Caulfield Racing Tips for Saturday, April 15th

Racing from Caulfield this weekend features the Group 3 Easter Cup and Group 3 Victoria Handicap on a huge 10-race card. The track is currently rated a Good 4 with the rail out 4m. 

We have betting tips and comments on every race below!

CAULFIELD RACING TIPS

Race 1

Tricky race to start the day with a number of chances in an even field. MA JONES won the Tatura Cup impressively last start which followed a couple of complete forgive runs. Two starts ago she pulled up lame and the start prior to that she never got a clear crack at them. With the claim she gets in just above the minimum weight and from the good draw she rates highly. QUILATE and FIFE both have good prospects, while LADY SELKIRK drops from Group 2 and Group 3 company and can win if she finds her best form. Locking in $5 for MA JONES.

Tip: Ma Jones

Race 2

EASY BEAST makes his debut here without any public trials but there is vision of a 2YO jumpout at Cranbourne which could very likely be him. He jumped straight to the front and went away to win by about 8 lengths under a hold (posted it on my Twitter). Dwayne Dunn is a very noticeable jockey booking for a Richard Laming horse on debut and the avalanche of money in early markets suggests he's as good as the jumpout appeared. There's still $5 fixed available and I'll be taking that in the expectation that he starts much shorter. The best of the publicly seen horses is the current favourite MANY REWARDS who won a jumpout in nice style by 3 lengths.

Tip: Easy Beast

Race 3

Absolute dartboard race with as many as eight chances here. CHASE THE HORIZON is first up from a spell and definitely good enough to win and he returns as a gelding today which could see him go to a new level. I think he may need the run first up, though. SECRET BLEND ran a terrific race first up coming from last to run 2nd over 955m at the Valley. Steps up in trip here and the 3kg claim brings him down to a very winnable weight. Has never missed a place second up from a spell but will need a good ride from the barrier. Big price at $19. THE DYNAMO is another one at big odds that could run a race. He's got a good first up record and last prep beat home Jungle Edge so on his day is a handy sprinter. Has to carry 59kg and the weight of a seriously out-of-form jockey in Craig Newitt. FIRSTHAND is also first up from a spell for Team Hawkes and has won two from three when first up previously. He's got form over handy horses such as Prince Of Brooklyn, Bassett and Sugar Bay Leonard so he's definitely good enough to win this. MISS VISTA has won three from four and she'll go straight to the front from the good draw and should be very hard to run down. She's won two trials leading into this and the $7 available for her is good enough to take. STRINGER BELL, EL SICARIO and GREY STREET others that can win! Best bet is to probably take a trifecta with those named above and hope for a blowout.

Tip: Miss Vista / Secret Blend EW

Race 4

If THROSSEL has have drawn a gate here I'd be keen but he's drawn horribly and with the 3kg claimer on board I'm just not confident enough that he can get over the top of ANOTHER COLDIE who should box seat from barrier 3. His latest win in Adelaide was more impressive than it looked to the eye after covering extra ground and with 56.5kg after the claim he should be right in the mix again here. WATERLOO SUNSET also maps to get a lovely run from the good gate and with just 54kg on her back, as well as the strong booking of Dwayne Dunn, she should be very competitive. Best value could be JUST HIFALUTIN who sat wide the entire trip last start but still won.

Tip: Another Coldie

Race 5

Another wide open race. SNITTY KITTY comes off a decent win at Yarra valley in reasonable time and with the aid of barrier 1 she should get her chance to win in town. She ran well in town last prep behind Sylpheed in a strong race so if she improves from her first up run she should be competitive around the $10 mark. MERRIEST is another at a decent price that can go well. She ran a decent race fresh down the Flemington straight and she should be better for that run. She won the Atlantic Jewel Stakes second up last prep and she's trialled well leading into this. $12 is available for her. SCARLET RAIN will go forward from her wide barrier and with 60.5kg she could run a decent race given she ran 2nd two starts ago with 62kg. ARTEMIS ROSE is favourite and a definite winning chance.

Tip: Snitty Kitty EW / Merriest EW

Race 6

Rescheduled race from last week's program. HANS HOLBEIN looks the best bet of the day here. Produced a dominant win when we suspected he was ready to do so last start but he did it more comfortably than anyone expected. Steps up from BM84 to Open company here but he drops 6kg in weight and there's absolutely no reason he can't dominate this field. $2.20 available and that looks a very good price. BOOM TIME will be thereabouts after reasonable runs in the Australian Cup and Mornington Cup. Gets a good run from the barrier and the claim will help. LUCQUES looks the value in the race at double figure odds. He gets out to a distance that will suit him now and should be nearing peak fitness at his fourth run back from a spell.

Tip: Hans Holbein (Best Bet)

Race 7

We were all over LAKE COMO last start when she bolted in by 3 lengths at $11 but I'm taking her on today as this is a very different race. She is undefeated first up but she's not as good second up and she's not as good at Caulfield as she is at Flemington. Pretty keen to have something on MISS GUNPOWDER who is very talented on her day and comes into this first up from a spell and on debut for Lindsay Park. She normally goes well fresh and with a good ride from barrier 10 she looks a very good winning chance at $4.40. ROCK FOR THE LADIES is the one I'm very wary of. She comes into this first up too, and on debut for Darren Weir. Weir is notorious for improving horses by several lengths, especially at their first start for him. She was a good horse up in Sydney and if she's tuned up for this she could win. $13 for any Weir/Rawiller horse in these races is big odds.

Tip: Miss Gunpowder / Rock For The Ladies EW

Race 8

HELLOVA STREET rates very hard to beat here on the back of his last start victory at Flemington when leading all the way. He absolutely loves this distance with four wins and three placings from eight starts and from barrier 4 he should just bounce to the lead once again. There's still $3.80 available but I could see him starting around the $3 mark. HOOKED only has to reproduce his first up run in similar class to be competitive here. He failed in Group 1 company last start but with the good barrier he could bounce back. AROD is the class horse of the field but is extremely inconsistent and hard to back with Craig Newitt riding. Darren Weir holds a decent hand here despite his runners being big odds. KENJORWOOD is ready to show something despite failing in Sydney last start. If he had have drawn a decent barrier I'd be a bit keener but back to Melbourne and now fit he can run a race. Meanwhile ARTICUS has his first start for Weir and although he's probably looking for longer he can run a big race first up from a spell. TURBO MISS is the value in the race at $23. She won in similar company two starts ago but failed when stepped up to 1600m last start. Back to 1400m, drawn well and on the minimum weight she should be able to run well.

Tip: Hellova Street / Articus EW

Race 9

Theme of the day continues here with another wide open race. Actually think Weir holds another good hand here with three chances all at decent odds. GOLDSTREAM gets back onto a firm track here which should see him overturn his last start failure on Heavy ground in Sydney. If you put a pencil through that run and look at his previous form he is definitely good enough to win here. Pretty much the exact same thing can be said for ZASORCERESS who charged home to run 2nd by a nose in Group 3 company two starts ago before failing on Heavy ground in Sydney last start. HIGH CHURCH failed in the Yarra Valley Cup but the jockey stated he didn't handle the track and if he can bounce back to his best form then he could also be competitive. WAR LEGEND can go close with the better draw. 

Tip: Zasorceress EW / Goldstream EW (best value)

Race 10

Was very keen on FRENCH EMOTION last week before the race was abandoned. She isn't as well suited in this race but we just get a better price. She has to carry 58kg in a big field with a sticky barrier here, and has Newitt on board, but her Melbourne form is very good. There is $4 available and I'll back her at that price. THE CHAIRMAN returns from a spell and was very progressive last prep. He's never placed first up from three starts though so must be taken on. The value in the race could be PLOT THE COURSE who is ready to win at his third run back from a spell. He draws wide but has a good record at the distance and a good record third up from a spell. Big watch on TICK TICK BLOOM first up for Weir.

Tip: French Emotion / Plot The Course EW