Wednesday Racing Tips - Sandown Hillside Racecourse 17/01/24

Racing comes back to Sandown Hillside this Wednesday for a solid seven race meeting with almost half a million dollars prize money available across the card and I am very keen to get stuck into this card and have picked out my best betting spots and run through them below. There looks to be some very smart horses on the card tomorrow so follow me below!

(Note: Odds provided by Playup)

Selections:
#1 - Surprise Valley (NEXT BEST) - $3.10
#2 - Donegal - $3.15
#4 - Single 'N' Ready - $5.00
#5 - Steely Hustler - $6.00

BEST BET - #1 - Surprise Valley (NEXT BEST) 
Suprise Valley has had a lethal start to his career for the Waterhouse / Bott stable and I think he won’t be slowing down here. He has had just the two career starts and both of them have been somewhat dominant wins with the latest seeing him come off a 31 week break from racing and and grab the lead and never be in danger to win well. He rates highly here with fitness and natural improvement.

THE DANGER - #2 - Donegal
Donegal has only had the one career start for the Hayes boys but I think he shapes up well off the back of it. He debuted mid last year at Mornington where he came from behind the speed to find a gap in the middle of the field and power away from them in a very sharp effort. The way the stable goes I think they will have him ready to go for his return to racing.

VALUE BET  - #5 - Steely Hustler
Steely Hustler has only had the two career starts for the Edwards camp but both of them have been meritful runs after running a sharp runner up placing in the Heavy on debut he stepped out at Geelong again in the mud and saluted dominantly there. He’s one of the few with the fitness edge coming into this just under three weeks between runs and he shapes up well here.  

Selections:
#1 - Amigo (BEST BET) - $2.40
#7 - Pia Mia - $4.80
#2 - Halvar - $7.00
#5 - Ode To Joy - $7.50

BEST BET - #1 - Amigo (BEST BET) 
Amigo shed the maiden tag for Peter Moody and Cathy Koleman last time out at start number five and I think now that he has done so he can certainly go on with it. He resumed from a 20 week spell at Mornington when driving along the rails to lead and never giving anything a chance to get into the race when winning sharply. He will only be better here with added fitness and natural improvement.

THE DANGER - #7 - Pia Mia
Pia Mia has only had the three career starts for Maher and Eustace but shed the maiden tag at her most recent one and shouldn’t be slowing down now. That run came when three weeks between runs at Stony Creek at the end of last year where she sped out from a middle barrier to lead the field and coasted through the run to win very softly. She should continue to improve at just start number four here and only runs well for me.

VALUE BET  - #2 - Halvar
Another last start winner who I think is as good as any here is Halvar for the Griffiths and De Kock camp. He stepped out just over a week ago at Warrnambool for his third career start when setting second in the run before driving to the front at the top of the straight, drawing clear of the field and never being in doubt from there, when very strong through the line. It will be interesting to see how he goes back atop the ground but any give in the track will only aid his cause.

Selections:
#6 - Magarten - $4.80
#3 - Another Wil - $2.10
#5 - Great Gust (ROUGHIE OF THE DAY) - $7.50
#4 - Bold Manner - $8.00

BEST BET - #6 - Magarten
I think Magarten put the writing on the wall last time out and can go one better now. She resumed from a 29 week spell two weeks ago at Seymour when setting at the rear of the field and steadily improving throughout the run before joining the lead out wide and running so well in defeat to just have one smart horse find her late. I think her time comes now.

THE DANGER - #3 - Another Wil 
Market is backing Another Wil with a tonne of confidence here and I can somewhat understand it given she’s had the three career starts and hasn’t run poorly in any of them. Her last run came back in August at The Valley as favourite when jumping awkwardly and being posted wide, which is always tough to overcome at that track, but she did run on very well into third place and comes back here now with Kah aboard, good draw and not the sharpest of fields.

VALUE BET - #5 - Great Gust (ROUGHIE OF THE DAY)
Great Gust hasn’t put in a bad run in two starts back from a 24 week spell this prep for the Eurell camp and I don’t see him slowing down now. He resumed from the spell with a sharp win at Cranbourne over the 1200m before stepping out at Cranbourne over the 1400m and running very well again to only go down late into second behind a smart horse. Rates highly here hard fit third up.

Plan on betting on the races this Wednesday? 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 Sandown Hillside 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!

Sandown Hillside R3 - #1 - Amigo - PLC $1.28
Sandown Hillside R2 - #1 - Surprise Valley - PLC $1.65
Sandown Hillside R5 - #5 - Great Gust - PLC $2.15

Total Odds = $4.50
$50 Stake = $225.00Return!

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.

Sandown Hillside Racecourse Trifecta Tip (R3)

1st: 1, 2, 5, 7
2nd: 1, 2, 5, 7
3rd: 1, 2, 5, 7

$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!