A big Easter Saturday of harness racing is upon us and the BetDeluxe team has found the best bets for a cracking weekend of pacing and trotting.
The best bet of the night comes up early on the Melton program.
Enjoy, punters and have a happy Easter holiday!
Melton Race 1
#5 lets make tracks
Lets Make Tracks is racing in career best form at the moment and his last two starts have been enormous.
Last week he ran in a 2150-metre affair at Bendigo and was given a horrid time of it after being caught deep early in the race, then pulling his head off, asked to eased back behind the speed and then tried to make another run late in the race.
He did a fantastic job to hold on for third, albeit beaten by 25 metres, but if we look back to this start prior to that, he won a very similar race to what he faces here and did so with arrogance.
A repeat of his effort two starts will see him winning this.
Best of the night at Melton.
Suggested Bet: Lets Make Tracks win at $2.4
Suggested Exotic: Exacta – 5 & 4
Melton Race 2
#1 La Captain
La Captain will be breathing down the neck of the favourite Narutac Prince in this race and might be able to get the better of him late.
Narutac Prince has been dominant winning three races in a row since resuming, but as can be the case with a lot of these three-year-old finals, there may be a lot of pressure early in the race which can bring leaders and inexperienced horses undone.
La Captain seems to thrive off high pressure races as he did when resuming last start when swooping home to win by just under two metres over 1710 metres at Ballarat.
He looks much better value than the favourite and we will be in his corner come the jump.
Suggested Bet: La Captain win at $4.4
Suggested Exotic: Trifecta – 1/ 2/ Field
Melton race 5
#1 hes under wraps
Going to give Hes Under Wraps another chance here.
He was well held by TanGoingWithSierra over the 1720 metres at Melton last start but gets his chance to atone for that defeat in this race.
It was a solid enough effort that night but now he gets the ideal situation of drawing the marker pegs, stepping up in distance and getting what should be an easy lead.
Hoping Kate Gath can pinch a few easy quarters in this race and have a nice margin at the top of the straight on the favourite Honolua Bay who has drawn awkwardly in gate 10.
Happy to be with him at double the price of the favourite.
Suggested Bet: Hes Under Wraps win at $3.7
Suggested exotic: Trifecta 1/ 10/ 6, 7, 8
Melton Race 8
#9 Delightful Jazz
Taking on TanGoingWithSierra again…
We did so to no avail last week, but think this might be the night she looks vulnerable.
She steps up in grade here and given the likely hot early speed, it might just bust her open second-up off a fairly long spell.
The one to be with here is Delightful Jazz who is fit, firing and running up to her best.
She ran in the Group 3 Jodie’s Babe last start and was not disgrace at all to finish 11 metres of eventual winner Techys Angel.
Love the fact that she is drawn right next door to the favourite who she can tag the back of and get a lovely run into the race.
Suggested Bet: Delightful Jazz win at $5.5
Melton race 10
#4 Monaro Maro
Going against another favourite here and siding with Monaro Maro.
Tornado Valley is a champion of a trotter but has had a month off the racing scene, whereas Monaro Maro is racing with verve and comes into this one off the six-day back up.
Monaro Maro produced two herculean efforts last weekend when racing on consecutive days.
After finishing third in the Carlotta’s Pride Group 3 at Melton over 1720 metres, she backed up a day later in the Horsham Cup over 2700 metres and won by three metres after having to contend with a 20-metre handicap standing start.
The drop back to 1720 metres at Melton will prove no issues for her here.
Driver John Caldow can either lead or sit outside the lead, pour the pressure on the favourite.
Hopefully it’s a nice way to lead into Easter Sunday!
Suggested Bet: Monaro Maro win at $4
