Sandown Park is the place to be on Thursday night with the $250,000 Sandown Cup to be run and won.
The best bets for the feature event and the rest of the card have been selected.
Sandown Park Race 2
#1 Eat my dust
Hoping Eat My Dust leaves up to his namesake.
He is yet to win a race in his career thus far but gets the perfect chance to do so here.
After starting a $2.90 favourite last start, he struck some bad luck during the run and was never really able to get a clean crack at it.
The winner of that race now comes up the $2.5 favourite in this event which seems under the odds.
John Barbara still has a lot to teach this dog but we are happy to take the risk and see if he can produce a winning run at his third start.
Suggested Bet: Eat My Dust win at $4.2
Suggested Exotic: Quinella – 1 & 7
Sandown Park race 4
#8 Hugo
Hugo strode up to the 515-metre distance range for the first time in a while and acquitted himself quite well despite being a beaten odds-on favourite.
He was sent out a $1.50 elect at Sandown on Sunday and was only just rundown late in the race after leading throughout.
That run will have him at peak fitness for a tough 515-metre Sandown event
If he utilises the early dash he showed last start to cross and lead the favourite drawn in box one, then he is going to be super hard to beat.
Suggested Bet: Hugo win $5
Suggested Exotic: Trifecta – 1, 8/ 1, 8/ 3, 4
Sandown Park Race 6
#3 Do it
Slightly perplexed as to how Do It does not come up the outright favourite in this race.
His win at Sandown over 515 metres last week was a blistering 29.15 which would belt this lot.
He absolutely smashed the clock with that victory and in the process notched up a personal best time.
Even with this race being his 30th start, he seems to be gradually improving the more he races.
A repeat of his last start effort should see him odds-on here.
Suggested Bet: Do It win at $2.7
Suggested Exotic: Trifecta 3/ 4/ 1
Sandown Park Race 7
#3 Hank the hustler
Hank the Hustler is a gun staying dog who is placed to perfection in this race.
He draws box three which should allow to get up on the pace and hug the rail nice and early in the race.
His run behind the freak chaser that is Stanley Road was full of merit and he started the shortest of the dogs who come from that race into this event.
If he can replicate somewhere akin to the slashing 41.80 he ran here two starts ago or even the 41.96 he ran last start, then he will be winning this easily.
Suggested Bet: Hank the Hustler win at $3
Sandown Race 8 - Sandown Cup final
#1 Zac Monelli
Being just half a step slow from the boxes is what cost Zac Monelli victory last start but we will back Lyn Smith in to get him right this time around.
He chased his heart out behind Tyler Durden last start who simply did not give in from the challenges Zac Monelli imposed.
That high-pressure 715-metre effort should bring the favourite on from a fitness point of view and Smith can iron out that little concern from the boxes then he is the the one to be with.
Think he may have been tapered off a little bit at his kennel in preparation for this so expect a big improvement heading into what is obviosuly his grand final.
Suggested Bet: Zac Monelli win at $2.3
