Overview
Akari Spirit has finished in the first three in all four runs over the past 90 days, and the 1914m benchmark 56 is a fair chance to turn that consistency into a second win at Geelong. The Ben, Will & JD Hayes stable has Jackson Radley back on, and in a race where most of her rivals have been running fourth, fifth and sixth, a horse who keeps finishing in the money stands out.
She is where these Geelong racing tips start, but there is plenty else on a nine race Friday card that runs from 12:40PM to 5:30PM on a track rated Good. The trips go from a 4156m marathon in the opener down to 1241m in the last, with maidens early and a run of benchmark and class one handicaps through the back half. Read on for a pick in every race, the jockeys and trainers who earn their keep at this track, and where we would put the money. Bookmaker markets were not open when this was written, so there are no prices quoted below.
Geelong: the setup
Limited course form across today’s fields: most runners have one or two starts here. The exception is Mr Assertive in the last, who has won two of his four starts at Geelong, which is an emerging pattern rather than a fluke. A handful of others won on their only visit, Redders, Smarticon and Recycle King among them, and all three meet in Race 9.
The riding table tells a sharper story. Jordan Childs has only two wins here, but he has hit the frame on 17 of his 28 rides, and he has seven mounts today. D Yendall is close behind with seven rides of his own, and L J Meech has the best win record of the regulars, with eight wins from 35 rides.
| Jockey | Runs | Wins | Places | Win% | Place% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Childs | 28 | 2 | 17 | 7.1 | 60.7 |
| D Yendall | 30 | 5 | 17 | 16.7 | 56.7 |
| L J Meech | 35 | 8 | 18 | 22.9 | 51.4 |
| B Shinn | 8 | 3 | 4 | 37.5 | 50.0 |
| Carleen Hefel | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0.0 | 50.0 |
| L Currie | 27 | 4 | 13 | 14.8 | 48.1 |
| Jett Stanley | 7 | 2 | 3 | 28.6 | 42.9 |
| Patrick Moloney | 19 | 3 | 8 | 15.8 | 42.1 |
On the training side, G M Begg places almost three in every four runners he brings here and has three today. C Maher has the volume, 75 runners at the track for 13 wins, and Gavin Bedggood wins with better than a third of his Geelong starters from a smaller sample of 11.
| Trainer | Runs | Wins | Places | Win% | Place% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G M Begg | 15 | 2 | 11 | 13.3 | 73.3 |
| Gavin Bedggood | 11 | 4 | 7 | 36.4 | 63.6 |
| Tom Dabernig | 25 | 6 | 15 | 24.0 | 60.0 |
| C Maher | 75 | 13 | 41 | 17.3 | 54.7 |
| M Price & M Kent Jnr | 26 | 6 | 13 | 23.1 | 50.0 |
| L & T Corstens & W Larkin | 18 | 5 | 9 | 27.8 | 50.0 |
| M M Laurie | 21 | 5 | 9 | 23.8 | 42.9 |
| A & S Freedman | 29 | 6 | 12 | 20.7 | 41.4 |
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Geelong race by race
Race 1: Ladbrokes Top 2/3/4 Betting Hwt (Bm78), 12:40PM, 4156m
Over a trip this long, you want a horse that has been winning recently, and only one runner here fits. The Cunning Fox has won two of his four runs in the last 90 days and banked more prize money in that time than any other runner in the race. His form line finishes with a win, and T Ryan keeps the ride for Patrick Payne, whose small Geelong record reads one win and four placings from seven runners.
Genrichero is the one to beat him. He has placed in all three of his runs over the past 90 days for Shane Jackson, and A Lynch rides. He never seems to win, though, and that is the knock at the end of a 4156m slog. Phoenician has placed in three of five recent runs and is the exacta filler.
Win bet on The Cunning Fox, with Genrichero underneath in the exacta.
Race 2: Christmas Party Raceday Friday 11th December Mdn Plate, 1:10PM, 1351m
Does Voltrix finally get his head in front? He has run second at both of his starts, and the Hayes stable has had more runners at Geelong than anyone else on the card. M J Dee rides from barrier 7 and only has to repeat what he has already shown to win a maiden as thin as this one.
Celestial Blue is the danger. Second then third from two starts, and Lachlan Neindorf has won six of his 36 rides here. Resonant, the second Hayes runner, has found the frame once in two recent runs and looks a cut below. Boots Off has no rider listed on the card.
Voltrix to win, Celestial Blue as the saver.
Race 3: Prestige Jayco Mdn Plate, 1:45PM, 1351m
The A & S Freedman stable wins with one in five of its runners at Geelong, and Velocite Belle comes here with the steadiest profile in a big maiden field. Her three starts read fourth, fourth, third, which tells you she is close to breaking through, and Lachlan Neindorf gets his second chance of the afternoon from barrier 4.
Vixen Vibes has the best single run in the race, a second among her three starts, and L Currie rides from the inside gate. Keep an eye on Lafarna too. She is unraced, but B Shinn has won three of his eight rides here and does not come to Geelong for many passengers. Contarini, from the C J Waller stable, has been third and fifth and is the other each-way type. Nothin’ Surer and Queens Code have no rider listed on the card.
Velocite Belle each-way. Small saver on Lafarna.
Race 4: Oasis Turf Mdn Plate, 2:20PM, 1569m
Hard to have a confident view here. If forced, Sihaya on the strength of a second at her most recent start, from just two runs, for the Hayes stable with L Currie aboard. She drops into barrier 2 and should get the run of the race.
The danger is Sheltered, an unraced Freedman runner with M J Dee riding from the inside, because the stable’s Geelong record means you cannot dismiss one of its debutants. Mystic Rapture keeps running into the minor placings, but she has been beaten at both her Geelong starts.
Watch race. A small win bet on Sihaya at most.
Race 5: Geelong Entertainment Solutions (Bm56), 2:55PM, 1914m
Most of this field has been running midfield, so the race shapes up for the one who keeps finding at the end. That is Akari Spirit. Her form reads 5-2321, she has placed in all four runs in the past 90 days, and she won one of them. Jackson Radley rides from barrier 7, a gate that lets him slot in behind the pace and come wide at the turn.
A word of honesty on the partnership. Radley and the Hayes stable have not won together at Geelong from nine tries, with three placings. Across all tracks, though, they have 18 wins from 148, and the last of those came on 28 October. The horse is the reason to bet here, not the track record of her connections.
Princess Sakiko is the main danger, with a win and another placing from four runs over the past 90 days, and L J Meech has the best win record of the Geelong regulars, eight from 35 rides. Forest Jim has placed in two of his three recent runs and rounds out the exotics.
Akari Spirit is the best bet of the day. Win bet, with an exacta keying her over Princess Sakiko and Forest Jim.
Race 6: Auswide Plumbing And Civil (Bm62), 3:30PM, 1679m
Habitual and Grandpa Neil come here off wins, but they are different kinds of horse. Habitual has won two of four runs in the past 90 days and has been in the frame in three of them. Grandpa Neil has had one run in that time and won it, which was worth more prize money than anything Habitual has collected.
We side with Habitual. L J Meech and trainer M Lawson have won twice together from seven starts, most recently on 27 October, and that rider has the best Geelong win record of anyone with volume on the card. Grandpa Neil has the upside, but Teodore Nugent has won only two of his 50 rides at the track, and that matters in a field this even.
Who I Think I Am is the third chance for C Maher, whose 41 placings from 75 Geelong runners make him the trainer to respect. Win bet on Habitual, and Grandpa Neil as the saver.
Race 7: Orix (Bm66), 4:10PM, 1460m
Neziha is two from two in the last 90 days, and her form line ends 411. That is a horse in form at the right time. The Hayes stable has her drawn in barrier 5 with Jackson Radley up, and a benchmark 66 is a reasonable step rather than a big leap.
Royal Infantry is the one that can beat her. He has been in the first three in all three runs over the past 90 days, with two wins, and R McLeod rides for P Kearney, who places in half of his Geelong runners. Carriedo won on his only visit to Geelong and has Jordan Childs aboard, which makes him a place chance. Paparazzo has no rider listed on the card.
Neziha to win, and she goes into the multis. Exacta Neziha over Royal Infantry.
Race 8: Jack Rabbit The Bellarine Hcp (C1), 4:50PM, 1351m
The market will start with the last start winners, and there are a few of them. Jackpot Park has a form line of 331 and won his only run in the last 90 days for M & L Cerchi. Lightwatch also won his only recent run. Either of them is a fair winning chance.
We keep coming back to Whiskey Joe, though. Jordan Childs and the M Price & M Kent Jnr stable have teamed up twice at Geelong for a win and a second, and the stable wins with nearly a quarter of its runners here. Whiskey Joe placed at his only Geelong start, and his form line before a break reads 1-2-3. He is the each-way play rather than the win bet, because he comes off a fourth and the runs since that break are few.
Jackpot Park is the pick on balance. Win bet on Jackpot Park, each-way on Whiskey Joe.
Race 9: Ewers Environmental Consulting (Bm62), 5:30PM, 1241m
Mr Assertive is the only runner in the race with genuine course form: he has won two of his four starts at Geelong. His last run was an eighth, and two of his last three were eighths, so the market will probably let him go at a price. J Bowditch rides for Mark & Levi Kavanagh from barrier 4.
The safer pick is Gold Bijoux. His form line ends 871, he has won one and placed in another of his three runs over the past 90 days, and E J Walsh rides from barrier 7. Redders, Smarticon and Recycle King all won on their only visit here, and Redders has M J Dee aboard for D T O’Brien, who has six wins from 36 Geelong runners. Egerton has no rider listed on the card.
Win bet on Gold Bijoux, each-way on Mr Assertive as the value play.
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Where the money goes
NAP: Akari Spirit (Race 5, 2:55PM). Four runs in the past 90 days, four finishes in the first three. In a benchmark 56 full of horses with patchy form, that is the most reliable line on the card.
Value: Mr Assertive (Race 9, 5:30PM). Two wins from four Geelong starts, and an eighth last time will put punters off. That is the kind of horse who goes around at a price he should not be.
Banker: Neziha (Race 7, 4:10PM). Two from two in the past 90 days, and the step up to a benchmark 66 is not a big one for a horse in this form.
Each-way: Whiskey Joe (Race 8, 4:50PM). Placed at his only Geelong start, and his rider and trainer have won and placed from their two starts together here.
Course angle: Jordan Childs for a place. He has 17 placings from 28 rides here, and seven rides today. As a quaddie filler and in exotics, his mounts earn a spot even when the win case is thin.
If Childs keeps finishing in the frame at this rate, the bookmakers will eventually catch up with his Geelong place record.
FAQ
What time does racing start at Geelong today?
Race 1, the 4156m opener, jumps at 12:40PM local time. The last of the nine races is at 5:30PM.
Who are the top jockeys and trainers at Geelong?
L J Meech has the best win record among today’s regulars, eight wins from 35 rides, and Jordan Childs has placed on 17 of his 28 rides here. Among trainers, C Maher has 13 wins from 75 Geelong runners, and G M Begg has placed with 11 of his 15.
What are the best bets at Geelong today?
Our NAP is Akari Spirit in Race 5, who has placed in all four runs in the past 90 days. Neziha in Race 7 is the banker, and Mr Assertive in Race 9 is the value play with two wins from four starts here.
Where can I find the best odds for Geelong races?
Markets were not open when this preview was written. Check the bookmaker list above and each racecard on RacingBase for live prices once they are up.