By Neil Evans
Selections based on a good track
Race 1 MAIDEN PLATE (1400m)
The maidens kick off a strong and open Showcase meeting, with resuming home track four-year-old 2. Satay Chicken at the top of the menu. Hasn’t started since just missing when well backed here on debut last winter but will be ready to go over this first-up distance off three trials in nine weeks. That said, I wouldn’t be diving into too short a price.
Dangers: Honest local 1. Dommantella looms as the quinella runner third up from the inside draw. Showed improvement on New Year’s Day. Provincial three-year-old 3. Magic Prophet can improve deep into his first prep.
How to play it: Satay Chicken to win and quinella 1 and 2; Odds and Evens: Split
The Country Music Cup is the feature of a big day at Tamworth.Credit:Fairfax
Race 2 BENCHMARK 66 HCP (1600m)
Out to the mile for a competitive and tactical battle. Always had plenty of time for local five-year-old 2. Sabie Park. Looks ready to take the next step nearly four weeks between runs off an easy trial. Hasn’t always lived up to his ability over a middle distance, but the way he charged home here just before Christmas was potentially a career turning point. Form from that race is a little deeper than here, and again he settles back with cover and produces a superior closing 400m.
Dangers: European-bred mare 6. Zippy Power ran OK behind the top selection in that race and will be fitter but still likely to need further. From that same formline, keep safe stablemate 8. Dauvenay peaking fourth up. 7. Scatman and 10. Mondial Express from a softer draw can both add value to exotic outlays.
How to play it: Sabie Park to win; Odds and Evens: Evens
Race 3 MAIDEN HCP (1600m)
Same distance here for the maidens, and there is a tonne of value. Improving mare 8. Finding Alice is ready to peak fourth up. Has progressed slowly all prep and loved her last furlong getting home well 17 days ago. Over the odds.
Dangers: Emerging mare 10. Kaisa is a serious threat coming back to country level fourth up. Home-tracker 11. My Diamond Boy draws to get a nice trail back in the field and has far more to offer than his record suggests. From the inside barrier, 6. Boys Cry is clear next best.
How to play it: Finding Alice each way; Odds and Evens: Evens
Race 4 CLASS 1 HCP (1200m)
Plenty of depth for this level in a heat of the Rising Star. Keen on home track four-year-old 3. Dimension second up with blinkers back on. Stuck on well when resuming to be beaten only a neck, and can park just behind the speed on preferred firm ground.
Dangers: Promising 2. Cyber Attack will be right there from a soft draw. Has progressed impressively in three starts, leading all the way five weeks ago before narrowly missing when running home hard in deeper class. Gets back down to the weight he carried on debut after the jockey’s 3kg allowance. Resuming three-year-old and stablemate to the top selection 7. Smart Shot has plenty of ability and will come to hand down in the weights. Hard fit 4. Lightfast and lightly raced 5. Compelling Truth off a dominant all-the-way maiden win are both capable of running into the minor money.
How to play it: Dimension each way and box exacta 2,3,7; Odds and Evens: Split
Race 5 MAIDEN PLATE (1200m)
Tough race again, although very much with emerging and lightly raced mare 13. Valoria. Draws the fence resuming off a nine-week break with key gear chances. Made late ground on a heavy surface last time and much better placed here on firm going off a quiet trial two weeks ago.
Dangers: Still the search goes on for a breakthrough win third up and ahead of 10th start for once highly touted local 1. Russian Standard. Was very good hitting the line 16 days ago and placed five times overall, but he’s been beaten eight times as favourite. Keep safe 14. Musical Affair third up. 4. Lostma Cowboy improves further second up, and ex-Victorian mare 8. Allande is first up for six months for the new home stable.
How to play it: Valoria to win; Odds and Evens: Split
Race 6 TAMWORTH COUNTRY MUSIC CUP OPEN HCP (1200m)
Feature race of the day shapes nicely for progressive home track five-year-old 6. Seguso second up off a long break, as long as he can tuck in from the outside barrier. Chased hard to miss by a head in a handy sprint first outing since being transferred from Victoria and was competitive in deeper races than this last prep.
Dangers: Honest mare 7. Very Sharp draws to get an economical run with a light weight four weeks between runs. Similarly, 1. Fanaar is well placed from the inside draw second up. Gap to the rest headed by 5. Already Blessed peaking fifth up and 9. Red Beryl from a soft trailing draw.
How to play it: Seguso to win; Odds and Evens: Split
Race 7 BENCHMARK 58 HCP (1400m)
One of the more open and tougher contests on the card. Talented four-year-old 1. Imatruestar is well placed from the draw and back in grade third up. Trailed them home in a much deeper Highway resuming before showing sharp improvement running home hard five weeks between runs in a BM 66. Up in weight, but a 2kg allowance softens that and was scratched from Wyong on Wednesday to be saved for this.
Dangers: There’s value about improving 4. Final Statement peaking fourth up and drawn to get to the outside. Tough three-year-old 11. Killzy has to overcome a wide draw, but he’s hit the line well in his last two. Include in exotics 5. Majestic Wings fifth up with a weight increase offset by a 3kg claim. 12. Albanjo has run into the placings in his last two.
How to play it: Imatruestar to win; Odds and Evens: Split
Race 8 CLASS 3 HCP (1000m)
Good quality sprint for this class to finish. Smart local four-year-old 2. Ostracised hasn’t started since a dominant off-speed CL2 win in heavy ground last September, but he’s versatile in the run and has a strong fresh record. Looks fairly treated at the weights after the claim.
Dangers: Drawn inside, 3. Just Strolling is an immediate threat off an all-the-way third-up win in weaker grade, and previously had been competitive in consecutive Highway tilts.Underrated stablemate to the top selection 4. Trumped Up is over the odds third up. Both 7 Miss Kono, a BM 66 winner in fast time two starts ago, and 8. Briefly, which has a strong record here at home, go in trifectas and first fours.
How to play it: Ostracised to win; Odds and Evens: Split
BEST BETS: Race 5 (13) VALORIA; Race 6 (6) SEGUSO
BEST VALUE: Race 2 (2) SABIE PARK
Supplied by Racing NSW
Full form and race replays available at racingnsw.com.au
