Welcome to our horse racing preview and betting tips for racing on Wednesday, October 28th.
There's a stack of quality horse racing taking place in Australia on Wednesday afternoon, headlined by the Bendigo Cup. Our racing expert Tim Geers has provided his best bets from around the country below!
In case you missed it, our horse racing content has a new home at RacingBet.com.au - so for more quality analysis and racing tips for today's meetings at Bendigo and Randwick-Kensington, head to our new website!
Horse Racing Tips: Wednesday, October 28th
Ipswich Race 2 (Market)
The absolute good thing of the day is (5) Queen Dazzler at Ipswich, who looks a very good way to double your money. She’s had just one career start, which was a dominant 3.5L victory at this track and distance back in May. She hasn’t been seen since that win and she returns today with no official trial to go off, but that’s not unusual for this stable. The stable have a 33% strike rate here at Ipswich and this is their main jockey, so all things point to her winning this and the $2.00 looks to be the day’s banker.
Randwick Race 4 (Market)
I concede the heavy ground is a complete mystery here but (5) Just Field is a very good price here at $5.50, and we might even get better throughout the day. He won at big odds first up and then came to town where he ran 2nd to Emanate. Emanate has since won again to make it three on the bounce, and the horse Just Field beat first up has also won twice since that race, including once in town. Last start, Just Field was given a horrible steer. He spent half the straight running up backsides and when he finally found himself clear, he was widest in the straight on a day where you couldn’t make ground. His race was over and he was given less than none. I think his form before that would make him a major player here. Unfortunately, his racing pattern lends itself to the potential of him finding trouble so he’ll need a much better ride than what he got last start. We need a few things to go our way – he needs to handle the track conditions and the track needs to be playing evenly – but at $5.50 he looks a decent each way bet.
Randwick Race 6 (Market)
I think there’s a blowout chance here at $21 in the form of (11) Buba. This horse has been entered in a few races in recent weeks but she’s been scratched from all of those and finally takes her place here. She’s got two wins from seven starts and both of those have been on heavy ground, which is what she will get today, including one which was first up last prep. She’s failed in all four starts on firm ground so there’s a fair argument to say she’s a pure wet tracker. I’m encouraged by the fact they line up here after scratching her from a few other races, and with conditions to suit, she looks way over the odds at $21.
Bendigo Race 7 – Bendigo Cup (Market)
The feature race of the day is the G3 Bendigo Cup and I think it’s a two-horse race. (2) Lord Belvedere comes here third up from a 10-week break. He won first up at Flemington, defeating Persan, before that horse turned the tables on him in the G3 Bart Cummings last time out. That flat performance does follow a trend with Lord Belvedere though – he’s typically sound first up but tends to follow that with a flat run second up (just one placing from six starts). However, his record indicates he bounces off that second up run, as he’s won four times from five starts third up. Look for him to peak today and if that’s the case, he’ll take plenty of beating here from the good draw with Mark Zahra aboard. (3) Pondus is the sole international raider in the field, trained by Joseph O’Brien in Ireland. He comes into this having been comprehensively beaten in the Ebor Handicap at York last time we saw him, but that’s a very strong race in the UK. If you go back through his form, he does have some very strong performances, none more so than his 2nd to Addeybb on heavy ground. He’s going to get a firm track here today but he has gone well on the surface previously, so that shouldn’t hinder him. You always have to respect these international stayers in any races they contest in Australia, so despite a tricky draw, he looks a bet. There’s $5.00 available for both horses and those are the two I’ll be playing in the race.
Also backing: (3) Pondus $5.00
