The following is a survey of Australian racing tips for Saturday, August 22. The focus is on the group and listed races at Randwick and Moonee Valley. The highlight of the day is the Group 1 Winx Stakes (Race 7) at Randwick. More tips and previews will be added as they become available.
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Best bets
Moonee Valley Race 6: No. 1 Hard Landing and No. 4 Flying Award
Randwick Race 4: No. 3 See You Soon
Moonee Valley
BetEasy – Katie Mallyon’s Pick 7 Tips:
Race 3: Dirty Thoughts
Race 4: High Emocean
Race 5: Jittery Jack
Race 6: Hard Landing
Race 7: Windstorm
Race 8: Alfa Oro
Race 9: Polly Grey
Race 6:
HARD LANDING (1) Really dug deep when winning last run here and should muster plenty of early toe. Big chance. FLYING AWARD (4) Fought on gamely when winning last time at Flemington and possesses good finishing speed. One of the major players. RATHLIN (2) Flew home into 3rd three runs back at Caulfield and finishes off strongly. Winnable race. ALBARADO (6) Really dug deep when winning two runs back at Ballarat but resumes from a break. Drawn to sit just in behind the speed. Open to improvement and is a strong chance again.
Race 8:
BROOKLYN HUSTLE (10) Having second run back from a break. Gave them a lesson when winning last run at this course and dropping weight today. Goes very close. JUNGLE EDGE (1) Good win two runs back at Caulfield and will appreciate the drop in class. Likely to be well placed early. Deserves consideration. ALFA ORO (7) Won last run at Caulfield and should jump out and bowl along. This field suits. GREAT AGAIN (2) Placed 2nd last run at Flemington and expecting to settle positively. Been in the money 4 from 5 attempts this campaign. Place hope.
Race 6: Hard Landing
Race 8: Alfa Oro
Sportsbet – Race Comments and Selections:
Race 6:
SPEED: 9 may lead 1, 2 with 5, 7, 8 capable of being handy also. HARD LANDING beat the Blue Diamond winner on debut and returned with a solid win here at 1000m. RATHLIN jumped out OK and was only 3.3L off Tagaloa in that Blue Diamond. FLYING AWARD has a future. Liked his recent jumpout. PIONEER RIVER jumped out well with quality older horses latest. His one wet-track flop was inconclusive. THE LAST CHARGE is a hope on that Forever Free/Ranting form on heavy track. Jumpout: good. ALBARADO will get further but he too jumped out well.
Selections: 4. Flying Award (top tip), 2. Rathlin, 1. Hard Landing, 7. The Last Charge
Race 8:
SPEED looks good. JUNGLE EDGE is the best weighted runner here at SWP scale and we know he swims! The last time he dropped back to 1000m mid-prep he was a 3.2L third to Nature Strip. BONS AWAY jumped out well and his last fresh run was a sound 1.2L fourth to Jungle Edge. They both had 60kg that day and both beat home FINE DANE (ran well in worst part of track, best roughie?) and HUMMA HUMMA (ran on well). Liked Humma Humma’s jumpout but drier the better for her. BROOKLYN HUSTLE was a brilliant return winner. She stays at 1000m here? ALFA ORO a hope but weights against him.
Selections: 1. Jungle Edge (top tip), 10. Brooklyn Hustle, 8. Humma Humma, 6. Fine Dane
Race 6: Flying Award
Race 9: Orderofthegarter
Randwick
Race 4: See You Soon
Race 7:
1 – Fierce Impact
2 – Melody Belle
3 – Master of Wine
Race 4:
SEE YOU SOON (3) Hit the line well when 3rd last run around here but fresh from a spell. Might take a while to wind up but should be hitting top gear in the straight. Go well. DAME GISELLE (1) Brave effort to win three runs back at this track and winkers go off for the first time. Should just about get the run of the race. Success in a barrier trial at Royal Randwick on Jul 28th. Respect in this company. REDOUTE’S IMAGE (6) Fought on gamely when winning two runs back at Canterbury and third up. Expecting to settle just off the pace. Must respect. THERMOSPHERE (2) Won narrowly two runs back at Rosehill and always seems to find the line well. Ran 3rd in a barrier trial at Hawkesbury on Jul 20th. Not the worst in this field.
Race 5:
FUNSTAR (3) Bold effort to win three runs back at Rosehill but first run back from a break. Expecting to settle just off the pace. Is in good order and can run well. SPECIAL REWARD (2) Handy enough when winning last run at Newcastle and should jump out and bowl along. Winner in a barrier trial at Wyong on Jul 1st. Can get the job done. ROHERYN (10) Having third run back from a spell. Solid effort when winning two runs back at Rosehill and hard to fault at this trip. Ticks plenty of boxes and looks like value. WILD PLANET (6) Good win two runs back at Flemington and likely to race off the speed. Finished 2nd in a barrier trial at Rosehill Gardens on Aug 4th. Has each way claims.
Race 6:
ADELONG (6) Left nothing to chance when winning last time at Rosehill and shows good early pace. Finished 2nd in a barrier trial at Royal Randwick on Aug 11th. Has lots of appeal and should go close. SWEET DEAL (1) Well beaten when 5th at this track. Looks nicely placed today and should muster plenty of early toe. Fitter for multiple trials. Big danger. SEASONS (7) Solid run to the line when 4th last run at Rosehill but resuming from spell. Ran 2nd in a barrier trial at Royal Randwick on Aug 11th. Looks promising in this race. INVICTUS SALUTE (9) Finished strongly when 3rd three runs back at Caulfield but back after a break. Success in a barrier trial at Kensington on Aug 14th. Exotics hope in this event.
Race 7:
MASTER OF WINE (7) Made a mess of them when winning two runs back at Rosehill and will benefit from multiple trials. Should get a lovely cart into it from just behind the pace. Can’t knock. VERRY ELLEEGANT (12) Shot clear to win two runs back at Rosehill but back after a break. Expecting to settle just off the pace. Should take beating. DREAMFORCE (1) Had a break from racing and returns to competition. Won narrowly two runs back at Rosehill and should race on the speed. Will benefit from multiple trials. Has to be included. THE BOSTONIAN (2) Should be ready to fire fresh with 6 wins from 7 runs. Winner two runs back at this venue and goes down in grade. Follow market leads.
Race 4: See You Soon
Race 5: Roheryn
Race 6: Sweet Deal
Race 7: Master Of Wine
Sportsbet – Race Comments and Selections:
Race 4:
DAME GISELLE and SEE YOU SOON are the two high raters in this bunch of fillies and have been joined at the hip through their careers. In fact they even trialled together recently. GISELLE beat SEE YOU home but the latter was just as good, from further back. She’ll need plenty of luck here SEE YOU if she is slow to jump from the inside gate but hopefully she can weave a path. I predict she’ll be strong late if she does. And GISELLE herself may be back and wide from her draw. Pending how much we have dried out I would be interested in KAAKIT AKIT (who could cross up to lead) and SEPTEMBER RUN who really came on in her second prep.
Selections: 3. See You Soon (top tip), 1. Dame Giselle, 7. Kaakit Akit, 5. September Run
Race 5:
Not a lot of speed here. 2 looks designated to head them up. 11 can cross positively on his day and this may be one of those days. 1 to follow the leader. INANUP and ROHERYN are essentially 91 raters up against a few G1 winners here but the fitness of winter racing is to their advantage against the fresh crew and neither will turn their nose up at a drier surface. I believe INANUP is good for at least one more peak run this prep and ROHERYN approaches this with 4 weeks between runs again, just like last start. SPECIAL REWARD has held off for this race and could see a cosy time in front. FUNSTAR also in the G1 later. She and PROBABEEL are proper high quality and hard to discount.
Selections: 8. Inanup (top tip), 10. Roheryn, 2. Special Reward, 3. Funstar
Race 6:
8 (also in at Melbourne) and 6 to set the tone. 9 can trail up close and 1 might have to sit just off today. ADELONG has been freshened up and returns to take on the toughest opposition she’s seen. Not that defeats over the likes of Inanup and Handspun is anything to be sneezed at; it is genuine off-season good form. She has trialled appropriately and she is the 1100m gun of this field. At some value I see the danger as INVICTUS SALUTE although she does normally improve with a run. Her trials recently have impressed that she can produce a career best fresh performance. WITHERSPOON to be positive and should give a kick if here. SWEET DEAL won this day last year and was awesome first-up last prep.
Selections: 6. Adelong (top tip), 9. Invictus Salute, 8. Witherspoon, 1. Sweet Deal
Race 7:
An early season Group One with genuine quality and (praise the skies!) a healthy turnout in terms of numbers. What’s not to like! 10 and 1 to lead the way and I can’t see that this will be any breakneck speed. DREAMFORCE has had a couple of trial results that don’t read terribly well but for mine have been more than acceptable. He has gone just super at the beginning of his latest preps. He locked horns with THE BOSTONIAN back in March and prevailed, only just. No knock on the Tony Pike galloper here either given his fresh record. CON TE PARTIRO won two same sex G1s last prep. She looks in the mix. Can’t wait to see what MASTER OF WINE and VERRY ELLEEGANT can produce. And I am a big BRANDENBURG fan but leave him out of top four.
Selections: 1. Dreamforce (top tip), 2. The Bostonian, 14. Con Te Partiro, 7. Master Of Wine
Unibet – From the Trader’s Desk:
Race 4 #3 See You Soon – BEST BET
Race 6 #6 Adelong – LAY BET
Race 7 #2 The Bostonian
Race 8 #9 Think It Over – VALUE BET