Flemington Preview & Best Bets – Saturday August 5

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

Flemington Tips 5/8/2023

BEST BET 🏆 (WIN)  

Race 7 No. 4 IT’SOURTIME- ($5)

Going with IT’SOURTIME in the feature of the day at Flemington, the Group 3 Aurie’s Star Stakes. The Danny O’Brien-trained galloper rarely runs a bad race and was posted back on a slow tempo at Caulfield in the recent Bletchingley Stakes (1200m) before producing the fastest last 200m to run 3rd behind the likes of Ingratiating and General Beau. He meets the winner out of that 3.5kg better at the weights. Cause For Concern is the fresh horse on the scene but needs to do it against open age, while Its’ourtime always produces some tidy figures over the 1200m at headquarters. 

NEXT BEST 🥈 (WIN) 

Race 3 No 4 GAWNSKI- ($5.60)

GAWNSKI can go close in Race 3 at Flemington. The Jason Warren-trained galloper is still a maiden after three starts but suspect that won’t last lone after a last start effort that saw him finish runner-up at Caulfield on July 22 over the 1400m. That came behind the promising Mollynickers and he came out wide before producing the fastest last 400m to go six lengths faster than standard benchmark, which is a better figure than what any runner in this race has produced. Flemington should suit. 

NEXT BEST 🥈 

Race 5 No. 1 MIMI’S AWARD- ($5.60)

No reason to suggest why MIMI’S AWARD can’t win again in Race 5. The six-year-old is in career best form having won three of her past four with those wins coming over the 2400m-2800m range at Flemington. She settled just worse than midfield on July 15 before making a move as they cornered and finding plenty in the concluding stages to hold out Mostly Cloudy, with those two putting a big gap on the rest. The Team Hayes galloper meets the runner-up better at the weights after the claim for Laura Lafferty and can handle whatever conditions the track might throw her. 

NEXT BEST 🥈 

Race 9 No. 5 NICCOLINI VITO- ($6.50)

We close off with a BenchMark 100 over the 1400m and NICCOLINI VITO can go close, despite drawing barrier 14. The Team Hayes galloper comes into this third up and settled back in early stages in the recent Bletchingley Stakes (1200m) at Group 3 level before closing off steadily for 4th, beaten just over a length by Ingratiating. He went seven lengths faster than standard that day and at his previous third up run he improved by seven lengths on figures. Pace to come from a number of these, including Poland and Flying Mascot so things might set up nicely for him from the back of the field. whatever conditions the track might throw her. 

BEST VALUE 💰(EACH-WAY)

Race 1 No 4 THE HASS- ($9.60)

The opener at Flemington is a BenchMark 70 over the 1100m and THE HASS represents a bit of value at the each-way quote. The five-year-old came in from double figure odds within hours of markets opening and missed out in this grade by half a length at Sandown two starts ago before getting back from the barrier in a slowly run race on July 12 at that track, producing the fastest last 200m to run 6th, beaten just one length. The Julius Sandhu-trained galloper has raced well down the straight on previous occasions and at a similar stage of his preparation last year he went 6.1 lengths faster than standard benchmark, behind the likes of Passive Aggressive and Squid Game. He draws the grandstand side and will be strong late in the piece.