Tuesday’s action sees just the three meetings set to take place in Australia with Taree and Townsville both set to race on the turf while there’s also action on Ballarat’s synthetic surface.
Take Bakuhatsu to score at Townsville
Glenda Bell sends her four-year-old Our Stormy Girl to Townsville for the fourth race on the card, a 1000m contest and she looks sure to attract support having won both starts this spell while she also defends an unbeaten three-for-three record over this distance.
However Tahlia Fenlon’s mount struggled on a soft 5 surface at Rockhampton just under a year ago and has been kept to good going since. With that in mind she looks opposable with BAKUHATSU looking a major player under top weight.
The Joanna Hassett-trained gelding broke his maiden on a soft 6 track over 1100m at Doomben second up this prep and subsequently showed a liking for this venue when doubling his career tally with a narrow margin victory over this course and distance under today’s rider Cody Collis earlier this month.
Moon for Ballarat glory
Ciaron Maher and David Eustace look to hold strong claims of taking out the sixth at Ballarat, a 1500m contest with their mare Surecan. The highly promising apprentice Matthew Chadwick takes the ride on the mare who was a winner at Yarra Glen on her penultimate start. However she looks opposable following a below par effort when last of seven at Cranbourne subsequently.
Trainer Luke Oliver is on the hotlist with eight winners from his last 26 winners and he saddles HIT THE MOON in the 1500m contest. A debut winner over 1100m at Stony Creek in February last year it’s disappointing that the gelding hasn’t been able to register a victory since but he has shown that a second success might not be far away when finishing runner-up on his two most recent starts including with Hannah Le Blanc up for the first time when beaten less than a length over this distance at Mornington last month.
Did best of those racing from off the pace having had to pass the vet at the barriers following an incident pre-race and is selected to register a second career success.
Tabasco for handicap triumph
The sixth race on the Taree card, a 1257m handicap set to take place on a soft 7 track sees MR TABASCO bid to register a second career win.
The juvenile broke his maiden in a 1050m handicap at Inverell a month ago when ridden from off the pace. Impressed in winning by three lengths that day and with that in mind it was something of a surprise to see him race more prominently prior to delivering a third place finish, beaten less than a length on a heavy 8 track upped to 1250m here subsequently.
Has a nice barrier draw in four here and jockey Raymond Spokes knows the pick well having ridden him in all three previous starts.
