Selections:
#6 - Northern Pride (NEXT BEST) - $3.60
#4 - Soarhi - $5.50
#2 - Buon Acquisto - $10.00
#10 - December Diamond - $9.50
BEST BET - #6 - Northern Pride (NEXT BEST)
Northern Pride is the front runner here for the Gollan stable and I think he looks well placed at a decent price to win again this campaign here. He’s had a few runs this time in but really clicked up in his last outing here where he jumped a short favourite and duly saluted. He didn’t beat much that day but the way he did it was very impressive and reads well for the additional 200m that he gets here. He clocked the best closing splits of the meeting that day and will be running on strongly again now.
THE DANGER - #4 - Soarhi
Soarhi seems to have found a new lease on life since coming to John Smerdon from the Hawkes stable and really has gotten going in his last few. His last outing saw him step out at Grafton over this trip as a $3.00 favourite where he got a good trail two wide before shifting out wider and powering home for a good win there. He looks very well placed now, hard fit and ready to win again.
VALUE BET - #2 - Buon Acquisto
Buon Acquisto hasn’t shown an awful lot at the trials leading up to his return but he does look very well placed here for Annabel Neasham and it isn’t totally out of the realm of possibility for Neasham to quietly trial a runner and then have them come out the gates firing. He’s had two trials to lead him back into racing and has run well first up in the past, Thornton booked for the ride, surely goes well here.