination of a track specialist jockey and a horse that keeps hitting the frame matters.
Win bet on Inna Zou, with Minks Written the case for an exacta saver.
Race 3: Alpine Kitchens (Bm75) — 13:55, 1750m
Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald do not send runners to Canberra without a plan, and Feazabeel is the proof of it. Five runs in the past three months have produced two wins and three placings, every single start finishing in the money for an average position of 1.2, and her only previous Canberra start ended in a win. That is about as clean a form line as this card offers, and the stable is no passenger at the track either: 23.08% winners and 61.54% placegetters from 13 runners here is real, repeatable evidence rather than a hot month.
The rider booking backs it up. Mollie Fitzgerald has placed in all three of her Canberra rides, including a win, and she and the Neasham and Archibald stable have combined 100 times this year for 11 wins and 42 placings, an established partnership rather than a one off booking. The only query is barrier seven of seven, but with no obvious speed bias in a field this small, the wide gate should not cost her much.
Mighty Myrtle looms as the danger for the minor money rather than the win. She is topweight at 130.0kg, has managed one placing from three runs in the past three months, and this is her first look at the Canberra circuit. If the tempo turns into a hot speed battle up front she can save money in behind, but she is not beating Feazabeel on the numbers in front of us.
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This is the play of the day. Win bet Feazabeel, and back it with confidence, because the form, the stable and the course record all point the same direction.
Race 4: Big River Trade Hume Mdn Hcp — 14:35, 1094m
Can you trust anything in a 13 horse maiden with five runners yet to break their duck? Not with much confidence. Joseph Pride sends out two first starters, Laughing Moons and Prairie Star, and a stable with that kind of depth does not turn up at a provincial meeting without believing in both. Worth a line in the notebook, but there is no course form or recent racing to hang a bet on either one.
Wild Romeo is the safer, less exciting option. Three runs in the past three months have produced two placings and an average finishing position of 2.0, a horse that keeps hitting the frame without quite crossing the line first, and this is her first run at Canberra so there is no local history to lean on either way.
Watch race for the win market. If forced, Wild Romeo each way on the strength of its consistency, nothing more.
Race 5: Top Shelf Joinery (Bm60) — 15:10, 1094m
She’s The Key and Inchyra make the case for two different kinds of horse in the same race. She’s The Key has built into her form steadily, winning her most recent run after placing second the start before, both inside the past three months, and Jean Van Overmeire, back on board, has ridden 21 winners and placegetters worth of evidence at this track: five wins and eight places from 21 rides. Inchyra’s own Canberra figures are not on record, but her formline on the card shows two wins in a row before an underwhelming fourth last start, and trainers B Joseph & P & M Jones have produced placegetters in 57.14% of their 14 runners at this track without landing a winner here specifically.
That gap is the case for taking She’s The Key ahead of Inchyra: one is building toward another win with a strong rider booking, the other is a stable still chasing its first Canberra winner aboard a horse that already stumbled once. Barrier three helps She’s The Key get the run she needs without being caught wide.
Win bet, She’s The Key.
Where the money goes
Here is how these Canberra racing tips translate into bets for the five races.
NAP: Feazabeel, Race 3, 13:55, Alpine Kitchens Bm75, 1750m. Five runs, two wins, five placings in the past three months, a stable that already owns this track, and a jockey with a perfect record aboard here. Nothing else on the card stacks up the same way.
Value: Inna Zou, Race 2, 13:20. A fresh Canberra winner carrying a trainer whose overall track strike rate looks unremarkable on paper. That gap between the individual horse’s form and the stable’s broader numbers is where the market tends to leave something behind.
Banker: She’s The Key, Race 5, 15:10, for the multis. Building form, a recent win, and a rider combination with real numbers behind it at this track.
Each-way: Wild Romeo, Race 4, 14:35. Two placings from three runs is the most consistent frame hitting profile in an otherwise unreadable maiden.
Course angle: The Neasham and Archibald stable at Canberra. Three wins and eight placings from 13 runners is a number worth following the next time they turn up at this track, not just today.
If Neasham and Archibald keep sending them to Canberra at this rate, they will be the standing angle at this track all season.
Best bookmakers for today’s Canberra racing
Live odds were not available for today’s Canberra races at the time of writing, so treat any prices you see elsewhere as a guide rather than gospel and confirm with your bookmaker before betting. The comparison below is the fastest way to see who is offering the best terms across the card.
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Frequently asked questions
What time does racing start at Canberra today?
Racing gets underway at 12:45 with the Tab Same Race Multi Hcp (C1), and runs through five races to the 3:10pm Top Shelf Joinery (Bm60).
Who are the top trainers and jockeys at Canberra today?
Rob Potter leads the trainer numbers with 28.57% winners and 71.43% placegetters from seven Canberra runners, and Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald are close behind at 23.08% and 61.54% from 13. Among jockeys, A Adkins has ridden three winners and four placings from five Canberra rides, and Pierre Boudvillain’s much larger 41-ride sample backs it up with seven wins and 21 placings.
What are the best bets at Canberra today?
Our Canberra racing tips settle on Feazabeel in Race 3 as the strongest form line on the card, with two wins and three placings from her last five runs plus a perfect record on her only previous Canberra start. Inna Zou in Race 2 is the value play as a fresh course winner in a deep field.
Where can I find the best odds for Canberra races?
Compare bookmakers before you bet, since prices move between agencies. The operators in our comparison table above cover the Canberra card along with every other Australian meeting today.
