It was a great weekend of horse racing, despite it not being the best weekend in online betting and whilst we did still pick up a few winners in our Saturday racing tips and our best bets tips it was overall quite an all over the place day for Horse racing tips. This article focuses on a couple horses who are racing this coming Saturday, in the unofficial launch to Spring / Group 1 racing as we look to get an early lead on the Aussie betting sites and hopefully pick out some early winners prior to my Saturday tips and best bets tips coming out for the weekend.
Lees employs smart freshen on Ucalledit
Spring racing unofficially kicks off this Saturday with a lot of prospective Group 1 horses looking to make big returns in the Missile Stakes at Randwick and one who has eluded me in my horse racing tips is Kris Lees’ Ucalledit who took out both the Civic Stakes and Winter Stakes in last two runs, the latter of which coming just over a month ago.
“Last year we ran second, third and fourth so it would be nice to get the win this year.", said Lees.
As for Ucalledit’s prospects, Lees said, "He's found a bit of form, albeit at 1400 metres, but I thought a little freshen up and back to 1200 metres would suit,"
Both of his last two runs/wins have been at 1400m and Lees suggests that once Ucalledit finds form he tends to hold it and albeit having not won at a distance less than 1300m this race is suited to a horse that is deeper into their prep that is taking on fresh horses, even if they are credentialed rivals.
This is a big step up in competition for Ucalledit and Lees is aware of that but believes he’s up to the task as a $13 chance across the Australian betting sites.
There are fifteen other nominees for the Group 2 race this Saturday with hot sprinter I Am Me being the favourite at around $3 across all online betting sites.
Campton aims to bring Missile back to QLD once again
The last two editions of the Missile Stakes has seen the Trophy go up North to Queensland and now Adam Campton is looking to stake his claim and make it three in a row with Deepour, who featured as our next best bet of the day in our Saturday Tips this past weekend and got one of the toughest runs in the race then.
"They say lightning doesn't strike twice but hopefully it can strike three times… I know they were big odds and he should be good each-way odds as well so hopefully Queensland can make it three in a row.", Campton Said.
Deepour ran behind Insurrection this past Saturday where the race was not suited to him in any capacity and when he got clear air he still thundered into third in a bold effort that saw him clock some very nice splits.
Campton is employing a similar strategy to the one I mentioned with Kris Lees above in that they might have an edge on a lot of the returning Group 1 horses who are first up.
Deepour is yet to have backed up in his career but the stable insists that he pulled up very well post Saturday and was as keen as ever, if he still feels good come Saturday he will be running undoubtedly.
"He's fourth-up, fit and feeling great so that was the reasoning behind it. Hopefully Big Parade and a couple of them put a bit of pressure on and he can be running on strongly.”, Said Campton who knows that the race requires a bit of speed, which it looks to have, for Deepour to be dragged into the race.
Deepour is currently a $17 chance across the Aussie betting sites on Saturday and is a runner who I have plenty of time for if you have been following my free horse racing tips last week. I will be sure to cover his chances in my Saturday Tips for this weekend.
Emissary’s Spring assault kicks off with Makybe Diva
Emissary is a belter horse for Michael Moroney who was only beaten two lengths in last year’s Melbourne Cup and had an outstanding Spring campagin when he resumed a winner in Listed grade and then took out the G3 Geelong Cup, in dominant fashion, before going to the Melbourne Cup and beating all but Gold Trip to finish second in a very wet edition of The Cup.
Moroney insists that despite all the success Emissary wasn’t at his peak in the Autumn and that the time away can be the key factor that sees him go one better this year.
"We had a little go with him in the autumn but I stopped quite quick because he just wasn't himself," Moroney said.
Sydney was having a particularly wet Autumn, similar to the track conditions in the Melbourne Cup and Moroney quickly sent him away after being unplaced in the Australian Cup.
"Even though I didn't try him over his right trip, I just felt he was a little bit sharper than that."
As Emissary placed second last year he automatically qualifies for a spot in this year’s Melbourne Cup which should likely see him run in the Caulfield Cup which we will thoroughly cover at onlyracing.com.au in a dedicated article.
Moroney took out the 2000 Melbourne Cup with Brew and says that often those who run well in a Melbourne Cup will improve sharply if given another chance.
"He went well and usually those horses that do that keep improving. Hopefully he will."
Emissary will feature in a Flemington Jumpout next Monday (07/08) as the stable awaits turf Jumpouts to resume at the track and from there his Spring Preparation should kick off in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes that will have a dedicated article on onlyracing.com.au as to secure some serious early value across our betting sites.
Emissary is currently a $34 chance to win the Caulfield Cup across the horse racing bookmakers in Australia and $26 chance in the Melbourne Cup.