Welcome to our preview and horse racing betting tips for racing at Moonee Valley on Friday, March 22nd.
We have an eight-race card on a Good 4 track with the rail in the true position. The Group 1 William Reid Stakes is the feature race of tonight's meeting, which is the final one for the night racing season.
We have betting tips and comments for every race below.
MOONEE VALLEY RACING TIPS
Best Bet: Race 3 Testifier
Best Value: Race 4 Clean Acheeva
RACE 1
Anjana looks quite clearly the horse to beat here after winning impressively on her stable debut for Mick Price first up at Flemington. She jumped slightly awkwardly and settled off the pace but really attacked the line to put 1.25L on Sunset Watch. That horse has been scratched from this race, which makes Anjana even harder to beat. The step up to 1200m is no issue - she's won two from three at the distance - and she's already a winner at this track and distance too. She'll be very hard to hold out tonight and I'm slightly surprised she's still in black figures. I'm wary of Marcel From Madrid, who was well-backed first up. She was beaten 2.7L by Anjana but didn't get a lot of room in the last 100m. I think the lear value is Chicago Cub at $9.00. He was beaten 0.75L by Testifier over this track and distance last start. Despite that being in BM64 grade, it looks a reasonable form race as Testifier will start a short-priced favourite later on in the night. I'll be backing Anjana but definitely having something on Chicago Cub at the odds.
RACE 2
On first look, I thought this was between Andrassy Avenue and Mayan. Andrassy Avenue bolted in here two starts ago and then ran in the Blue Diamond. This is obviously a huge step back in class and the horse she beat here in her win then went to Flemington and won, so the form is reasonable. Drawn well in barrier 4 and just has to repeat her winning performance last month to win this. Mayan absolutely trounced his rivals in Adelaide on debut and was well backed to do so. It was a stylish performance and he's already been backed in to $4.50 from his opening quote of $11 (don't know how he opened that price). My concern with his win is the fact he beat some absolute D-graders. Dirty Work isn't hopeless at all. He was beaten about a length on debut at Kensington in Sydney. The horse that finished 2nd has since come out and won its next start so it's certainly a formline to be wary of. Happy to take on Cheer Leader. Backing Andrassy Avenue, saving on Mayan (you could even dutch bet the two of them).
RACE 3
Testifier looks incredibly hard to beat here, especially after the scratchings. He's won his first two career starts, the latest of which was a BM64 at this track and distance. Draws better tonight, drops in weight and finds a very winnable race. Hard to see him getting beat. Good Therapy looks the obvious danger. He won at this track and distance three starts ago and went close at Yarra Valley last start. Oliver gets back on tonight but he's likely to need a bit of luck from the inside barrier. Time Ford looks a big price at $26. He started $6 in a race here last start and prior to that ran bravely to finish 4th after sitting three-wide the trip. Drawn much better tonight so include him in exotic bets. Moor Wanted can go well fresh.
RACE 4
Tricky race over the 2040m. There's three I'm mainly interested but I'm not particularly confident. English Gambler hasn't done much in two career starts but he steps up from 1500m to 2040m tonight and comes into this third up from a spell, so should really be able to show something. He finished in the top two at all six of his starts in New Zealand, and although five of them were on Heavy tracks, his final start was a 2L win over this distance on Good ground. The two races he's run in so far in Australia have both been strong. First up he was well-beaten by Rox The Castle over 1400m and then he ran over 1500m behind Simply Invincible. That horse then went to Saturday company and won. So there's enough there to say English Gambler can improve tonight. Snipes has won his past two and one of those was at this track over 1500m, where he led all the way to win by 3.5L. He's drawn wide tonight but will no doubt look to lead. It's a tricky draw for a leader over 2000m, as he might be required to work around the corner and there looks a bit of speed drawn to his inside. 3kg apprentice Liam Riordan takes over tonight, so I'll probably let him go around or at the very best have a saver on him. I think Clean Acheeva is worth backing at $8.00. This horse was very well backed last week and had trouble getting clear around the corner. She ran a good race but just found one better. Drawn wide tonight which might not be the worst wth the rail in the true position. Could slingshot off the bend and hit the line hard late at good odds. Ryan's Fender can definitely win but is a touch too short for me to back.
Value: Clean Acheeva $8.00
RACE 5
Good little race over the 955m dash. Backing Superhard to follow up his impressive first up victory at Flemington, where he rocketed home from the back of the field to win by 1.25L. He'll have to do similar tonight from barrier 8 but the rail in the true position might help him out a bit. He's got a good second up record with two wins from three starts and he might just be a better horse than the rest of these. I think there's a bit of value in Demonstrate at $12. He went through a purple patch of form at the start of last year but has struggled to rediscover it. His first up run behind Superhard was encouraging though; he carried 61kg and finished midfield. He should take plenty of improvement from that and he drops 5.5kg in the weights tonight. Craig Williams takes over the ride and the horse is 2/3 at this track and distance. Desert Lashes has never finished out of the top two from six starts when first up from a spell so she'll run her usual honest race.
RACE 6
Pretty keen on Victory Kingdom here. She's continued to improve with every start and was only run down very late by Spanish Whisper last time. She steps up to the mile for the first time tonight, which I suppose is a slight query at just her fifth career start, but she draws ideally in barrier 5 and Craig Williams sticks with her. The winkers come off and even though she led here two starts ago, I think they'll opt to take a sit with her tonight. She looks the one to beat. Angelic Ruler will probably win now that I'm jumping off her, but she's drawn very awkwardly here in barrier 12 and will have to loop the field to win. She is capable of doing so but I'm just not convinced the Valley is going to suit her. She failed at her only run over the mile back in Perth when she was the twos on favourite. There's a case to be made that she's been a bit unlucky in her last two starts, but she's not going to get it any easier tonight. Mirette has resumed with wins at Warrnambool and Echuca this prep but she's certainly talented enough to be competitive in a race like this, while Etana could be the value at $11. She had no luck whatsoever last start behind Victory Kingdom and Angelic Ruler, cast four-wide without cover in midfield for the whole race. She was only beaten 2.6L so it was a good effort all things considered, and she belted her rivals in the start prior to that. I'll be having something on at the double figure odds.
RACE 7 - GROUP 1 WILLIAM REID STAKES
Check out our runner-by-runner preview of the Group 1 William Reid Stakes here!
RACE 8
Terrific race. I expect Spanish Reef to win this and I expected her to be favourite but I didn't envisage her being $1.80. They opened her $2.45 and she's been smashed into red figures, so clearly there's plenty of people in the same boat. She continued her fantastic third up form with a strong victory in the G3 Matron Stakes at Flemington last start, where she beat Naantali by a nose. She gets a 4.5kg weight swing in her favour over Naantali tonight, so it's easy to see why she's such a dominant favourite. Draws well, has a good record at the track and distance and looks very hard to beat. Kenedna gets the blinkers reapplied tonight. She's got a great second up record with two wins from three starts and although she's drawn awkwardly here, I wouldn't be surprised to see a much-improved effort tonight at good odds. Sheezdashing is another that gets blinkers on again tonight and more importantly, she gets a huge jockey change with Damian Lane taking over from Damien Thornton. The barrier looks a bit problematic for her because she tends to get a long way back and the she's yet to place from three starts at the track, but she definitely has the talent to win a race like this. Naantali will be thereabouts, La Tigeresa continues to improve and even Samovare isn't hopeless at massive odds. I Am A Star has a tremendous record at the track and distance but she's struggling to recapture her best form so I'll be happy to take her on. Spanish Reef to win but Sheezdashing the smokey.
