Welcome to our preview and horse racing betting tips for racing at Caulfield on Saturday, August 22nd, featuring the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes.
We have nine races on a Good track with the rail out 9m.
We’ve got betting tips and comments for every race below.
CAULFIELD RACING TIPS
Best Bet: Race 2 #8 Lucky For All
Best Value: Race 4 #15 Journeygirl
RACE 1
Kicking off the day ith an each way play on the Weir runner (3) Extra Brut at $6.00/$2.15. I think in this field of nine runners, he’s a great option to have a 1x3 bet on at that price. He ran 2nd on debut at Geelong before defeating Prince Of Caviar in a midweek maiden at Sandown. It’s not necessarily easy to jump straight from a maiden to a Saturday race but there isn’t much depth to this race at all and he looks a horse on the up. With a good draw, he’ll go close. (7) Global Exchange comes off a maiden win at Pakenham after finishing 3rd to the talented Approach Discreet on debut. He’s drawn a touch awkwardly in barrier 9 but looks to have the talent t overcome that. (9) Thunderdome next best. Worth noting that (5) Savvy Oak has concussion plates on for the first time which is a negative.
RACE 2
Competitive affair but the exciting (8) Lucky For All looks the one they all have to beat. This horse might just be on another level to the rest of the field. He resumed with a good effort at Moonee Valley and jumps up from the mile to 1800m today. We saw him beat his talented stablemate Furrion by 3L last preparation and Furrion came out and won impressively as our best bet last weekend. Although Lucky For All draws a touch awkwardly in barrier 12, he should be motoring home from off the pace. Short enough now at $2.35 given the depth to this field. His stablemate (1) Snitzepeg continues to race very well and should be running into the money once again. (2) Belgravia was good behind both of the above horses when finishing 4th at his first Australian start. He was first up from 58 weeks off on that occasion so should improve here.
RACE 3
I don’t think you can bet in this race at all. We see the return of the G1 Blue Diamond winner (1) Written By, whose only defeat was in the G1 Golden Slipper back in March. He returns to the races here for the first time as a three-year-old and it’s always a huge query when these gun two-year-olds reappear in their three-year-old year. His grand final is the G1 Coolmoore Stud Stakes and he’s got 59.5kg to carry over the short trip here. (4) More Than Exceed resumed with a strong win over in Adelaide and looks to have come back well. Good each way chance with the good barrier draw. (8) Roosevelt is a talented type and the stable is flying, while (9) Fine Dane is another at double figure odds that could be competitive after a strong debut win at Moe. Sit back and watch but can’t bet here.
RACE 4
Competitive race for the mares. (1) Tulip is an emergency in the Group 1 race later in the program so if she was going to line up in that then she’d want to be competitive in a BM90 for the mares. She’s been good without winning in her first two starts this preparation but she remains some query at the 1400m. She’s up against it here with 59kg and barrier 12, but she’s certainly got class. (7) Istria bounced back last start to be beaten a length at this track and distance. She’ll be around the mark once again with Damian Lane in the saddle. (9) Shokora seems a popular elect after a luckless run first up over 1200m at the Valley, when she never got clear running in the straight. She was a winner second up last preparation and went on to be Group 2 placed over this distance. She’s trialled since that first up run and draws well here so appears a leading chance. (10) Lady Of Flanders was also good without a lot of luck last start. Drawn awkwardly in barrier 14 but should be around the mark. (14) Shoko won her first two starts before bumping into a smart one at the midweeks last start. It was a good effort to hang on and run 2nd on that occasion given the pressure she absorbed up front with 59kg on her back. Down in weight here, will go forward and give a big sight. I think the complete blowout is (15) Journeygirl, who should have won first up at Ballarat. She’s a winner second up previously, which was in metro grade, so she’s not hopeless here at $51.
Value: (15) Journeygirl $51 UBET
RACE 5
Wide-open race. This time last year (2) Bons Away beat Brave Smash over 1200m at this track. First up today and has trialled well leading into this. Zahra sticks with him for race day and although he’s drawn poorly in barrier 14, it wouldn’t shock anyone to see him win. Godolphin have three entered and any one of them can win this. (3) Badajoz has a terrific first up record and has won his only start at this track and distance. Damian Lane is a positive booking. (8) Bandipur has had four weeks off since finishing midfield at the Valley in a race he realistically had no chance in given the track pattern of the day. His form prior to that was very sound and he’s undefeated at the distance from three starts. (11) Marsupial is the last of the Blue Colours horses. He’s another with a terrific first up record and Craig Williams is booked for the ride from barrier 7. He had six starts last preparation and only finished outside the top two on one occasion, which was in Group 3 company. (14) Oberland finally draws a good barrier and has been putting the writing on the wall in recent starts. Down in the weights, he’s a great each way chance again. (16) Eduardo is undefeated from two career starts but finds a hot race to resume in here. (6) Man From Uncle could be the blowout at $26. Interestingly, he resumes with the blinkers on today and he trialled well leading into this. Have something small on.
Value: (6) Man From Uncle $26 BetEasy
RACE 6
(7) Assertive Play was a great run first up without any luck whatsoever at the Valley. She won her first two career starts over in Adelaide, which included a 5L romp at Morphettville. She looks well and truly up to winning a race like this. She’ll need luck from barrier 17 but if she can get a cart into the race, she’ll go close. (8) Anjana comes out of the same race at the Valley and draws well in barrier 7 today. She was held up until the 200m mark but finished off well last start. Weir seems to think she is the pick of his pair, with (3) Krone being the other. (9) Reginae is a Kris Lees-trained filly that comes down from Sydney after a good last-start win at Randwick. We saw a Kris Lees-trained filly win last weekend at Flemington but I’ve got some queries over the strength of form out of Reginae’s last start. (2) Kinky Boom and (6) Gongs both get blinkers on for the first time here so the market is worth watching with regards to those two.
RACE 7
Pretty keen on the favourite (10) Night’s Watch here. He just seems perfectly suited after a narrow defeat in the Dato Tan last start over 1600m. Weir has been saying all prep that he’d continue to improve with more ground and he finally gets up to 2000m here. He won over this track and distance at the end of last campaign and really looks to get his chance from the good barrier draw today. Damian Lake jumps back aboard and he looks hard to beat. (1) Folkswood was the Cranbourne Cup winner last time he was in the country and then ran 3rd to Winx in the Cox Plate. Since then he’s gone and won a Group 3 in Dubai over this distance, which he did first up, so he has to be a huge chance here. Trainer Charlie Appleby is one of the best in the world and it’s no coincidence he has a phenomenal strike rate in Australia. (5) Our Venice Beach was good firs tup behind Trap For Fools and should improve second up. Drawn well and looks an each way chance based on that first up run and his strong European form. (13) Hiyaam can be forgiven for failing last start after enduring a very tough run, and (18) Yogi isn’t hopeless provided he gets a run.
RACE 8
The Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes. Fascinating race! Keen on (4) Osbourne Bulls each way here with $7.00/$2.60 on offer. He’s had 11 career starts for eight wins and three minor placings. He resumed with a strong victory over 1200m at this track five weeks ago, where he defeated Land Of Plenty, who then came out and won his next start. Those two horses meet again here. Osbourne Bulls is drawn perfectly in barrier 8 and should be hard to hold out. He was scratched from a race at the Valley a couple of weeks ago due to drawing poorly, so the gap between races is a slight concern, but he’s a good horse and the stable are in fine form. (1) Jungle Cat is another Godolphin runner, but comes over from Europe for trainer Charlie Appleby. He was a Group 1 winner over 1200m in Dubai at his last start and he’s a Group 2 winner at his only start over 1400m. He’s got a great first up record and the stable have a lethal strike rate in Australia, so I expect him to be very competitive here. The $13 looks juicy. (2) Home Of The Brave bounced back in Sydney last start, having been narrowly defeated by Voodoo Lad on his Australian debut. He’ll go forward and make them chase, just as he did last start when he beat the likes of D’Argento and Trapeze Artist. The only query out of that race is that D’Argento definitely isn’t a short-course horse, while Trapeze Artist was blowing out the cobwebs with the Everest in mind. So perhaps Home Of The Brave found his right race last start. Still, he actually beat Jungle Cat over 1400m in Europe and he’s got race fitness on his side. Deserved favourite and hard to beat. (8) Land Of Plenty finished alongside Osbourne Bulls first up and backed that up with a good win at the Valley last start. If Osbourne Bulls can be competitive then so can Land Of Plenty.
RACE 9
Tough way to finish the day. (2) Ellicazoom was utterly dominant in her first start for the new stable and if she can reproduce that effort, she’ll be tough to hold out again here. There’s always some query over horses bouncing off such a big first up run but it’s hard to tip against her off that win. (1) Global Glamour is a dual Group 1 winner but whether she is sharp enough to win first up at 1200m here remains to be seen. (6) I Am Excited finished in the placings behind Ellicazoom last start and draws well here for Mark Zahra. Should be better suited second up. (14) Platinum Angel should be hitting the line hard late. (3) Prussian Vixen the complete blowout.
