Dubbo Racing Tips 5 June 2026 — can Zealands Princess do it again?
Taree Racing Tips 5 June 2026 — can Lees own the meeting?
Opening
Kris Lees doesn’t have to “target” Taree to shape a Thursday there, but when he turns up with runners across the program you can feel the meeting tilt. At this track he’s had 29 runners for five winners and 10 placings, so you’re not dealing with a two-horse sample or a lucky day, you’re dealing with a stable that places them to win. That matters on a compact country card where a couple of well placed horses can put you in front early and keep you there.
Today’s Taree racing tips are built around that simple question: do you play the meeting through the Lees lens, or do you look to oppose where the map and the weights create an opening? We’ve got five races on turf, sprint trips early and a couple of middle-distance maidens where positioning can decide the whole story. I’m keeping it practical: who maps to get the run, who has shown enough lately, and which connections have a real history of doing the right thing at this course.
Taree — the setup
Most of the course records among today’s runners are thin. A lot of them have only one or two goes here, so treat those as clues rather than certainties. The more useful angle is the human element: a handful of riders have enough volume at Taree for the numbers to mean something, and they’re on plenty of chances across the card.
Madeline Owen, Liberty Smyth, B Looker and Anna Roper all ride this track often and consistently put themselves in the race early. On a day with plenty of short-course races, that matters.
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| Jockey | Runs | Wins | Places | Win% | Place% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty Smyth | 25 | 5 | 11 | 20.0 | 44.0 |
| Anna Roper | 25 | 4 | 10 | 16.0 | 40.0 |
| B Looker | 20 | 4 | 8 | 20.0 | 40.0 |
| Madeline Owen | 14 | 3 | 4 | 21.43 | 28.57 |
| Jenny Duggan | 28 | 2 | 10 | 7.14 | 35.71 |
Trainer-wise, Lees has the strongest meaningful sample on the card: 29 runners here for a 17.24% strike rate and 34.48% placing rate. That’s a big enough body of work to trust, especially when he fields multiple runners in the same race and can control tempo or at least control the main dangers.
Race-by-race
Race 1: Sheathers Machinery Country Boosted Mdn Plate — 12:12, 1094m
The race reads like it belongs to Markwell Topsort straight away. The form line is short but it’s the right kind of short: he’s been runner-up both career starts (form 22), and that tells you he’s already operating at the level that wins most country maidens once the race falls his way. From gate 7 he just needs to land with cover and build into it, not be used up early.
I’m happy enough taking a set against the older maidens carrying big lumps. Expensive Icon (130) and Justbeyourself (125.6) might have upside, but in these 1100m maidens you often see the sharper three-year-old hold the speed and pinch it before the grinders get warm.
The danger is Varazze from barrier 1. He’s placed in both Taree visits, and that inside draw gives Liberty Smyth every chance to be in the first four pairs without spending petrol. If Markwell Topsort cops a wide run, Varazze is the one that can make him pay.
Staking: Win bet Markwell Topsort. Small saver quinella with Varazze if you want insurance.
Race 2: CP Roofing (Bm66) — 12:47, 1094m
Here’s the market problem even without prices: people will look at the older names and default to them, but this is a three-year-old race on the quiet. Silent Serenade has drawn gate 1, brings the right progression (form 3-3511), and lands the kind of run that wins these: box-seat or one-one, peel and sprint. Tim Mcintosh doesn’t have a huge Taree sample overall, but Silent Serenade’s course profile is clean enough: placed on both starts here.
Come On Glamour is the obvious danger because the form screams confidence (61-211). If O A Dalton pushes forward and controls the speed, the inside runners can end up chasing shadows when the sprint goes on at the 400m. The knock is simply that a lot of the pressure horses are drawn around him, and three-year-olds can get keen if they’re made to do work early.
Cashaway Gold has won on its only start here, but it’s still a one-run note rather than something to hang your day on. I’d rather be with the inside draw and the current streak.
Staking: Silent Serenade to win. Exacta saver with Come On Glamour running second.
Race 3: Collision Paint & Panel Mdn Plate — 13:22, 1367m
This is the puzzle race: plenty of exposed maidens, a couple of lightly raced types, and a few awkward gates that can turn a “safe” horse into a bad bet. I’m leaning to the Lees pair, but I want the one that maps cleaner.
Royal Botanic looks the right horse to side with. He’s hit the placings three runs in a row (form 442) and now gets barrier 8, which is workable over this trip because it lets William Stanley find cover and avoid the squeeze that happens from inside gates in big maiden fields. The stable’s overall Taree record is strong enough to trust in a race like this, and this horse has already shown he’s comfortable absorbing pressure.
The danger is Poshy’s Girl from barrier 2. She’s been runner-up twice (form 22) and that draw sets up a soft run. If she holds a spot behind the leaders and Royal Botanic is forced to track wide, the race can flip quickly.
Kiwi Harmony (536642) is the type that can keep running on for a place again, but he’s starting to look like a professional placegetter rather than a win machine.
Staking: Each-way Royal Botanic. Box the quinella with Poshy’s Girl in smaller units.
Race 4: Sheather Brothers Celebration Mdn Hcp — 13:57, 1531m
This is the race I want to bet into properly, because the setup screams “fit horse, right weight, right rider”. Fashion Spree has been living around the mark for a while (form 422344), and the stable has finally found a weight that makes her a genuine winning chance: 116.8kg with Liberty Smyth. Over 1500m in a maiden handicap, that kind of pull can turn a solid place record into a win if she’s within striking distance turning for home.
Her last 90 days read like a horse ready to strike: five runs for three placings and an average finish around third. That’s not guesswork, that’s consistency you can back when the handicapper hands you a gift.
The danger is What A Gent (6-722). He’s close enough to winning that you can’t ignore him, and if he lands one-one from gate 8 he can be the one that gets first crack when the leaders come back. Czech Her Out also has a placing on her only Taree run, but again, it’s one run not a pattern.
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Staking: Fashion Spree each-way (main play). Save win only on What A Gent if you’re nervous about the draw.
Race 5: Bakewell Haulage Corey Brown Cup (Bm82) — 14:32, 1367m
The contrast here is sharp: a couple of seasoned runners trying to boss the race under weight, and a younger horse with upside that might simply be better than them now. I’m sticking with the upside.
What A Rush comes through as the bet. He’s a three-year-old with a rising profile (035271), he’s won recently, and his last 90 days show a proper campaign: four runs for a win and two other placings, averaging around second. That’s the kind of form that holds when you step into a Benchmark 82 at a country track, because you’re not relying on one spike performance.
He’s also done enough at Taree to treat it as more than a guess: placed in both visits. Two runs is still light, but it tells you he handles the place and doesn’t get lost around it.
The danger is Bodhi Boy, who looks the class runner on paper and draws gate 3 to get the right run. If Anna Roper can land him midfield with cover and the tempo is only moderate, he’s the one that can put the race away with a sharp 400m. I can’t make a case for backing him under topweight on trust alone, but I respect him.
Staking: Win bet What A Rush. If you play exotics, anchor him on top of Bodhi Boy.
The plays
NAP: Fashion Spree (Race 4, 13:57). The weight swing is the whole story: 116.8kg with Liberty Smyth, and she’s been placing often enough lately that a clean run should get her over the line.
Value: Silent Serenade (Race 2, 12:47). Inside draw, current streak, and a track profile that says he turns up at Taree and runs his race.
Banker for multis: Markwell Topsort (Race 1, 12:12). Two seconds from two starts is the right kind of reliability in an early maiden.
Each-way play: Royal Botanic (Race 3, 13:22). Three straight placings and a stable that knows how to win around here makes him the safe “run top three” type.
Course angle to keep using: Kris Lees at Taree isn’t a vibe, it’s 29 runners of evidence. When you see his runners mapped to land in the first half of the field, treat them as live.
Next time you’re at a country meeting like this, watch which riders routinely hold their position into the first bend at Taree, because the ones who do tend to keep cashing.
FAQ
What time does racing start at Taree today?
Racing starts at 12:12 with the Sheathers Machinery Country Boosted Maiden Plate over 1094m.
Who are the top trainers and jockeys at Taree?
Kris Lees is the strongest trainer profile in today’s meeting: 29 Taree runners for 5 wins and 10 placings. Among the jockeys with meaningful volume, Liberty Smyth has 25 rides here for 5 winners and 11 placings, while B Looker has 20 rides for 4 wins and 8 placings.
What are the best bets at Taree today?
The card’s best betting race for me is Race 4 (13:57), where Fashion Spree gets in with 116.8kg. The safer multi leg is Markwell Topsort in Race 1 off a 22 start to his career.
Where can I find the best odds for Taree races?
Shop around with your preferred bookies before you bet. Odds weren’t available in the feed at the time of writing for these Taree races, so it’s worth checking price moves closer to jump on the bookmaker apps and exchanges.
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