Overview
Wiluna Lass arrives at Northam on the back of two straight wins, and with the C3 sprint losing Perfect Chant at scratchings, that looks like the horse the whole card can be built around.
That 1,000m handicap at 1:57PM is the anchor, but it isn’t the only place to make a case. Chris Parnham has six rides on a track where he wins more than a quarter of his mounts, N D Parnham’s stable is the most productive trainer on the card at this course, and the C1 at 4:53PM has a last-start Northam winner in Empire Of Rome. These Northam racing tips cover all eight races on a track rated Good to Soft, with the first jumping at 1:22PM and the last at 5:29PM. Five of the eight are maidens, so expect plenty of lightly raced horses, a few debutants and some thin form lines. Below you’ll find the jockey and trainer numbers that actually matter here, a pick and a staking line for every race, and the five plays I’d put real money on. No bookmaker prices are up for Northam yet, so there are no odds quoted in this preview.
Reading the Northam card: who knows the track
Course form among the horses is modest. Six of today’s runners have been here three or more times, and only two of them have ever hit the frame. Ruthless Bloom is the standout of that group, placing in three of four Northam starts, while the rest have mostly been spinning their wheels here.
| Horse | Runs | Wins | Places | Win% | Place% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ruthless Bloom | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0% | 75% |
| Sovereign Rock | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0% | 33.3% |
| She’s Some Craic | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| Mantua | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| Maxine’s Wish | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| Thangoo | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
The riders are where the real Northam edge lives. Austin Galati hits the frame on six of every ten rides here, and Lucy Fiore and Chris Parnham both place more than half the time. Parnham is the one to follow for wins, though: eight from 29 is the best strike rate of anyone riding today with a decent sample. Jefferson Tsang has the same eight wins from more rides, which makes him the busiest successful jockey on the track.
| Jockey | Runs | Wins | Places | Win% | Place% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Galati | 20 | 3 | 12 | 15.0% | 60.0% |
| Lucy Fiore | 32 | 6 | 17 | 18.8% | 53.1% |
| Chris Parnham | 29 | 8 | 15 | 27.6% | 51.7% |
| Zephen Johnston-Porter | 15 | 2 | 7 | 13.3% | 46.7% |
| C Johnston-Porter | 39 | 2 | 16 | 5.1% | 41.0% |
| S Parnham | 40 | 4 | 15 | 10.0% | 37.5% |
| Jefferson Tsang | 43 | 8 | 14 | 18.6% | 32.6% |
| Laqdar Ramoly | 37 | 4 | 12 | 10.8% | 32.4% |
On the training side, J P Taylor places 60% of his Northam runners from 20 starters, and N D Parnham has won with a quarter of his 31. Ryan Hill sends the most runners here but wins with very few of them, which is worth remembering when his name pops up five times today.
| Trainer | Runs | Wins | Places | Win% | Place% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Brown | 6 | 1 | 4 | 16.7% | 66.7% |
| C & M Gangemi | 6 | 1 | 4 | 16.7% | 66.7% |
| J P Taylor | 20 | 4 | 12 | 20.0% | 60.0% |
| Michael Grantham | 18 | 2 | 9 | 11.1% | 50.0% |
| D R Harrison | 12 | 1 | 6 | 8.3% | 50.0% |
| N D Parnham | 31 | 8 | 15 | 25.8% | 48.4% |
| Robert Gulberti | 17 | 1 | 8 | 5.9% | 47.1% |
| Ryan Hill | 48 | 2 | 9 | 4.2% | 18.8% |
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Race-by-race: Northam predictions
Race 1: The Country Comfort Mdn, 1:22PM, 2,200m
Saisoku is the horse I want on side, but the bet type matters more than the selection here. The four-year-old has finished second in four of the last six and third in another, which is five placings from six runs over the past 90 days without a win. That is either a horse about to break through or one that has found a comfortable spot behind something better every time. Trainer S V Vahala has the same profile at Northam: no winners from 11, yet nearly half of them have run a place.
Over 2,200m, honest stayers matter more than flashy ones, and Saisoku has proven to keep finishing. Barrier 5 gives Taj Dyson options. The danger is Poppy’s Roses, who gets 2kg less, placed at both runs in the past 90 days and ran a place on the only Northam visit. C Johnston-Porter rides, and he hits the frame here more than four times in ten. Of the rest, She’s Some Craic has been to Northam four times without a placing and is hard to trust.
Each-way on Saisoku, with a saver quinella linking in Poppy’s Roses.
Race 2: The Form Weekly Hcp (C3), 1:57PM, 1,000m
Does anything in this field have the speed to catch a horse who has stopped losing? Wiluna Lass has won the last two starts, both inside the past 90 days, and a form line of 246211 shows a runner who was already knocking on the door before the wins started. Trainer Josh Brown’s Northam sample is small, six runners, but four of them have run a place.
The scratching of Perfect Chant, the 60kg topweight and a D & B Pearce runner, takes out a genuine class threat. That leaves Wiluna Lass with 55.5kg and barrier 3 in a 1,000m dash, a draw that should allow a handy position without being forced to burn early. Kayla Holroyd hasn’t ridden a Northam winner from nine attempts, which is the one knock, but on a horse in this form the rider just needs to steer.
Star Martini is the clear danger, having been in the first three at each of the last four runs and won the only start at this track, and J P Taylor’s 60% place rate here backs that up. A three-year-old with 56kg against older horses is no easy task, but expect that one to be right there. Nature’s Reckoning brings Jefferson Tsang into the race but finished well back last time and carries 58kg.
The win bet is Wiluna Lass. Star Martini goes into exactas underneath.
Race 3: Happy 80th Birthday Rocket Chilcott Mdn, 2:37PM, 1,100m
Ten runners, and four of them have had one start or none. This is a race shaped by what we don’t know.
Littlewood gets the nod on the strength of a second at the only start so far, which came within the last 90 days. Holly Watson and Luke Fernie team up, and 56kg from barrier 3 should mean a clean run in the first half of the field. One run is one run, but it was a good one, and fresh horses with a placing in the book are exactly what you want in a maiden like this.
The stable worth respecting is N D Parnham, who has Birdiebirdie on debut with S Parnham aboard and Divine Mirage, who has a third among four starts, with Laqdar Ramoly. Parnham wins with a quarter of his Northam runners, so a debutant from that yard is not a throwaway. Snow Monkey has Chris Parnham riding and two seconds from three starts, but finished 10th or worse last time. Sovereign Rock has had three goes at Northam for one placing and looks exposed.
Small win bet on Littlewood. Watch the Parnham debutant in the market if prices go up.
Race 4: Talk To A Mate Mdn, 3:15PM, 1,100m
Beyond A Doubt will likely be the horse everyone lands on: in the frame at each of the last three starts after a ninth on debut, Lucy Fiore aboard, and a rider who places in more than half her Northam rides. All fair. But that comes with 57kg from barrier 8, and four chances to win a maiden have already gone by.
Bella Roccia is the one I want: second on debut, drawn the inside gate, 2kg less than Beyond A Doubt, and Chris Parnham takes the ride. Parnham converts at a rate nobody else riding today can match, and a lightly raced horse with a good first effort tends to take a decent step forward second time out. The one flag is trainer Simon Miller, who has placed six times from 18 Northam runners without a winner. That keeps me from going all in, but it doesn’t change my order.
Luminous Lil, third on debut for D R Harrison’s place-heavy stable, is the other horse with a first-up run worth noting. Capall Gasta has Tsang and two placings in the last 90 days but has run 0, 9 and 7 earlier in that line.
Win bet on Bella Roccia, with Beyond A Doubt as a saver.
Race 5: Procon Development (Aust) Northam Cup – Sunday 25 Oct Mdn, 3:45PM, 1,100m
Two three-year-olds already have Northam course form, and both ran well on that only visit. Clear Assault was second, Keppel Gate was third. They both carry 54kg, and they are the obvious pair in a field heavy on debutants.
Clear Assault is my pick. Barrier 1 is the key difference: from the rail at 1,100m, Laqdar Ramoly can hold a position and save ground while Keppel Gate has to work from 6. That second placing was the only start to date, so there should be plenty of improvement to come. S & J Casey place close to three in ten runners here, a respectable Northam record.
Keppel Gate is the danger for the jockey alone. Chris Parnham rides again, and Simon Miller’s runners keep turning up in the frame here. Buster’s Babe ran third and fourth at two starts and comes from Harrison’s yard, so that one is a candidate for third. Levati Dimezzo is out. Maxine’s Wish has been here three times without placing and, at seven, may not have much more to find.
Back Clear Assault to win and take the quinella with Keppel Gate.
Race 6: Warrior Wellbeing Mdn, 4:16PM, 1,600m
Scratchings have thinned this to 11 runners, and the one horse who has repeatedly handled Northam is still standing. Ruthless Bloom has placed in three of four starts at the track, has averaged a third-place finish across four runs in the past 90 days, and ran second last time. No win yet is the obvious problem, but no horse in this race has shown more reliable Northam form.
Austin Galati is the reason I’ll go a step further than a place bet. He places 60% of the time here, and Robert Gulberti’s runners hit the frame close to half the time. Barrier 3 and 56kg suit, and over a mile the reliable horse tends to get its chance.
De Lago’s Rock is the danger. That one ran third on the only Northam start, has a 733 form line and comes from Josh Brown’s stable, which has placed four of six here. Thangoo has Chris Parnham but no placings from three tries here and a wide gate.
Win and place on Ruthless Bloom.
Race 7: Cup Packages Available Through Trybooking.com Hcp (C1), 4:53PM, 1,300m
Empire Of Rome and Quick Cookie arrive by different routes, and both have run well at Northam. Empire Of Rome is the lightly raced improver: a sixth, then a win, and a win from the only start at this track. Quick Cookie is the more experienced type at the other end of the weight scale, 54kg against 58kg, with a win and a second in the last two runs and a placing from one Northam visit.
I side with Empire Of Rome. C & M Gangemi have only six Northam runners, but four of them have placed, and C Johnston-Porter is one of the most reliable placegetters in the jockey room here. The three-year-old has the upside, and in a C1 the horse still learning often beats the one already exposed. Barrier 3 helps.
Quick Cookie is the real threat, though. With Sharni Webster on and 4kg less, this one will be competitive if Ryan Hill has the horse as sharp as the form line says. Kanas Mtoto is a third option, with a second last start, but carries 60.5kg, the most in the race. Enchanted Hour has Tsang and a win then a fifth from two starts.
Win bet on Empire Of Rome, the multi leg of the day.
Race 8: Avon Valley Toyota Fotf – Sunday 25 Oct Hcp (C5), 5:29PM, 1,400m
N D Parnham doesn’t need many runners at Northam to make an impact, and Show The Way is the type his stable keeps winning with. The only run in the past 90 days was a win, and the only Northam start was a win as well. Laqdar Ramoly rides, 57.5kg is manageable and barrier 4 gives options.
Zeezea‘s scratching removes one of the form horses, which improves things for Show The Way. Too Much Talk is the danger: a win and a third in the past two, Lucy Fiore aboard, but 59.5kg on an eight-year-old is a lot of weight to lug over 1,400m. Lieutenant Dunbar has won within the last 90 days and draws barrier 2 with C Johnston-Porter, which makes that horse the third pick. Harlequin Prancer won three in a row early in the form line but has tailed off since.
Show The Way to win, straight out, and a fitting way to finish the day.
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Where the money goes
NAP: Wiluna Lass (Race 2, 1:57PM). Two wins in a row, the 60kg topweight scratched, and barrier 3 in a 1,000m sprint: everything about this race has broken the right way.
Value: Bella Roccia (Race 4, 3:15PM). Beyond A Doubt will attract the money, but a second-starter from the rail with Chris Parnham and 2kg less is the better bet.
Banker: Empire Of Rome (Race 7, 4:53PM). The C1 field has no stronger profile than a last-start Northam winner from a stable that places two in three here.
Each-way: Saisoku (Race 1, 1:22PM). Five placings from six runs over the past 90 days make this the most reliable place option on the card, especially over 2,200m.
Course angle: Show The Way (Race 8, 5:29PM). N D Parnham’s Northam strike rate is the best of any trainer with real volume here, and this runner has already won at the track.
If Chris Parnham’s book keeps looking like this, every Northam racing tips sheet this spring should start with his rides.
FAQ
What time does racing start at Northam today?
Race 1, The Country Comfort Mdn over 2,200m, jumps at 1:22PM local time. The eight-race card finishes with the C5 handicap over 1,400m at 5:29PM, and the track is rated Good to Soft.
Who are the top jockeys and trainers at Northam?
Chris Parnham has the best strike rate among today’s riders, with eight wins from 29 Northam rides, and Jefferson Tsang also has eight wins, from 43. Austin Galati places 12 times from 20. Among trainers, N D Parnham has eight winners from 31 runners here, and J P Taylor has 12 placegetters from 20.
What are the best bets at Northam today?
Wiluna Lass in Race 2 is the NAP after two straight wins. Empire Of Rome in Race 7 is the banker after winning on the only Northam start, Bella Roccia in Race 4 is the value play and Saisoku in Race 1 is the each-way option.
Where can I find the best odds for Northam races?
No bookmaker has posted prices for Northam at the time of writing. Compare the bookmakers in our toplist once markets open, particularly for Race 4, where Bella Roccia and Beyond A Doubt could be priced very differently.
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