Friday Racing Tips - Scone Racecourse 12/05/23

It’s Scone Cup Day! and we have an exciting eight race card with over $700,000 prize money on offer throughout the card and the Darley Scone Cup being the feature of the day, a 1600m race for a share of $200,000 prize money. There’s some very nice types going around, the rail is in true position, weather should be fair and I think it should make for an exciting day of racing. Follow me below as I outline my best bets on the card!

(Note: Odds provided by Playup)

Selections:
#5 - Mazita - $4.20
#7 - The Hanger Cat - $6.00
#13 - Two Aye (ROUGHIE OF THE DAY) - $8.00
#9 - Himorher - $6.50

BEST BET - #5 - Mazita
Mazita looks like a horse with a bit of class on these for Chris Reith who should be making big improvements off his debut over this distance at Muswellbrook where he gave them a huge head start and whilst he wasn’t a winning chance there he powered home into third and only needed a bit more ground to pick up the win there. He’s fitter now, gets out onto a bigger track and should be super competitive here.

THE DANGER - #7 - The Hanger Cat
The Hanger Cat is trained here and should look good now going out to the 1300m third up. Last time out he ran over the 1100m at this track where he suffered a tough run, wide with no cover up on the speed and still gave a good kick, looked the winner and just missed to come second to Divine Sinner. He just needs even luck from the gate to be in the finish now.

VALUE BET  - #13 - Two Aye (ROUGHIE OF THE DAY)
Two Aye is another that should have good upside in this field and looks like 1300m will suit. She debuted at Wagga over the short sprint 1000m and she didn’t seem like she was 100% then when running from a wide barrier and still managing to scrape fourth where class got her there. She maps for a very soft run behind what looks a genuine speed now and should be much better with the added few lengths.

Selections:
#10 - Perigean (BEST BET) - $4.00
#1 - Azayaka - $2.20
#4 - Afterlight - $9.00
#2 - Orlabent - $4.50

BEST BET - #10 - Perigean (BEST BET)
Perigean is a very nice two-year-old who is on debut for Mick Freedman and he’s going up against the older horses which often looks a good betting strategy for the maiden races. He looks to have been readied with patience for start one after having a couple trials in the Summer but they weren’t satisfied so he was sent back the paddock and has trialled again. Recently, he was third over the 1045m in a Randwick trial where he just trucked along. He maps well and is, in my opinion, the top chance in this field.

THE DANGER - #1 - Azayaka
Azayaka will look the winner a long way if she can improve her racing manners a bit after debuting at the 1000m at Gosford where she was bobbing up and down, being a bit too keen on the speed throughout the run and still looking the winner but going down to Mount Warning. Tim Clar jumps aboard now and he will be a lot better at getting her to run calmly from the front. Will take beating.

VALUE BET  - #4 - Afterlight
Afterlight has been saved for this race after being scratched from a prospective Wednesday race, the market had her a clear favourite at Gosford a couple weeks back over the 1100m but she was wide with no cover all run there and just couldn’t get into the run, finishing at the back of the field. She’ll be much better suited with a run up on the speed from the soft draw and can play a key role.

Selections:
#3 - Banju (NEXT BEST) - $4.00
#9 - Wild Planet - $7.00
#2 - Berdibek - $14.00
#6 - Jojo Was A Man - $4.80

BEST BET - #3 - Banju (NEXT BEST) 

Banju is coming off of a win at Tamworth when resuming there over the 1400m where she sat on the rail behind the speed before angling clear for her run at the 400m and whilst she looked like she was there to be beaten towards the end but kept finding the line to score smartly there. Before this return he had a cracking prep in town, picking up multiple wins at Randwick and a close placing at Rosehill. Natural improvement second up and Bullock on should see him be very strong here.

THE DANGER - #9 - Wild Planet
Wild Planet is a Hawkes trained runner who resumed a couple of weeks back in the G3 Hall Mark Stakes at Randwick and whilst he wasn’t a winning threat he did show signs that he has returned to racing in good order for the Hawkes Camp. Not sure how he goes at the mile but meets much softer competition here, should improve second up and gets the gate to do no work.

VALUE BET - #2 - Berdibek
John O’Shea is absolutely flying this season and is very astute with placing his runners. He puts forward Berdibek for this race who resumed in the Hawkesbury Cup and whilst he was never a threat himself, he closed off the race very strongly behind a smart New Mandate. His second up record is good, has some class about him and the upside will see him be strong late. 

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 Scone 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!

R2 - #4 - Good And Proper - PLC $2.20
R3 - #4 - She Dances - PLC $1.45
R5 - #9 - Running By - PLC $1.20

Total Odds = $3.82
$50 Stake = $191.40 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.

Scone Racecourse Trifecta Tip (R3)

1st: 4, 5
2nd: 3, 4, 5, 6
3rd: 3, 5, 6
$50 stake = 500% 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!