Race 5 Launceston
Hero of Romani @ 13/2
Race 8 Ipswich
Naughty Harry @ 4/1
Race 8 Sale
Rebel’s Choice @ 5/1
There’s six meetings set to take place today including metro fixtures from Canterbury, Ipswich and Launceston.
Romani for Launceston glory
Azara is likely to have her supporters ahead of the fifth race at Launceston, a 1400m Benchmark 68 contest set to take place on a good 4 track.
The course regular has won four of her seven starts at this venue, finishing in the places in the other three and she made a pleasing return to action when finishing a good third in a Benchmark 68 event at Devenport Synthetic last month.
Barry Campbell’s charge is likely to have improved for that effort but may find the lowly weighted Hero Of Romani has too much for her for the in form Adam Tinder stable.
Trinder has his horses in good form of late with a 29% strike-rate (6/21) in the last month while the handler has a good record when teaming up with jockey Troy Baker.
Hero Of Romani has been kept busy in 2022 winning his first race of the year when scoring on a soft 6 surface in a Benchmark 62 event over 1420m here three starts back.
Delivered a couple of solid efforts since including when keeping on in seventh in a Benchmark 68 event over 1650m at Devenport Synthetic on 18th September.
Drop back in trip is a positive here and the gelding is selected to register a fourth career win.
Harry to return with victory
Military Gambler is expected to prove popular with punters ahead of the finale at Ipswich with the gelding having shown good form in handicap company when runner-up twice over 1600m at Sunshine Coast last spell.
The most recent of those efforts came when beaten half-a-length in the Global Turf Handicap on a good 4 track in February and while the four-year-old finished well beaten in two subsequent starts he gets a drop in grade racing first up.
Chris Munce’s charge has a wide draw to overcome here and having raced prominently or from the front in each of his last four starts that isn’t ideal on his first start since a sixth on a wet track at Doomben in March.
Naughty Harry is selected to deliver a victory for David Vandyke with the gelding having made just the two previous starts including when debuting with a victory in a Doomben maiden over this distance on a good 4 surface in January.
Proved a disappointment when last of 11 upped to 1650m at Sunshine Coast the following month when appearing to not stay the distance.
The booking of Ryan Maloney is a positive with regards his chances and the son of Tavistock is taken to make a winning seasonal debut on his return to 1350m.
Choice to score at Sale
In the eighth at Sale, a 1419m Benchmark 70 contest Barretta, winner of her sole start in Ireland and a winner on her first start for the Hayes team over 1400m at Pakenham in March is expected to jump as favourite for what looks a highly competitive affair.
Damien Oliver’s mount suffered two defeats subsequently but gets a drop in grade here having finished ninth in a Benchmark 78 event over 1600m at Flemington when last in action back in May.
Peter Moody does well at this venue and his representative here Rebel’s Choice performed well at Benchmark 78 level when finishing a close up fourth over 1200m on the synthetic surface at Pakenham when racing first up in August.
Beaten just two lengths when seventh over 1300m at Sandown Hillside subsequently the daughter of Pierro looks ready for this step back up in distance and having won over track and trip last spell she is taken to deliver a victory with Luke Nolen up for the first time since the pair won here in March.
