The BetDeluxe racing team takes the scenic route across Australia to find the best best around all the main metropolitan meetings this Saturday.
Eagle Farm, Flemington, Randwick and Morphettville have all been targeted for the best bets.
Flemington race 6
#2 Lighthouse
Have to really like what Lighthouse has done since coming to Australia under the care of Ciaron Maher & Dave Eustace.
The five-year-old mare has not put a foot wrong yet and has managed to notch up two wins from her first two runs down under.
She looks the type of horse who will continue to progress through her grades with great aplomb given she in such an astute stable.
She deserves her run in town and Matthew Cartwright will give her every possible chance in the lead from a soft barrier.
Suggested Bet: Lighthouse win at $2.5
Flemington race 8
#14 Irish Butterfly
Irish Butterfly will appreciate the rise in distance to 1800 metres after an eye-catching run upon resuming at Ballarat.
The Henry Dwyer-trained six-year-old gelding had to take his medicine and regress back to near last from the wide barrier over the mile but did a superb job to scorch home down the outside to run second albeit beaten by nearly four lengths.
That run is going to top him off perfectly for this trip to Flemington and barrier one presents apprentice jockey Josh Ricahrds with the chance to land in a positive spot.
Hoping he can settle this gelding leaders or three-back the fence and then produce the run when the gaps open up in the straight.
Looks a great each-way bet at the current double-figure odds.
Suggested Bet: Irish Butterfly each-way at $12 the win and $3.8 the place.
Suggested Exotic: Boxed First Four – 1, 3, 6, 11, 14
Eagle Farm race 7
#3 shooting for gold
Heavily invested into Shooting For Gold.
The Steven O’Dea & Michael Hoysted-trained sprinter resumed on November 20 to run third behind the very speed Zoustyle at Sunshine Coast over 1000 metres.
He was wide and back that day, but surged to the line nicely after being specked in the betting.
The market suggested he had returned well from his spell and he now has the fitness base to run somewhere near his peak rating, which would be good enough to win this.
Really like what the stable has done with the trial in between runs to keep him ticking over as well.
He is fit and ready to fire.
Suggested Bet: Shooting For Gold win at $3.10
Suggested Exotic: Quinella 3 & 5
Eagle Farm Race 3
#1 Palazzo Spirit
Another sprinter from the Steven O’Dea & Matthew Hoystead yard who looks primed to make a winning run.
The two-year-old colt was as professional as they come when winning on debut back on October 9.
He bounced to the front of the race with consummate ease, stacked the field up under a vice-like hold and then booted clear to hold on by a neck on the line from the fast-finishing Golden Artie.
His dam was a city winner in the form of Palazzo Publicco and his sire is the gun sprinter Spirit of Boom, so he is bred impeccably for a sprinting-type of horse.
Was given a nice hit out at Doomben over 840 metres to prepare him for this run and he looks a clear standout.
Suggested Bet: Palazzo Spirit win at $2.6
Morphettville race 2
#6 African Awesome
African Awesome has been building towards peak fitness and now looks set to run to his best third-up at the mile.
He drew very wide at Balaklava last start and had to do a fair bit of work to get up on the pace and settle where did.
The run would have no doubt given his fitness a big boost in order to run well in town.
Big jockey change as well with Jason ‘Stubby’ Holder hopping aboard to take the reigns.
We need him to run second in order to collect on the place, but he is worth the punt at the price.
Suggested Bet: African Awesome each-way at $8 the win and $3.3 the place.
randwick race 7
#10 Snapdancer
Snapdancer resumes after almost a year away from the races.
The five-year-old mare has been given three solid trials in order to get his fitness up to the mark for this 1200-metre event.
She is clearly a horse who does her best racing when fresh and a repeat of what she did first-up last preparation would see her hard to hold out in this race.
She gets in on the minimum with 53kgs, draws a very soft barrier and gets the services of gun senior hoop Kerrin McEvoy.
Looks like a recipe for a winning run.
Suggested Bet: Snapdancer win at $4.4
