Welcome to our preview and horse racing betting tips for the midweek meeting at Geelong on Wednesday, October 4th.
The track is rated a Good 4 with the rail out 9m for the nine-race card, and it will pay to watch early races to see if any pattern arises.
We have betting tips and comments for every race below.
You can also check out our Canterbury Racing Tips here!
GEELONG RACING TIPS
Best Bet: Race 6 Sorenata
Best Value: Race 4 Shamar
Race 1
Very ordinary race to start the day with a maiden that includes four chances at best in my opinion. RIMRAAM comes up the short-priced favourite on the back of four straight 2nd placings to start its career. Last start was a big run over 1600m when caught three-wide the trip before being nosed out of it on the line. Sure to get every chance here today with the step up to 1755m. At the prices I’m leaning towards backing THE SLEDGEHAMMER at $4. This horse was $11 into $4 on debut when 4th at this track over 1330m on a heavy 8 track. Given the weight of money for it on debut, it must have some ability, so back onto firm ground with a step up in distance and a good barrier draw, interested in backing it. THE BANANA STAND continues to drop back in trip and gets the blinkers back on today after a promising run last start. Can feature. SABUTAI comes out of a strong race first up and improved out of sight second up last prep so can go well.
TIP: The Sledgehammer
Race 2
PATRIOT brings ‘Sydney form’ to the race here for Peter and Paul Snowden, but not much of it. He’s first up as a gelding here after three average performances in maiden grade in Sydney, and did trial reasonably well leading into this. As I say every week, Snowden runners in Melbourne at this time of year is a flashing light, but he’s too short for me to back confidently here. MR SO AND SO failed on debut in Adelaide as the short-priced favourite and then failed again at Ballarat last time we saw him. Immediately sent for a spell following that and returns here with a nice trial win under his belt. Damian Lane is a strong jockey booking for the in-form Anthony Freedman and there’s been money to suggest he’ll run well today. DIVINE RED finished last in a relatively strong race on debut at Caulfield and then finished 4th in the Donald Classic, but still beaten 5.75L. The first of his two trials leading into this was fairly promising, so from the inside gate he could go well at double figure odds. REGIS COMMAND trialled better than Divine Red in his only trial leading into his debut today, while SILENT GENERAL can’t be dismissed on debut for Weir/Yendall. Not a good betting race.
TIP: Mr So And So / Divine Red EW
Race 3
ROYALE EFFORT has put in tow good runs to start this preparation with a fast-finishing 3rd on the Geelong synthetic followed by a runner-up finish on the Pakenham synthetic. Transfers to the turf today but gets every chance from barrier 1. ZUERS comes out of a strong debut race behind Wanted Diva at Cranbourne and resumes from a 145-day spell without a public trial. Draws well and there has been a little bit of money to suggest it will run well here so that’s worth following at each way odds. The same can be said about ROCK ‘EM SOCK ‘EM who placed in two of his three runs in his first prep. Resumes from a spell today and has had a very quiet trial leading into this. Ben Melham is a strong jockey booking and sticks with the horse after he rode it in the trial. The little query is whether he wants it a touch further. MAXIMUS ran 2nd on debut to Nantaali who was a very expensive purchase so the form may be worth following.
TIP: Royale Effort / Zuers EW
Race 4
Not a great race with low numbers and a tricky market. OUR CROWN MISTRESS won two trials in Sydney leading into its debut in Melbourne and was beaten a nose, but came out and led all the way to win its next start fairly comfortably. Waterhouse and Bott have their Melbourne horses going well with a strong strike rate, and this horse will go straight to the front in the small field and be hard to run down. Having said that, $1.85 is a hard price to take. SIA won on debut (with a big gap back to 3rd) before tackling a race at Flemington in June. Resumed from a spell in BM58 grade on the synthetic here, where she flew home late to miss by a nose. The step up in trip here really suits here and she draws barrier 1 so will hold every chance. STYLISH MISSILE produced a big finish to win on debut at Wodonga but the race was run in very slow time. SHAMAR is the value here, dropping back from two strong Saturday races and goes from two apprentices to Damian Lane. Our Crown Mistress on top, Shamar the value.
TIP: Our Crown Mistress / Shamar EW (Best Value)
Race 5
MASTERING was $2.10 into $1.75 on debut at Moe and trotted in by 3L on the heavy ground. Hard to know how that form will line up but jumps straight to a Class 1 here, will lead again from the wide draw and could well repeat the dose. HOLLYWOOD GIRL was a sick watch for those who backed it first up at Cranbourne. Settled an awful long way back and was held up from the 300m-100m mark before finally getting clear and hitting the line strongly. The better draw and the step up in trip will help its cause and if you backed it first up then you probably have to back it again here. PURE EMOTION is first up here and has some relatively deep form to its name. It will put itself in the race and is a definite winning chance based on what we saw early last prep. OUR CHIQUILLA also resumes and draws barrier 1 for Weir/Yendall so no surprise to see it in the finish. Ugly race but something small on Hollywood Girl.
TIP: Hollywood Girl
Race 6
Very keen on SORENATA here. Won in this grade at Bairnsdale three starts ago and followed that with consecutive 2nd placings at Sandown and Sale over similar distances. Draws beautifully here, has won at the track before and she will be in the finish. There’s some knocks on some of her main rivals which is the reason I think she’s such a great chance. CITRUS WISH has run very well at her past two starts but both have been on heavy tracks. She’s only finished in the money once from 10 starts on good ground so I’m more than happy to risk her today. SKULDUGGERY could be the biggest danger back down in grade but he’s got the big weight and is struggling to win another race. CASINO BLITZ has run well on soft ground and synthetic tracks but has never placed on good ground. SEUL SPIRIT can go well back onto firm ground. MANNING ROAD the value third up form a spell on firm ground with a good draw for a hot stable.
TIP: Sorenata (Best Bet) / Manning Road EW
Race 7
Tough race but interested in two. DIMANCHE ran well for 3rd on debut before breaking through at its second start as the odds-on favourite at this track on heavy ground. The horse that ran 2nd in her debut race was Experimentation, who then won its next start before subsequently running 2nd at Moonee Valley last Friday night. So the form reads well. Draws poorly here but the firm ground could bring about improvement and the stable is going nicely. MIALIGN is another who meets firm ground for the first time here. This import ran well on Australian debut for 3rd behind Banish at Cranbourne in this grade. Should improve second up and happy to have something on at the each way odds. There’s nothing wrong with SWEET PERFUME’s form coming into this. Gets in well after the claim but while the jockey is seemingly going well, this is a Wednesday city race and he draws poorly so I’d have to bet around him. NINA’S BALLERINA bolted in first up last prep in maiden grade before failing to do much else. Could go well fresh. EL QUESTRO can go on from its maiden win last start.
TIP: Dimanche / Mialign EW
Race 8
Only three I’m really interested in here. LAUGHING HEIR was absolutely luckless last start over 1400m at Ballarat when held up the entire straight before finishing 3rd. Probably goes close to winning if it gets any clear running and the form before that was good as well. Gets the big weight here but has interestingly had a stable change since last start and Damian Lane is a positive jockey booking. MISS ADEQUATE ran well in a strong race first up behind Leather’n’lace who then came out and won in Saturday city grade. She was only beaten 3L so that should be good enough to see her be very competitive here. MUSEE DE ARTS just missed first up at Cranbourne, beaten a nose, and can go close again with the step up in distance. I’ll be backing Laughing Heir with a saver on Miss Adequate.
TIP: Laughing Heir
Race 9
Think RIB EYE is a decent each way bet here in the last. This horse produced a huge performance to win first up from a 503-day spell over 1200m on the synthetic track. He came from last on the turn to swoop home over the top of them out wide, and it was a run that defied the betting because he was $8.50 out to $19. Carries a big weight here and will have to come from a long way back once again but he has the scope to possibly go on to better races. He will appreciate the step up in trip. ANOTHER COLDIE is ready to win after two prep runs over shorter. Number one jockey Damian Lane takes over from the apprentice and the horse gets back on to a good track where he’s got three wins from five starts. He’ll be right in the finish. FASTBROOK was good when winning first up and did win second up last prep so expect further improvement here. DUBAI KING not the worst at blowout odds. Backing Rib Eye each way with a saver on Another Coldie.
TIP: Rib Eye EW
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