Friday Racing Tips - Cranbourne Racecourse 05/01/24

Friday nights under the lights at Cranbourne are back for the first meeting of the year and we have an eight race card with $320k prize money on offer and I have run through the card and picked out my best betting spots and outlined them below. Follow me below for a solid night of Victorian racing!

(Note: Odds provided by Playup)

Selections:
#1 - Slane (BEST BET) - $2.20
#6 - Fine Rebel - $3.80
#2 - Impending Link - $7.50
#5 - Disturbia - $11.00

BEST BET - #1 - Slane (BEST BET)
I must have missed the return to racing of Slane for the Jusovic camp and I was starting to wonder what had happened to the horse but after going back to watch the run it is evident he has returned quite well for the camp. He resumed untrialled over 1400m here where he just peaked a bit too early in the run and was overrun by the exacta into third. He should improve sharply second up now.

THE DANGER - #6 - Fine Rebel
Fine Rebel seems to be approaching peak fitness and I think he does take a few to get going but after last start where he was third up but really second up as he had a little break between runs when stepping out at Seymour over this trip he ran very sharply when running on from midfield to only be gunned down in the final strides of the race when second, can hit back hard here and is due a win this prep.

VALUE BET  - #5 - Disturbia
Disturbia is taking a big step up in competition here but has to be given some sort of chance after winning two in a row coming into this. He won very sharply at Wodonga two runs back before stepping out to this trip three weeks between runs at Colac and leading along the rail before jetting clear of them at the top of the straight. Hard fit, flying, deserves a crack here at least.

Selections:
#4 - Miss Icelandic - $3.00
#2 - I Am Caviar - $6.00
#7 - I Miss Margie - $6.00
#5 - Hybrid Moments (ROUGHIE OF THE DAY) - $11.00

BEST BET - #4 - Miss Icelandic
There are a host of chances in this race but I think that Miss Icelandic rates very highly for MIck Laurie coming a fair bit back in depth here. He placed in all three of his runs to kick this campaign off before last stepping out at Flemington over this trip and just not living up to expectations as favourite when finishing just behind the placegetters. He can hit back hard here, dropping far back in grade now and hard fit.

THE DANGER - #2 - I Am Caviar
I Am Caviar is the horse with all the hype for Peter Moody as a child of Black Caviar and has already won the two starts from six and now resumes from a 29 week spell ready to start what promises to be a big season for him as a 4YO. He has run a close runner up placing when last fresh and I suspect the stable will only have him going better now.

VALUE BET  - #5 - Hybrid Moments (ROUGHIE OF THE DAY)
Hybrid Moments has had just the career debut but all you can do is win and that is exactly what he has done in his lone career start. He debuted at Swan Hill at the end of November over the 1000m when being held up at the top of the straight and refusing to go down, getting clear air late and letting down powerfully to claim the race very well where he should have won by a lot more than he did. There’s been two winners out of that race already, he looks very progressive and can win again now.

Selections:
#1 - Estrapaz (NEXT BEST) - $2.80
#2 - Bombastic Boy - $3.40
#4 - Rylov - $9.50
#11 - Cadenabbia - $6.00

BEST BET - #1 - Estrapaz (NEXT BEST)
Estrapaz has to carry top weight here but gets a very key 3kg claim from the apprentice aboard and if he still has steam in the tank he is going to be very tough to beat here. He has had three runs back from a spell and after a close placing when resuming he has since recorded tough back to back wins and comes here hard fit, in form and flying.

THE DANGER - #2 - Bombastic Boy
Bombastic Boy is at just about his peak now and drops back in grade here after running at Mornington last time out over the 1200m where he was held up for a run until too late in the piece to be a winning threat but still came on very strongly when getting clear air late. He meets a softer field here, loves racing here with two wins in three runs and I think he goes very close here.

VALUE BET - #11 - Cadenabbia 
I think that Cadenabbia is a very solid horse and that he is going quite well this time in with two runs back from a 25 week spell. He resumed at Bendigo in quite a strong field and was able to get the upper hand late in a driving finish before last stepping out at Caulfield and powering home again after being not the best away and having to recover in the run. Hard fit now, sneakily flying and can take this out without surprising.

Plan on betting on the races this Friday? Betting online is surprisingly simple these days, and our Best Bookmakers area is the simplest way to discover the best online betting sites to follow our expert’s tips.

Playup is my top selection for Racing this week as they are providing some of the best overall fixed odds amongst the Australian bookies at the moment for racing. They are also very generous, often offering a number of racing promotions such as money back in bonus bets for 2nd and 3rd for a selected runner in a race of your choosing. They cover all Australian thoroughbred racing and are quite comprehensive in their international racing markets.

Join us on Saturday, Wednesday and Friday Racing tips, with articles throughout the week for the greatest free horse racing tips provided by our experts. Each week, our team’s racing tips highlight the most noteworthy race days and tracks, as well as expert analysis and best bets for selected races.

Additionally, we notify you of any significant scratchings affecting the races as well as any details about the track, notable jockeys to follow, or other factors that we feel are good to know. We will also cover any bonus bet or other promotions that are running that day and even have recommendations for other bets like multi tips, and our daily quaddie.
 
For a more in-depth explanation of horse racing bet types and tips for placing, visit our tips and information page.

Jye McNeil is an accomplished jockey, having won several black type races, including the prestigious 2020 Melbourne Cup aboard Twilight Payment. He has also received the Victoria Racing Club's Champion Jockey Award in two consecutive seasons (2019/20 and 2020/21), underscoring his reputation as one of Victoria's finest jockeys. He is known to perform exceptionally well on major race days, and he has secured a significant number of rides for this weekend's racing at Cranbourne Park Lakeside, I have outlined them all below:

R1 - #2 - El Patroness - $2.45
R3 - #6 - Manhattan Thunder - $12.00
R5 - #4 - Toronto Terrier - $6.10
R6 - #3 - Stormbolt - $4.80
R7 - #5 - Arizona Activist - $18.00
R8 - #3 - So Si Bon - $4.65
R9 - #13 - Tonneofgrit - $18.00

One of the most significant considerations in picking up multiple winners is the track bias, which favors horses that don’t get too far back in the run at Flemington Racecourse. As a result, horses drawn on the inside have a better chance of performing well compared to those drawn towards the outside. I have factored in this aspect when making my multi bets, taking into account the horses' respective preps and their drawn barrier positions. Follow below for a multi to track over race day!

Cranbourne R2 - #1 - Slane - PLC $1.35
Cranbourne R7 - #1 - Estrapaz - PLC $1.35
Cranbourne R6 - #5 - Hybrid Moments - PLC $3.40

Total Odds = $6.00
$50 Stake = $300.00 Return!

Odds provided by PlayUp, sign up for a new account here to get started.

Our experts have curated a bet type information page which delves into all the different types of exotics betting, check it out for clarification on the different types of exotics betting or just to brush up on your knowledge.

Cranbourne Racecourse Trifecta Tip (R2)

1st: 1, 2, 5, 6
2nd: 1, 2, 5, 6
3rd: 1, 2, 5, 6

$50 stake = 208% flexi

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If you are looking for the best promotions this week for Wednesday's racing I wouldn’t look past Unibet, often they offer odds boosts in addition to the money back promotions. Don’t forget to check your account as well for personal offers. 

Promotions often change so make sure you sign up at unibet.com.au to see what promotions are applicable to you and you may even be surprised to find some promotions that weren’t mentioned here!