Cairns Racing Tips Aug 29 — Can Mclovin Keep Rolling?
Kembla Grange Racing Tips Aug 29: Can Latham Strike Again?
K S Latham doesn’t ride like a jockey chasing a retainer. He rides like a man who knows exactly which stable to sit next to at the barrier draw, and today’s Kembla Grange racing tips start with the number that explains why: aboard John O’Shea and Tom Charlton’s horses at this track, Latham has won three and placed in all five of his rides, a strike rate most jockeys would frame and hang on the wall. He’s on Toussaint in the Plumbing The Gong Handicap, and that partnership is the spine of everything that follows. Seven races run at Kembla Grange today, all on the turf, from a stacked 20-runner maiden at 1312m to a genuinely competitive Benchmark 68 to finish. Here’s how we’re playing it, race by race.
What Kembla Grange gives us today
Two of today’s seven races carry 20 runners apiece, which tells you plenty about a winter carnival still working through its maiden ranks. The other five range from 11 to 13, and every event is run on the same 1312m to 1750m turf circuit. Official going wasn’t posted at the time of writing, so treat barrier draws and on-pace runners with a little more weight than usual until the rail position is confirmed on track.
Ladbrokes Review [Updated March 2026] | Ladbrokes.com.au Pros & Cons
- Info Hub
- Mates Mode
Course form across today’s runners is thin in most fields, but not everywhere. Ten runners racing today have three or more runs at Kembla Grange, and the placegetters among them are worth knowing before the card unfolds:
| Horse | Runs | Wins | Places | Win% | Place% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Satness | 4 | 1 | 4 | 25.0% | 100.0% |
| Duck For Cover | 3 | 1 | 3 | 33.3% | 100.0% |
| Kirkuk | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0.0% | 75.0% |
| C’Mon Mate | 3 | 1 | 2 | 33.3% | 66.7% |
| Zougotme | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0.0% | 60.0% |
Four of those five turn up in the same race, the Benchmark 68 to close the card, which tells its own story later on. In the jockeys’ room, Latham leads on raw numbers but he’s not alone in knowing the way around this circuit:
| Jockey | Runs | Wins | Places | Win% | Place% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K S Latham | 63 | 13 | 33 | 20.6% | 52.4% |
| L Magorrian | 40 | 6 | 20 | 15.0% | 50.0% |
| Deon le Roux | 13 | 1 | 6 | 7.7% | 46.2% |
| MS R Freeman | 12 | 2 | 5 | 16.7% | 41.7% |
| C Reith | 17 | 2 | 7 | 11.8% | 41.2% |
On the training side, one name has more runners entered today than any other stable, and his numbers back the volume up. C J Waller places six in every ten he sends to Kembla Grange from 45 career runners here, which is exactly the kind of sample size that means something:
| Trainer | Runs | Wins | Places | Win% | Place% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C J Waller | 45 | 10 | 27 | 22.2% | 60.0% |
| G Waterhouse & A Bott | 23 | 5 | 11 | 21.7% | 47.8% |
| Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald | 24 | 2 | 10 | 8.3% | 41.7% |
| K J Parker | 52 | 10 | 21 | 19.2% | 40.4% |
| Richard & Will Freedman | 28 | 2 | 10 | 7.1% | 35.7% |
Race by race
Race 1: Energy Management Services Midway Mdn Hcp — 12:40, 1531m
Switch On is the one we keep coming back to in this three-year-old maiden. She’s placed on her only run inside the last three months, sits second-up off that effort, and Jean Van Overmeire climbs aboard having placed in better than a third of his 49 rides at this track. Nathan Doyle only has three runners at Kembla on record but has already trained a winner here, which is a data point worth noting rather than a pattern worth trusting outright. The one to watch underneath is Legaselli, who carries the query mark of modest recent form but gets Latham, and the Latham-John Thompson combination has placed in half of its eight runs together at this course. If the market drifts Switch On because of the small trainer sample, that’s the overreaction to take advantage of. Each-way looks the right way to play her.
Race 2: Pacific Plan Management Super Mdn Hcp — 13:15, 1750m
Does Rouladen ever actually win one? Four places from five runs in the last three months and not a single victory to show for it is either maddening or, if you’re punting for the place market, exactly what you want to see. She’s the most reliable frame-hitter in this field by some distance, even if backing her for the win feels like a leap of faith the form doesn’t support yet. Emirate Star carries less weight as a three-year-old against the older maidens here and its figures have trended the right way across its last three runs, trained by a stable with a competent record at this circuit. Neither horse screams confidence. Back Rouladen for the place only, and leave the win market alone.
Race 3: Greg & Steve Norris Accountants Mdn Plate — 13:50, 1312m
C J Waller doesn’t send four runners to one maiden by accident, and in a 20-horse field that’s the first thing worth knowing about this race. None of Duloc, Maritime Magnate, True Tone or Zynaro walk in with eye-catching recent figures on paper; Maritime Magnate is the pick of them on bare form, with a placing from two runs in the last three months, but this is a stable that places six in ten at Kembla Grange from a genuinely large sample, and fielding one in five of the runners says the target was picked deliberately. Creator Of World is the each-way threat from outside the Waller camp, having placed in both of its starts at this track for Ross Mcconville, a trainer whose own numbers here are respectable without being outstanding. Twenty runners is a lot of variables for one race. Maritime Magnate to place, with a watching brief on the other three Waller runners rather than a confident single.
Race 4: Beer Carpenter Racing Mdn Plate — 14:25, 1312m
Movie Star is the contender here. One start, one placing, third on debut, and that’s enough of a sample to like when the stable has C J Waller’s numbers behind it and L Magorrian takes the ride, a rider who’s placed in half of his 40 Kembla mounts, second only to Latham among today’s jockeys. The danger is Avon Calling, who has placed in two of her last three runs for Brad Widdup and gets Reith, a jockey with his own solid record at the track. It’s a maiden with 20 runners and plenty of professionals in it, but the debut placing plus the connections gives Movie Star the edge. Win bet, with Avon Calling the each-way alternative if you want to spread the risk.
Race 5: Sydcom Provincial Hcp (C1) — 15:00, 1312m
The market’s going to have to work out what to do with Duck For Cover. She’s placed in all three of her runs at Kembla Grange, a genuine, if still developing, course record, and the Anthony Mountney stable has itself placed four of the six runners it’s sent out with MS R Freeman in the saddle at this track, a jockey-trainer combination with a solid record here. That’s not noise. Her formline elsewhere has been up and down, which is probably why she won’t start favourite, and that’s exactly the gap between price and ability we’re after. Rhythm Of The Rein is the one to respect at the top of the market: won its only run at this course, ridden by C Lever, trained by K J Parker, who sits among the busiest and more effective stables at Kembla this campaign. If the tempo suits and Duck For Cover gets to do her best work in the second half of the race, she’s the one taking money late. Back her for the place, and treat the win as a bonus if the tempo falls her way.
Race 6: Plumbing The Gong Hcp (C1) — 15:35, 1531m
This is the bet of the day. Toussaint gets K S Latham, and the numbers behind that booking are the best on the entire card: three wins and five places from five rides together at Kembla Grange for Latham and trainers John O’Shea and Tom Charlton, a hundred per cent placed record built on a genuine sample, not a lucky afternoon. Latham rode a winner for the stable just last week. Toussaint’s own formline is nothing flashy, but with a combination this strong behind her, the jockey and trainer numbers matter more than her personal résumé. Broadway Street is the value angle in the same race: she’s won one of her two career starts at this track, resumes off a break, and K J Parker’s stable is training as well as it has all year here, with a place rate over 40% from 52 runners. If the market’s slow to catch up on a fresh runner, that’s where the each-way money should go. Toussaint to win, Broadway Street each-way as the value leg.
18+ T&C’s Apply. What are you really gambling with? Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a Deposit Limit For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au
18+ T&C’s Apply. What are you really gambling with? Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a Deposit Limit For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au
18+ T&C’s Apply. What are you really gambling with? Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a Deposit Limit For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au
Race 7: Hibbo All Play (Bm68) — 16:15, 1531m
Oakfield Utah against the course regulars is the contrast that decides this race. Two wins from her last three runs is the strongest form figure anyone brings to Kembla Grange today, but she’s never actually raced here, up against a field stacked with genuine course performers: C’Mon Mate has placed in two of his three runs at the track, Satness has never missed a place in four visits, and Kirkuk has placed in three of his last four runs at this circuit. That’s the tension. Fresh, in-form ability against proven course affinity, and there’s no clean way to separate them on paper. Oakfield Utah’s recent trajectory is hard to ignore for the multi bettors: she’s the safer single leg of the two profiles even without the local knowledge. Kirkuk is the each-way play for the place market, with a course record that’s held up across four honest runs. Oakfield Utah for the win, Kirkuk underneath for place.
Where the money goes
The NAP is Toussaint in the Plumbing The Gong Handicap at 3:35pm. Forget the form book for a second and look at who’s steering her: Latham has never had it as good with any stable at this track as he has with John O’Shea and Tom Charlton, three winners from five combined rides here, and he’s not a jockey who takes rides lightly. The value sits in the same race with Broadway Street, resuming off a break, a career Kembla win already banked, and a trainer in career-best touch at the circuit. For the banker leg of a multi, Oakfield Utah’s two wins from three runs is the standout recent form figure on the entire card, regardless of the track’s newness to her. The each-way play with the strongest underneath credentials is Kirkuk, who has hit the frame in three of his last four Kembla runs without troubling the judge for a win, exactly the profile that pays in the place market. And the course angle worth banking all season: K S Latham. Leading rider at this track by placings, on three runners today, and the one name worth following into the barrier stalls all winter. If John O’Shea and Tom Charlton keep booking him at this rate, he’ll be the first name we check on every Kembla Grange card from here.
FAQ
What time does racing start at Kembla Grange today?
The first of seven races, the Energy Management Services Midway Maiden Handicap, jumps at 12:40pm. The card wraps with the Hibbo All Play Benchmark 68 at 4:15pm.
Who are the top trainers and jockeys at Kembla Grange today?
K S Latham leads today’s jockey room with a 52.4% place rate from 63 career rides at the track. C J Waller heads the trainers, placing 60.0% of his 45 runners here, and backs that volume up with four runners in today’s Race 3 alone.
What are the best bets at Kembla Grange today?
Toussaint is the NAP in Race 6 off the back of a 100% placed record for Latham and trainers John O’Shea and Tom Charlton across five rides together at this course. Duck For Cover in Race 5 and Oakfield Utah in Race 7 are the supporting plays.
Where can I find the best odds for Kembla Grange races?
Prices move right up until the jump, especially in today’s two 20-runner maidens where a single scratching can shift the market. Compare odds across the major bookmakers before you bet rather than taking the first number you see.
How deep are today’s fields at Kembla Grange?
Races 3 and 4 both carry 20 runners, the biggest fields on the card, while the remaining five races range from 11 to 13. It’s a card built around depth in the maiden ranks more than a small number of standout runners.
