The major focus on any Saturday is metropolitan racing but there's plenty of us out there that don't mind a dabble at the support meetings across the country so here's our best bets.
On Saturday, we’ve come up with a tip at the Kembla, Wagga, Mornington and Gold Coast meetings.
MORNINGTON
JE SUIS TYCOON (Race 3 No. 2) Mornington is classified as a metropolitan meeting on Saturday but seeing most of the races are only worth $40,000 and at Kembla they’re racing for $30,000, we’re throwing a tip into Country Crackers. Je Suis Tycoon showed good ability in her first preparation. She charged home on debut at Bendigo to only just miss, she then came to town and didn’t have a lot of luck in the straight when not beaten far and there’s been a stack of winners to have come out of both races. They then dropped a grade at the Warrnambool carnival where she bolted in before going for a spell. She’s had two jump outs to be ready to go first-up and she showed a nice turn of foot when they let her slide in the last 100 metres at Caulfield on September 19. From the inside gate she should be able to stay in touch, if she sees daylight at the right time she can run straight over the top of them.
KEMBLA
LORD KINGSLEY (Race 7 No. 3) Grand Finalist is the odds-on favourite but we’re not convinced he’s a worthy $1.85 chance. He beat Spencer on debut and that horse has been disappointing since. They are running Spencer in the Dulcify on Saturday but we don’t believe he’s close to being up to that. Lord Kingsley on the other hand is a proven midweek city class galloper and when resuming last preparation, he closed off hard when not having much luck to finish fourth on Newcastle Newmarket day in a strong race behind The Pinnacle. He has always performed well fresh, his latest trial was good and he’s a get back run on type so Kembla and a small field suits. He’s can blouse the favourite.
WAGGA
PITTSBURGH (Race 1 No. 3) Bit of guess work here but there are enough factors to give us the confidence this horse will run well on Saturday. Pittsburgh has been off the scene for more than 400 days which would indicate the possibility of an injury-enforced layoff and in that time he’s moved house and been gelded. His new trainer Dan McCarthy from Wangaratta has an imposing strike rate over the past 12 months with 14 of his 53 runners winning, so he knows what he’s doing. Now let’s have a look at Pittsburgh. He’s a big strong son of Fastnet Rock that showed enough as a young horse to be beaten a head by Faraway Town at his second start then he got within 3-1/2 lengths of Astern in the Silver Slipper. You may say that was two years ago and we concede that’s right but if you’ve seen him in the flesh he doesn’t look like your normal speedy squib so we’re suggesting something was holding him back and now he’s turned up at Wagga in a maiden. He could beat these by a furlong and if they put up black odds we’ll be aboard.
GOLD COAST
DAZZLING RED (Race 1 No. 4) Two old rivals combine for the first time and we think they can get us off on the right foot at the Gold Coast on Saturday. Chris Munce and Darryl ‘Digger’ McLellan had many battles in the saddle in Sydney earlier this century but now Munce has successfully turned his hand to training while McLellan is back riding after a long hiatus. Dazzling Red looks perfectly placed to start his campaign on a winning note on Saturday. He did enough in three 1200m runs last prep but this time he kicks off in a 900m blink and miss it affair and has drawn perfectly in barrier 4. His trial was good and he’s been gelded since he last raced. If he can’t win this he’s in trouble but we expect him to get the job done.
