It's Cranbourne Cup Day with an exciting ten-race card ahead of us, highlighted by the $400,000 TAB Cranbourne Cup and the $100,000 Procon Developments Apache Cat Classic. Check out Luke Krahe's best horse racing bets for the day right here.
Best Bets for Cranbourne, Sunday October 13, 2019
Track: Good 4 Rail out 3m the entire circuit.
Race 4 (Market)
Surely this is (2) Boomstock’s race to lose? The Tavistock gelding is has placed at all but one of his seven career starts, he is still yet to win out of maiden grade on debut which is a little concerning, but is so consistent. He has had four runs back this prep and it must be said he has had his chance, but this looks the right race to chalk up win number two. He has a nice turn-of-foot as he showed last start but just needs to be saved for one run. He hit the lead after a perfect ride last time but peaked late and was run down, this looks his right trip. He maps well and should be winning.
Race 5 (Market)
(2) Esposito Gold was consistent through the back-end of her last prep, she resumed at Randwick a couple of months ago in a harder race, she sat up on the speed and faded. She had three weeks off and went to Bendigo in a BM78 against the girls, was awkwardly away and made some ground from the back in a race where it was advantageous to be closer to the speed. She gets the concussion plates off, and looks suited by the inside draw coming back in trip. She should be mid-field in the run and dropping back in grade, should hit the line well with those two runs under her belt. She looks a great each-way bet to nothing.
Esposito Gold Each-Way
$9.00
Race 6 (Market)
(6) Tavsomefun is from the in-form Busuttin/Young stable, he won his last two in brilliant fashion before going to the paddock. He had only been fair at the trials on a heavy track before resuming at Geelong, he was never in the race and eased down late as he pulled up lame. He has had two previous second-up runs, runner-up in a maiden at Kilmore where she looked the winner before being nabbed late and then winning her maiden last prep here at the track by almost four lengths. Straight out to the mile today second-up I expect that she will be up on the speed for a long way and every hard to run down.
Race 7 (Market)
(3) Bonaparte is only a lightly raced 4YO having career start number five today. He placed his fiorst two before going to the paddock, resumed with a dominant win at Pakenham to get the maiden out of the way after being held-up badly in the run. He was sent to the paddock again and resumed at Ballarat three weeks ago. he was up on the speed and looked a little flat as he didn’t really accelerate when the runs came, he was beaten 2.7 lengths but was entitled to finish closer. Two key differences today, he gets the blinkers on for the first time and gets back on a good track, he really laboured in that soft going fresh.
Race 8 - Apache Cat Classic (Market)
The Apache Cat Classic looks a great sprint to lead into the feature Cup, and the confidence is high with (5) William Thomas. The speed will be on here from the outset, there is up to half-a-dozen horses that will be hinting forward and looking for the top. As you may have guessed, William Thomas is not one of them. He will be giving them a start as he did at Caulfield resuming, he sat back in the field before saving ground on the turn, didn’t go around a horse and charged through along the rails to win. He should benefit from the strong tempo, be getting to the crown of the track at the top of the straight and finishing hard. He has not missed a place at three previous second-up runs and looks to have come back very well.
Race 9 - Cranbourne Cup (Market)
Not exactly a classic edition of the Cranbourne Cup, but there has to be a winner. I loved the way that (3) Plein Ciel hit the line when resuming, he was well back in the run and over-racing, saved ground and ran through the line hard over 1700m at Caulfield along the inside. He has a terrific record second-up, winning three of five and second in another. JMac will have some decisions to make early from the wide draw, he is most likely to go back but I would love to see him hunt forward and look for cover better than mid-field. Very happy to take on the early favourite (7) Dr Drill. He was good winning in Sydney last start and the runner-up has since come out and won the Port Macquarie Cup during the week, but he had everything go to plan that day and was heavily favoured the way the track was playing. He will go forward, if he has to sit outside the leader early, hit the lay button in-play.
Race 10 (Market)
(4) East Indiaman looks the leader, the confidence will grow if there is a pattern assisting those on the speed and on the rail. He resumed across the border at Morphetville last time and was well supported, he was disappointing late as he led and weakened to finish a couple of lengths back, he certainly had his chance. He won when second-up last prep and should be able to land on the bunny, not that keen unless I see that track pattern throughout the day.
