Another great night of Harness Racing scheduled for Saturday, the 2nd of February! This week we take a look at the Melton and Menangle race meets and pick out some of the best value races below.
Melton Harness Racing Tips
Race 6
Wardan Express burned across to lead before surrendering to Wrappers Delight in the Group 2 Casey Classic (2240m) last week. He finished fourth, beaten 9.7m behind Star Galleria in 1:54.9. It was a really good effort considering the winner is a high-class New Zealand horse. He should lead this M1-M2 event and will take some catching if he can replicate his track-record 1:55.2 win in the Group 3 Hamilton Pacing Cup (2660m).
Vee Rock and Motu Gatecrasher have both finished behind Wardan Express in recent runs which is why I give the edge to Wardan Express with the barrier draw advantage. Islandspecialmajor looms as a danger also but the $2.30 looks a good enough price for Wardan Express.
Race 7
The big one kicks off in Race 7, with the Del-Re National AG Hunter Cup (2760m) set to run at 9:32 PM. Reigning Inter Dominion winner Tiger Tara is an odds-on favourite and he deserves to be as he chases a fifth straight win. He broke the track record in the Inter Dominion Final with a 1:53.9 victory, after crushing rivals by 14.4m.
I’m sure driver Todd McCarthy will be looking to replicate that win here by putting the foot down in either the second or third quarter, once the three-wide trains begins. There will be quality opposition making their runs in the form of Cruz Bromac, Star Galleria and Thefixer, but Tiger Tara has the advantage in front and will take a stack of beating. Our Uncle Sam is the horse to watch because he will be on his back and awaiting use of the sprint lane in the final lap.
Menangle Harness Racing Tips
I am going to do something a bit different at Menangle. I have found two odds-on horses that appear to be vulnerable and I suggest backing the field to beat them with Ladbrokes.
Race 3
Reaza Grunter is a five-year-old mare that has a lot of talent. She can be frustrating to follow however, unless you are a bookmaker. At her past three starts, Reaza Grunter has been favourite, with two of them at $1.80 and $1.60 quotes, but she has been unplaced on all three occasions.
There is every chance she might blow the field away on Saturday night, but if she gets up to her old tricks of galloping, or puts in a very poor performance, then we will be able to reap the rewards.
Field (Any Other Runner)
$2.00
Race 5
Majordan has come up a $1.30 favourite despite breaking in the score up and taking no part in the Vivian Jones Memorial (1609m) last week. Prior to that he won three in a row, including a pair of Group 3 races. If he does everything right, then he will lead and prove hard to run down from the widest barrier.
He does meet a pair of horses in good form, which is the main reason for taking on Majordan here. Maximan was only a half-head away from Tiger Tara in the Group 3 Brian Hancock Cup (1609m) last week. If he continues to show his best form, then he can cause an upset. Loorrim Creek was excellent last week in the Vivian Jones Memorial with a runner up performance behind Ashley Locaz in 1:50.1. Last prep he was beaten a half-head by Joes Star Of Mia and looks good enough to test Majordan also.
Field (Any Other Runner)
$3.10
