The Wizard of Odds has focused his attention to the Easter Cup meeting at Caulfield this Saturday with his best bet coming up early in the program.
And it’s over to Oakbank in South Australia for jumps racing and flat racing as well as a Robert Heathcote special from Eagle Farm!
Caulfield Race 2 - Bill Collins Handicap
#4 Agreeable
What a slashing first-up run by this three-year-old filly at Sandown Lakeside last start.
After drawing barrier 12 of 13 upon resumption at the midweek races over 1300 metres, Jamie Kah settled this Anthony & Sam Freedman-trained galloper in the rear half of the field to be saved for one run.
She hooked out to be the widest runner upon corner into the straight, had the back of the eventual winner Palace Whisper but was just unable to run past in the concluding stages.
The winner of the race had a fitness advantage over her so the run was enormous considering how far back she was and given she will still have a heap of improvement to come.
She draws barrier six on Saturday and with Kah staying aboard, the pair will be able to settle much closer to the lead pace.
Expecting her to make it a winning start for the day.
Suggested Bet: Agreeable win at $2.9
Caulfield Race 7 - Easter Cup
#13 Good Idea
Good Idea won his grand final race by taking out the Group 2 Adelaide Cup in impression fashion last start.
He settled in a beautiful spot just behind the leaders and when asked for effort he exploded away to win by three-and-a-half lengths.
The drop back in distance does not look like a problem in this race given his style of racing pattern. He will jump quickly and settle in the first four, if not, lead the field up.
Hoping Michael Poy is smart to take up the initiative and turn it into a true staying test with a fitness advantage on his side.
Horses like Persan, Le Don De Vie and Vow and Declare lack the base of fitness possessed by Good Idea.
Platoon is also a danger but he has to navigate a very awkward barrier.
Good Idea looks a really nice each-way bet from a soft barrier.
Suggested Bet: Good Idea each-way at $17 the win and $4.8 the place.
Suggested Exotic: First Four – 1, 7, 13/ 1, 2, 5, 7, 13/ 1, 2, 5, 7, 13
Oakbank Race 7 - Adelaide Hills railway stakes
#14 Streetcar Stranger
Streetcar Stranger clearly looks set for this race after a pass mark run first-up from a spell at Morphettville last start.
He had to carry 60.5kgs in his resuming run after jumping evenly and settling in the rear half of the field in a solidly run 1000 metre dash.
Gets a big weight relief here and drops down to the minimum in this race with 54kgs and draws barrier one.
He will do no work from the barrier and if jockey Karl Zechnar can manufacture a run from the rails then he will be in the finish here.
The Darren Jolly-trained four-year-old gelding also boasts an impressive second-up record with a win and a second.
Suggested Bet: Streetcar Stranger each-way at $11 the win and $3.4 the place
Oakbank Race 3 - QUBE Logistics young hurdle
#2 Instigator
It would not be an Oakbank race meeting without a tip in the hurdle race.
Instigator looks the way to go in race three after two solid enough runs at Warrnambool on the flat.
His last three jumping starts have registered two runner-up finishes with the most recent run over the hurdles being a 16-length space job of his rivals at Ballarat in August 2020.
Trainer Aaron Purcell is not only an astute flats trainer but he can saddle up a smart jumper and this looks to be not exception.
Think he starts the clear favourite in this one over this stablemate Double Bluff.
Suggested Bet: Instigator win at $2.8
Eagle Farm Race 4 - STradbroke season on sale
#7 east asia
Robert Heathcote’s newly acquired four-year-old mare looks ready to at her first start for her new stable.
After being transferred from Patrick Webster to Heathcote, East Asia pops up in this 1200-metre event with winning credentials.
Her Sydney seems to stack up quite well for a race of this calibre having already run and won at BM-72 level.
Young gun jockey Luke Dittman takes the ride and should have a fairly easy time of it from barrier four.
Heathcote seems to have this girl breaking the barriers much better than what she was down south of the border and it will go a long way to her winning more races.
Best of the day at Eagle Farm.
Suggested Bet: East Asia win at $3.5
Suggested Exotic: Trifecta – 7/ 2, 3/ 2, 3
