What better way to kick start the weekend than a Friday night fill-up before a massive day of Group 1 action tomorrow. There is some high quality racing on show tonight at Canterbury and Moonee Valley, highlighted by the Group 3 Typhoon Tracy Stakes.
Billy Bestford is back with today's best bets from both Canterbury and Moonee Valley! Of course, if you're looking for more in-depth analysis from every race on the card, then head over to our dedicated horse racing site at www.racingbet.com.au.
Horse Racing Tips - Friday, February 19th
Canterbury Race 2
With Canterbury a Heavy 8 at the time of writing and more rain predicted all day today, it would be safe to assume we will be working on a very wet track here tonight. I’m never one to get too excited about bog tracks but am keen to play one here in Race 2.
The Ryan & Alexiou trained (7) Spirituality looks a decent chance of winning this maiden over the 1250m. Concede the favourite (1) Military Parade will be hard to beat but I think the 3-year old filly can get away with this in a relatively weak field. She finished 3rd in her first-up run at Warwick Farm over 1100m and will strip much fitter for this race today. The step up in trip looks a positive while I really like the booking of Tim Clark on this front running horse. I am expecting him to go straight to the front and be tough to get past in these conditions. Happy to bet at around the $5 mark and take on the short-priced fav.
Moonee Valley Race 4
We’ve got a Benchmark 70 over the 2040m for the stayers here in Race 4 and I am keen to back a lightly-raced mare to continue on her upward trend. (1) Mahashakti has been working through her grades nicely and continues to keep stepping up to each challenge. With 3 wins from 4 career starts, Mitchell Freedman looks to have a smart staying type on his hands. The horse comes into this off the back of a tough win at this track and trip two weeks ago and this does not look any tougher tonight. Damien Oliver jumps aboard tonight and will have plenty of options from barrier 2 in a small field.
Outside of the favourite it looks an open race with many of these horses not winning out of turn too often. The Moody trained (5) Give Me Ten is flying this prep and looks the obvious danger but comes out of some weaker races than the favourite in the lead up to this. Looks the quinella horse.
Moonee Valley Race 7
The feature race of the night is the Group 3 Typhoon Tracy Stakes for the 3-year old fillies. This is a cracking race with many different formlines to dissect and some smart horses resuming. Think the Sydney visitor in (1) Macroura will take some beating after jumping out like a jet around Caulfield last week. She is pretty bulletproof with her career record reading 7:3-0-3 and looks to get the gun run from barrier 4. Jamie Kah jumps aboard and she could ride a rocking horse home at the moment! There will be plenty of speed on early and I am hoping Kah can find a nice position just on the back of the leaders and peel out in the straight. This horse has been unlucky in it’s last few and is due a change of fortunes in a race which is well in her grasp.
(10) Highly Discreet can run a race at an each-way price as well. The Stokes filly has genuine group form behind it, running in behind the likes of Swats That and La Mexicana to name a few. They will be burning the turf early and you can expect this horse to get the last shot at them over the top. Worth a small saver at the price.
Saver: (10) Highly Discreet - $10 at Ladbrokes
Moonee Valley Race 8
Looking to close out the night with (9) Garvoc hopefully being able to continue on her way after a good first-up win. She missed the start and powered home to still win comfortably over Savanah Cloud who is no slouch. After a frustrating time in recent preparations it looks like the stable might have turned a corner here and I am pretty confident Dean Yendall can steer this one home. With 4 wins from 6 career starts there is plenty of upside for this lightly raced 4-year old. From barrier 1, I am hoping Yendall can ride the horse positively and position in the front half and find the gaps at the right time. This looks the logical step up in grade for the Price & Kent runner and you get the feeling they might have bigger fish to fry with this horse after tonight.
Canterbury Race 8
We’ve got a strong Benchmark 72 over the 1250m to round out the card at Canterbury and I think we can find the winner. The Snowden trained (14) Rule Of Law will appreciate the drop back in grade here following two runs behind the smart Rocketing By. Only two starts ago, Rule Of Law started favourite against that horse and went down narrowly in a close finish. Rocketing By has now obviously gone on to win the 3-year old Inglis sprint where he defeated Ole Kirk and that form looks good enough for something like this. Rule Of Law was in the worst part of the track in that race and I think we can forgive that performance. The booking of McDonald is always a positive and the Snowden’s will have their colt fit and ready to fire here third up.
I think the market has overreacted to the favourite in (3) Equation and an more than happy to take it on. Concede there is plenty of upside to come with this horse but I am happy to oppose at the price differential between these two.
