Canberra Racing Tips Sept 26 — Can Cholante Repeat History?
Kembla Grange Racing Tips Sept 26 — Latham for the Double?
Overview
Kembla Grange keeps it simple on Saturday: two races, sixteen entries, and one jockey doing the same job twice. K S Latham climbs aboard an unraced Chris Waller debutant in the opener, then switches to Montresor, the smartest-looking type on the card, in the feature race less than 40 minutes later — and the numbers behind that second booking are hard to walk past. This Kembla Grange racing tips preview works through both turf races, leans on course and recent-form data for every runner worth backing, and lands on where the value sits before the gates open at 12:50.
Both events are run over the same 1531m, which strips away a lot of the guesswork punters usually have to do about which trip suits which runner — the same horses, largely, would be racing over the same ground whichever race they landed in. What separates the two fields is class and experience, and that’s where the reading below earns its keep.
Reading the Kembla Grange card
It’s a short program built around two well-filled fields rather than a marquee race, which suits punters who’d rather concentrate than spread themselves across eight events. The opener is a straightforward maiden handicap over 1531m with a genuine spread of experience — from Too Expensive, who has raced once, to Touching Hans, who’s had six runs without cracking it. The second is the stronger race on paper: a Class 1 handicap that’s lost two scratchings, Anthropoid and C’Mon Flyer, leaving six to fight over the money. It’s where most of the depth in today’s analysis sits.
Course form is thin across both fields — most of today’s runners have started at Kembla Grange once or not at all, so a form table would mostly show 1-from-1 and 0-from-1 lines that don’t tell you much. Two horses are the exception: Cap d’Ail has placed in all four of his starts at the track, and Sonnig has managed a win from three. That’s not enough on its own to build a table around.
Jockeys and trainers are a different story — several have real volume at this circuit, and it’s worth knowing who they are before the first race jumps.
| Jockey | Runs | Wins | Places | Win% | Place% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K S Latham | 72 | 14 | 39 | 19.44% | 54.17% |
| L Magorrian | 47 | 7 | 21 | 14.89% | 44.68% |
| S Clipperton | 14 | 2 | 6 | 14.29% | 42.86% |
| Jean Van Overmeire | 56 | 13 | 23 | 23.21% | 41.07% |
| C Reith | 22 | 2 | 9 | 9.09% | 40.91% |
| Adam Farragher | 22 | 3 | 9 | 13.64% | 40.91% |
| Mitchell Bell | 66 | 10 | 25 | 15.15% | 37.88% |
| Trainer | Runs | Wins | Places | Win% | Place% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C J Waller | 52 | 10 | 28 | 19.23% | 53.85% |
| G Waterhouse & A Bott | 31 | 7 | 16 | 22.58% | 51.61% |
| John O’Shea & Tom Charlton | 22 | 5 | 11 | 22.73% | 50.00% |
| Craig Carmody | 8 | 1 | 4 | 12.50% | 50.00% |
| Brad Widdup | 37 | 4 | 17 | 10.81% | 45.95% |
| Anthony Mountney | 21 | 2 | 8 | 9.52% | 38.10% |
| Matthew Smith | 63 | 7 | 19 | 11.11% | 30.16% |
| L J Bridge | 11 | 2 | 3 | 18.18% | 27.27% |
| MS D Poidevin-Laine | 63 | 3 | 17 | 4.76% | 26.98% |
Chris Waller sends four runners into the opening maiden alone — Nuclear Pete, Iommi, Lafite and the debutant Kamiral — and his stable’s record of placing better than half its runners at this track makes every one of them worth a second look. K S Latham, the meeting’s busiest and most productive rider, has his book split between that Waller newcomer in race one and a leading contender in race two, and it’s the second booking where the sharpest form angle on the card lives.
Race-by-race
Race 1: Brindle Freight Mdn Hcp — 12:50, 1531m
Lafite’s form line reads 6, 7, 2 — and it’s that last number that matters most. The Waller-trained three-year-old followed two moderate efforts with a clear step forward into second at his most recent start, the only run inside the past three months that shows up in his file, and he does it from the lightest weight of the eight runners in the race. S Clipperton takes the ride, and the rider has landed a place in more than four of every ten mounts he’s had at this track.
He’s not without support from his own stable. Nuclear Pete resumes off a spell after a placed prep and has just one run — a fifth — in his most recent 90 days, while Iommi’s solitary run in that window brought a midfield finish. Kamiral is the interesting one of the four: unraced, but with K S Latham — this card’s leading jockey by place strike rate — booked for the ride, which says the stable rates him above what the blank form line suggests.
The best of the opposition is My Star, who has never won but keeps finding a place — two from his past four starts, with Craig Carmody’s runners hitting the frame half the time they turn up at Kembla Grange. If the speed in this race goes too hard early, he’s the horse to catch it late. Italian Spirit carries the topweight and arrives fresh off a break; the Waterhouse and Bott stable places better than one in two of its runners here, but fitness after 90-plus days on the sidelines is the question mark, and I’d rather take him on than follow him in.
The rest fill out the field rather than threaten it. Touching Hans has had six runs for two placings and looks the type this grade is made for eventually, not necessarily today. Too Expensive has raced once, finishing sixth, and needs a lot to find to figure. Neither changes the shape of the race.
Lafite to win, with My Star the each-way alternative if you want to hedge the fitness question hanging over the rest of the field.
Race 2: Simpson Truck And Plant Maintenance Hcp (C1) — 13:25, 1531m
Cap d’Ail grinds it out; Montresor’s just started doing it with class. Cap d’Ail has placed in all four of his runs at Kembla Grange and all three of his runs in the past 90 days — a horse who simply doesn’t miss the frame at this track, the profile of a runner you can trust for a minor placing every time he turns up. But the stable and rider around him aren’t doing him many favours: MS D Poidevin-Laine’s trainer strike-rate at this course sits under 5%, and J Grisedale wins here about one ride in eleven.
Montresor is the one doing the damage. Two runs for his career, and they read win then minor placing — a debut victory followed by a clean second, both inside the past three months, for an average finishing position of 1.5. He’s drawn barrier 2 here too, which at least keeps him away from traffic. What lifts him above a straightforward form read is the booking: K S Latham has ridden for John O’Shea and Tom Charlton 21 times on record, a partnership that wins more than half the time and places in more than four rides out of five. Narrow it to Kembla Grange specifically and it’s still three wins and six places from seven rides together — and Latham partnered a winner for this stable as recently as yesterday. That’s not a jockey along for the ride; that’s a rider a stable trusts with its better types, on a horse that’s already shown he belongs in better company.
Pulsator is the wildcard — unbeaten from a single start, that win coming at this course, for the in-form Waterhouse and Bott stable. One run is one run, not a trend, but a horse that’s shown he can win first-up at this track under these connections deserves each-way respect. Audit and Sonnig look the swings and roundabouts of the race — Audit out of form with three runs and no placings in the past 90 days, Sonnig capable of one but not reliable enough to trust with the top of the market.
Montresor to win. Odds weren’t posted when this was written, so check the price with your bookmaker before backing him, but the jockey-trainer numbers here are strong enough to make him the best bet on the card regardless of what he’s paying.
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The plays
Pulling these Kembla Grange racing tips together into a betting card, here’s where the money goes.
NAP: Montresor (Race 2, 1:25pm). Two runs, two placings, and a rider-trainer partnership that’s won more than half the time it’s combined — including a winner just yesterday. The clearest form-and-connections case on the card.
Value: Lafite (Race 1, 12:50pm). A three-year-old improving fast for a stable that places better than half its runners at this track, carrying the least weight in the field and largely overlooked next to Waller’s better-known runners in the same race.
Banker: Cap d’Ail (Race 2). Four course runs, four placings; three recent runs, three placings. If you need a leg that keeps a multi alive rather than wins it outright, this is the one.
Each-way: My Star (Race 1). No win yet, but he’s found the frame in half his runs this campaign and the same again at this track — the type of horse each-way markets are built for.
Course angle: K S Latham. Leading jockey at Kembla Grange by both win and place rate among today’s riders, with two rides across the card and a stable partnership in race two that’s hard to bet against.
Prices weren’t locked in when this was written, so check the board before you commit. If Latham keeps riding into results like this at Kembla Grange, backing whatever he’s on becomes the standing angle at this track long before the card comes out each week.
Best Bookmakers for Today’s Racing
Compare firms before you place a bet on either Kembla Grange race — prices move quickly once fields firm up, and the gap between bookmakers is often the difference between a bet paying and one that doesn’t.
Ladbrokes Review [Updated March 2026] | Ladbrokes.com.au Pros & Cons
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FAQ
What time does racing start at Kembla Grange today?
The first race, the Brindle Freight Maiden Handicap over 1531m, jumps at 12:50pm, with the second and final race of the day, the Simpson Truck and Plant Maintenance Handicap (C1), following at 1:25pm.
How many races are on at Kembla Grange today?
Just two: the Brindle Freight Maiden Handicap at 12:50pm and the Simpson Truck and Plant Maintenance Handicap (C1) at 1:25pm, both run over 1531m on the Kembla Grange turf.
Who are the top trainers and jockeys at Kembla Grange today?
K S Latham leads the jockeys’ room on today’s card — 39 places from 72 rides at this track, a strike rate that puts him on top for both wins and places, and he’s booked on both a Waller debutant and race-two favourite Montresor. Among trainers, C J Waller’s record of 28 places from 52 runners (53.85%) heads the group, with G Waterhouse and A Bott (51.61% placed from 31 runners) close behind.
What are the best bets at Kembla Grange today?
Montresor in race two is the pick of the card — a perfect record across two runs backed by a jockey-trainer partnership that wins more than half the time it combines. Lafite in the opener is the each-way value play, improving fast for a stable that places better than half its Kembla Grange runners.
Where can I find the best odds for Kembla Grange races?
Prices vary between bookmakers, especially on a short two-race card where liquidity is thinner than a full eight-race meeting. Compare the boards below before placing a bet, rather than taking the first number you see.
