We’ve got a cracking day of racing all around the country today with quality meetings at Randwick, Moonee Valley and Eagle Farm. The highlight of the day sees the first Group 1 of the season take place with the Winx Stakes being run in Sydney.
Billy Bestford has cast his eye across the meetings and has found his best bets to help you have a fill up this Saturday.
Horse Racing Tips: Saturday, August 21st
Randwick Race 1
11:20am AEST
It’s rare for me to be keen on a Highway race but (17) Battleground looks extremely hard to beat here in the opening race of the day. Even with the 62kg I think he looks well placed with McDonald to ride from barrier 6 and should just be too good for these. He comes out of a bm72 where he was arguably unlucky not to win. Sixgun beat him home there and that form looks far and away the best coming into this race. With even luck Jmac should be getting favourite backers off to a winning start.
Randwick Race 6
2:25pm AEST
The topweight in (1) Four Moves Ahead looks one of the best bets around the country here. Proved herself as an elite 2yo, winning the Sweet Embrace before starting second favourite in the Golden Slipper where she finished 4th behind Stay Inside and Anamoe. She’s been ticking over nicely at the trials and with main rival She’s All Class being scratched, this looks her race to lose. At even money she looks about the right price and should be too good here.
(1) Four Moves Ahead
$2.00
Randwick Race 8
3:45pm AEST
The first G1 of the season sees a cracking field line up in the Winx Stakes. All but one runner is first up today so it is a bit of a guessing game with trying to line up how some of them may be travelling. With that being said I’m looking for a bit of value here and while I concede Verry Elleegant will be hard to beat, but I’m happy to have something on two runners here. (2) Think It Over really proved himself as a top-line horse last prep, winning the George Ryder and then running extremely well in the Queen Elizabeth. He flies fresh and I think at the price he’s worth something on.
(5) Imaging is the other I would be having something on. Mainly for the place as it’s a deep race but this horse can also pull out a big fresh run and was extremely unlucky not to finish much closer in some good races last prep. Loves 1400m which is some query for a few at the top of the market.
Moonee Valley Race 6
4:05pm AEST
I like the set up for (1) Jigsaw today up to 1200m and back down in weight. We know he’s a classy horse and can run serious time but just came unstuck dropping in trip last start so today looks much more suitable. I like the fact he will be in front of main rival Hilal in the running and hoping he can steal a big enough break to hold on. Should be at peak fitness now 3rd up and should have the pace to roll forward and lead this field up.
Moonee Valley Race 8
5:15pm AEST
As expected there looks a ton of speed in this with the likes of Ancestry, Greyworm and Esta La Rocca all a chance of leading. I want to be with (9) Miss Albania who looks set to sit just in behind that speed battle and should be able to have the turn of foot to explode in the straight. She finds Kah for the first time today and there’s no better jockey you’d want on for this kind of race. She’s bulletproof and you know what you are going to get with her. Winner this track/trip in the past and you can’t knock any of her two runs coming into this.
