We’ve three meetings to get involved in this Tuesday with a provincial fixture from Mackay plus country meetings at Warrnambool and Scone.
Neigh for Mackay triumph
The third race on the Mackay card, a competitive small field 1200m handicap is likely to see top weight Bondi Beau jump as favourite for handler Chris Attard.
The five-year-old has delivered placed efforts in two of his three starts since a narrow margin win in a Benchmark 65 event over 1000m at Bowen in June including when third over the same trip at Townsville earlier this month.
The extra distance here is no issue but the Brazen Beau gelding may find Dr Neigh too strong in this contest.
Dr Neigh performed well when delivering a close up second place finish in a Class 6 contest over 1100m at this venue when racing first up last month. Expected to have improved for that effort the Tim Cook trainee has won both of his previous starts over this course and distance and with jockey Ashley Butler boasting an impressive 29% strike-rate (14/48) here in the last year Dr Neigh is selected to record career win number five.
Night to break maiden
A liking for testing conditions is expected to prove a necessity at Warrnambool with the going forecast to be a heavy 10 ahead of an eight race card.
In the opening contest Recap looks to hold a favourites chance having finished in the placings in four of his five previous starts including when third in an 1100m contest on a heavy 9 track at Hamilton on debut.
That effort marks the fillies only previous start on heavy going but she’s acquitted herself well on soft courses since.
However the daughter of Capitalist has suffered short price reverses on her two most recent starts including when runner-up on a soft 7 track in an 1110m maiden at Werribee and she is opposable once more with Samantha Noble’s mount Night Of Mayhem preferred.
Steven Noble’s charge has had plenty of chances but has proven that she should be up to winning on a heavy 10 track having finished runner-up in the conditions in a Restricted 58 contest over 1100m here on his penultimate start while she followed that up with a third sin similar conditions in an 1100m maiden at Wangaratta on 8th August.
The drop in trip here is a slight concern but having shown she handles conditions the daughter of Zoustar is taken to get off the mark at the 15th attempt.
Bandit to score at Scone
Fanmalia has been going well this spell including when fourth in a Benchmark 68 event over 1600m at Wyong at the end of last month and he looks likely to deliver a big effort from off the pace in the seventh race at Scone, a Benchmark 74 contest over the same distance.
The six-year-old was a winner second up over this trip in a Benchmark 66 event on a good 4 surface at Tamworth in June but may have to give best to grade dropper Barellan Bandit in this contest.
Trained by John W Ramsey the gelding has contested stronger races in two starts since winning over 1400m on a soft 7 track at Tamworth last month.
The most recent of those efforts came in a metropolitan Benchmark 78 event over this trip at Randwick earlier this month and while the son of Declaration Of War jumped at big odds that day he didn’t disgrace himself in finishing ninth of 12.
Grant Buckley returns to the saddle here and dropped in grade the pair are taken to resume winning ways in what looks a competitive affair.
