Friday Racing Tips - Muswellbrook Racecourse 31/03/23

Friday racing returns to Muswellbrook for an eight race card consisting of races over sprint distance to the mid distance races later in the card. The track has been downgraded to a heavy 8 which means we can definitely find a bit of value with some genuine Wet trackers and there is a total of $450,000 of prize available on the card. The feature of the day is the Two Rivers Wines M'brook Cup in race seven for a share of $150,000 prixe money. It should make for an exciting day.

(Note: Odds provided by Playup)

Selections:
#3 - Empress Zou (NEXT BEST) - $2.70
#5 - What A Peach - $4.80
#9 - Mr Eighty Eight - $11.00 
#4 - Remorseless - $9.00

BEST BET - #3 - Empress Zou (NEXT BEST)
All you can do is win and that is what Empress Zou has been doing, she’s scored in her last two since resuming from a long break from the races and she scored in style first up at Taree over the 1200m on a soft track when shifting out from back on the rails and motoring over them. Then went onto a 1315m Coffs Harbour race where she duly saluted again. meets tougher competition now but she’s up to the task.

THE DANGER - #5 - What A Peach
What A Peach looks like she will get a very honest crack at these third up after racing well in his past two and last time out was fourth of eleven at Taree when he set seventh on the rails before shifting out on the turn and showing a great kick. He should settle closer here, will be hard fit now and can run over these.

VALUE BET  - #9 - Mr Eighty Eight
Mr Eighty eight gets Grant Buckley aboard and he comes off a very good fourth placing at Coffs harbour where he set two wide and hit the lead at the top of the straight but tired late and was stormed over by a few. I think Buckley has him sit a lot better and conserve his energy for a big finish. Dangerous.

Selections:
#6 - Thorpe (NEXT BEST) - $3.50
#1 - River Rocket - $5.00
#5 - Fairey Barracuda (ROUGHIE OF THE DAY) - $12.00
#3 - Exonumia - $4.50

BEST BET - #6 - Thorpe - (NEXT BEST)
They don’t debut much better than Thorpe who’s racing for the flying Annabel Neasham Stable and honestly wow he looks a nice type. He’s a big horse who got no favours on debut, sitting two wide behind the leaders before shifting out four wide and dominating them in an overall tricky run. Rachel King jumps on now, should be fitter second up, has trialled nicely for this and overall just think she’s a great bet. 

THE DANGER - #1 - River Rocket
River Rocket is another who is doing not much wrong at all after being sold by Les Ross a couple months ago she’s come back to the races to score well at Orange first up before coming to the Coonamble track a few weeks ago when she trailed the speed and chased hard from the corner but just found one better in a very progressive horse. She has to lump a bit of weight on her back again tomorrow but I think her fitness will see her through and she should be fighting out the finish.

VALUE BET  - #5 - Fairey Barracuda (ROUGHIE OF THE DAY)
Fairey Barracuda is a Kris Lees trained six-year-old who has to be respected coming from the prominent stable and Dylan Gibbons gets the booking for an ever familiar winning combination and he wasn’t disgraced when returning from a long spell at this track a couple weeks ago and whilst he was never a winning chance he passed a few late when knuckling down. Think he will only improve off that.

Selections:
#4 - Damaged (BEST BET) - $3.90
#8 - Ceasefire - $4.00
#13 - Border Control - $5.50
#12 - Abuela - $8.00

BEST BET - #4 - Damaged (BEST BET) 
Damaged rates a fair bit on top of this field and I think that is fair given he’s coming back to race against much softer company now at Country level after his first two runs this prep at Warwick Farm where he has been right up there placing fourth in both. Should be hard fit, draws well, good jockey on and I think they take this out.

THE DANGER - #8 - Ceasefire 
Ceasefire resumed to the races almost as good as one can ask for at the end of February on a soft Gosford track over the 1200m and he was held up early there, bumped a runner in the 200m and just didn’t get phased, motoring home late and getting badly checked again. They were unsuccessful on the protest there but there’s no less merit to that run and he is a top chance fitter now second up.

THE DANGER - #13 - Border Control 
Border Control kicked off his career very well in this grade, scoring back to back wins at Gosford and Neecastle on soft tracks before going to Metro grade racing at Kensington, Warwick Farm and then most recently Rosehill where he seems to have found form again, placing third there, chasing hard and just being unable to close the gap there. He is a top chance in this field, just draws a bit awkwardly.

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.

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Aaron Bullock is a very consistent jockey who is always around the mark but has been having a cracker season so far. He’s got a monstrous 22% strike rate at the moment and gets a top selection of rides for tomorrow’s racing at Muswellbrook, I have outlined them below:

R1 - #3 - Empress Zou - $2.70
R2 - #2 - Florino - $1.85
R3 - #4 - Devil’s Inn - $5.00
R4 - #6 - Smart Shot - $8.00
R5 - #4 - Damaged - $3.90
R6 - #5 - Tucson Valley - $3.50
R7 - #1 - Gem Song - $8.00

I have come up with a specific strategy for betting on the race day at Muswellbrook, as curating a successful multi bet can be a challenge at this track. My strategy involves focusing on horses that are positioned near the lead in the sprints/mid-distance races, as the track is tight turning and these runners get “shot” out on the turn. Join in on the fun and make sure to follow me below for a bet to track over the course of the day!

R1 - #3 - Empress Zou - PLC $1.35
R3 - #5 - Fairey Barracuda - PLC $3.30
R5 - #4 - Damaged - PLC $1.70

Total Odds = $7.57
$50 Stake = $378.67 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.

Muswellbrook Racecourse Trifecta Tip (R1)
1st: 3
2nd: 4, 5, 9
3rd: 4, 5, 9

$50 stake = 833% flexi

Promotions are traditionally the primary way for punters to create an edge over the bookies, as they can save your cash when your runner fails to win, in the instance of Unibet they often offer 2nd and 3rd money back in bonus bets for a selection of races on the midweek and Provincial racing days. Coupled with their generous odds I have to put them as the top bookie promotion wise at the moment for Australian racing. 

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!