Welcome to our horse racing preview and betting tips for Bendigo on Wednesday, April 22nd.
The track is rated a Good 4 and the rail is in the 6m position for Wednesday's eight-race card.
Check out our thoughts on every race, complete with tips and best bets for the meeting below!
Bendigo Racing Tips: Wednesday, April 22nd
Best Bet: Race 2 - (5) Dynamic Duo
Best Value: Race 5 - (9) Georgia's Host
Race 1
Wide open two-year-old race to kick things off. There's a couple at odds that I'll be having something on. (11) Taylor's Dream is Ciaron Maher and David Eustace's only runner of the day. They've got a 21% strike rate at Bendigo this season and for a team the size of theirs, it's odd for them to only have one runner on the program. She's jumped out at Ballarat leading into this and at $9.00 she's a bet. (9) River Twain is another at $13 that is a bet for me. Mick Price's only two runners of the day come up in this race and this is one of them. Damien Oliver rode him first up and sticks with him here. He resumed over 1000m here at Bendigo and he was trapped three-wide the trip, but still battled on quite well to be beaten 2.1L. He was still really green in the straight so I think there's improvement to come with him and if he's able to get a better run from the wide gate today, the price could prove to be big.
Value: (9) River Twain $13
(11) Taylor's Dream
$9.00
Race 2
Quite keen on (5) Dynamic Duo. He's first up into this off a 10-week break but he's had two jumpouts at Balnarring and Mornington leading into the race, and both were good. In the first, he was ridden very quietly but hit the line well, and in the second he was impressive, hitting the line very strongly to win the heat. He races with blinkers on for the first time today and finds a very thin race. From barrier 10 he will be a long way back but horses generally get their chance at Bendigo. (11) Monetizing is also first up with Damien Oliver riding for Brent Stanley. She jumped out smartly at Bendigo leading into this and she contested some strong races at the end of last prep so will be popular. (12) Psaos was hard in the market on debut but failed badly. She gets the blinkers on for the first time here.
Race 3
(4) Masked Crusader was favourite for a race on the Saturday but didn't get a run as the emergency. He should take plenty of beating here and the market reflects that. He failed as a short-priced favourite on debut at Wyong, but atoned for that with a dominant win at Caulfield back in December when romping home by 3.75L. Drawn gate 1, he's the one to beat. I have (5) Bray Street Boss priced significantly shorter than the $23 he's opened. He's a South Australian visitor trained by Will Clarke. You always have to respect when he brings horses across the border. It's won two of its three starts this preparation, with his failure coming second up when he was well backed but the saddle slipped and he was unable to be ridden competitively. He's been ridden by apprentices in all three starts this prep but Jamie Kah jumps aboard today which is a big jockey change. He's value at the current odds. (9) Our Free Spirit was good in defeat first up and isn't hopeless, while (1) Ididitforlove is undefeated and Patrick Payne is a terrific trainer.
Value: (5) Bray Street Boss $23
(4) Masked Crusader
$1.85
Race 4
This is a terrific little race. (2) Lunakorn has been dominant in two starts this preparation, saluting at Pakenham first up and then Sandown Lakeside last start. She put them to the sword very quickly last start and was eased down in the final stages. Stepping up to 1300m is no issue, if anything she probably wants a touch further, and she can keep her winning sequence going. I think $2.10 is about her right price. This isn't a bad race and she did have the race run to suit her last start. They dropped anchor before the turn, allowing her to truck into the race and only have a couple of lengths to make up, which she did very quickly. The runner up to her in that race was (4) Little Mermaid, who she meets again here. Whereas she sat box seat from barrier 1 when winning on debut at Terang, she settled last from barrier 5 last start. Her run was an absolute barrier trial. Lunakorn dropped her at about the 500m when moving into the three-wide line, leaving Little Mermaid two or three lengths off the pack at the top of the straight. When Tahlia Hope got serious on her she really picked up and motored to the line, recording the fastest final 200m of the race and taking good ground off the winner. There was no intent from the rider to make up ground approaching the turn. Big change today with the stable's number one jockey Billy Egan going on, the extra ground obviously suits, but drawn barrier 8 of 12 she will no doubt be right back in the field. She opened $9.00 which was a silly price, but now into $6.50. I have her a clear second pick and it wouldn't shock me to see her finish close to the favourite with a more aggressive and proactive ride. (5) Raabeeha can be thrown in at $20. She returns from a spell and has jumped out fairly well at Flemington. Tony and Calvin McEvoy have a 30% winning strike rate at Bendigo this season and this is their only runner of the day. SImilarly, (12) Frazil is James Cummings' only runner of the day here and he has a 31% strike rate at Bendigo, and a 75% place strike rate of his runner there this season. Frazil has lost form but gets Damien Oliver on today and her only career win was at Bendigo, and it was a dominant one. Throw her in at odds.
Race 5
$23 for (9) Georgia's Host is over the odds here. This is a strange old race with a few hype horses but not a great deal of current form on offer. Georgia's Host ran 2nd in BM58 company first up, beaten less than a length after coming from the back of the field under a 3kg apprentice. Then last start she was caught three-wide the trip. Her third up record is good, with two wins and a 3rd from three starts. She doesn't win out of turn and she does prefer wet ground, but she's not hopeless at the odds, more so on a place line. (5) Blender's Edition is also a bet here for me at $7.00. This horse had a big spruik on him last campaign, when he resumed from two years off the track undefeated. He failed in his three starts last prep, but he wasn't necessarily far away. He's gone out for another six months and returns here with two jumpouts under the belt. Damien Oliver is booked straight away which catches the eye - he's had two winners from three rides for Rob Hickmott this season. His two jumpouts were good, albeit he was given a very easy time of things. Whether the 1300m is too short or not is the query, but there's a chance he's got a class edge over this field. (8) Evening Glory jumped out well leading into his first up run but he was very ordinary. With that said, he was given a barrier trial of sorts, dropped out to the back, sat wide and ran home, but ran home pretty slowly. Mark Zahra goes straight on here for Anthony Freedman, taking over from the apprentice, and he's drawn well so expect to see him further forward than he was first up. (13) Intelle went close first up and should improve off that run. He's run 2nd in both starts at this track but his one win did come over this distance. (7) Faolan improved second up from a long spell and should be ready third up. The market should tell us plenty here, especially with Blender's Edition.
Value: (9) Georgia's Host $23
(5) Blender's Edition
$7.00
Race 6
I think there's two standouts in the race here and if you shop well you can take $5.00-$5.50 about both. (2) Minola has been dominant in her past two starts. She broke her maiden over the mile two starts ago before stepping up to 2000m last time out and coasting home by 4L on the heavy ground. She steps up to 2400m for the first time, but we've seen time and time again lightly-raced stayers from this stable go from strength-to-strength with racing and distance increases. Yendall jumps off another runner in the race to stick with her and from the inside gate she should prove hard to beat. (4) Yulong Captain is the other horse I'll be backing. He ran 4th last time out over 2400m at Sandown. The best form for 2400m races is often other 2400m races so he brings the best lead up into the race. His last start 4th was behind the likes of Jack Regan and Clementina, who have both won again since, so the form is strong. He should get a good run from barrier 4 and be right in the mix. I'll be backing both at those prices but if I had to pick one over the other, narrowly lean to Yulong Captain.
Also backing: (2) Minola $5.50
Race 7
(6) Can'tforgetyou looks a decent bet here with $7.00 available. She's never finished out of the money from seven career starts, three of which were wins, including a dominant victory to break her maiden first up last prep. She hasn't won over the 1100m yet, which is a slighty query given she's fresh, but she draws a good gate in 2 and should be right in the finish. (10) Oregon Dreamer is also worth having something on at $6.00. She's had three starts when first up from a spell and has never finished out of the top two. Most of her form has been at Pakenham which is questionable but the stable are absolutely flying at the moment and I'd expect her to run very well fresh. (4) Leiter is the favourite and comes off a run at Caulfield where she just wasn't suited back in the field on a day where it poured rain and you had to be up on speed. She was running well prior and appears well suited, but at the prices I'd prefer the other two.
Also backing: (10) Oregon Dreamer $6.00
Race 8
This race is a bit of a headache. We've got three runners under $4.50 and there's chinks in all of their armour. (4) Grinzinger Star was ordinary first up but he tends to be like that. He should improve with that run under the belt and the step up in trip. Damien Oliver sticks, he's Danny O'Brien's only runner of the day and he strikes at 27% at Bendigo this season. Draws barrier 1, will sit closer and does drop in grade, so he commands plenty of respect. But every run last prep was ordinary too, so it's hard to be convinced he's going to improve the required amount. (7) Aussie Nugget is another who was ordinary last start. He ran well fresh but was a big drifter late in betting last start and ran accordingly. Perhaps that was down to the soft ground, which he's yet to run a place on from three attempts. Back onto a firm surface third up from a break here should see him have every chance, and Anthony Freedman strikes at 29% here, but it's hard to be confident taking $3.00. (5) Vungers is the most reliable of the three, we know he will run well. He has never missed a place from seven starts here on his home track at Bendigo. In two starts over the track and distance, he has a win and a nose defeat. But he doesn't win out of turn, with just four victories from 26 starts. He draws well in 4 and gets a strong rider on in Noel Callow, so he's going to be somewhere in the finish, but whether you want to take $3.60 for him to win is the issue. I might bypass all three of them and have something each way on (3) Bea Tempted for Patrick Payne and Laura Lafferty, who is a $15 chance. She won impressively first up last prep over 1600m, coming from the back of the field to charge home and win by 2.5L. She did have four trials leading into that, compared to just one this preparation, but if she was to repeat that performance she'd go very close here. Laura Lafferty has three wins and two placings from 10 rides for Patrick Payne this season. At $15/$3.75, I'll have a little bet on her.
