With plenty of rain falling it looks a tricky meeting on a wet track so I’m playing small and sniffing out some value.
WEERAECHOUX (Race 1 No 3)
At the opening $7 this is the clear value. Weeraechoux (pronounced ‘we rate you’) caught my eye on debut, getting back after being hampered at the start and never finding fully clear running in the straight. Despite these setbacks, the Brian Kersley-trained youngster still ran home in the second-best closing splits of the race to finish three lengths behind Hanchi, which he meets again and is dominating this market. Weeraechoux boasts stout breeding throughout much of its pedigree so the rise to 1400m looks ideal, and I’m taking it on trust that the son of Jimmy Choux will handle the wet track. BET: WIN
IHTS CLOSING INN (Race 3 No 7)
This progressive Adam Durrant-trained filly showed her staying prowess last time out over a mile. After sitting midfield off a strong tempo, Iht’s Closing Inn drew clear over the final 200m for a comfortable victory. Her finishing time was one second faster than the Group 3 Hyperion Stakes on the same card and was actually the fastest Belmont mile recorded in the past several seasons. With this in mind the rise to 2000m looks ideal and I’m not worried about the wide gate as she is capable of going forward. William Pike is three from three aboard the filly and we can expect that record to improve after this. BET: WIN
SHAKA ZULU (Race 5 No 9)
He has three impressive wins from as many starts yet we’re getting terrific odds about him continuing to build the picket fence. Shaka Zulu’s progress has been rapid, going from a Pinjarra maiden win on debut in March to taking out a $60,000 feature race at Geraldton last time out in mid-April. Coming off a let-up, the drop back to the short course suits, as does a middle draw for him to roll forward and take up his usual spot in or near the lead. Shaka Zulu is yet to strike a wet track however his dad Rommel has produced some capable soft-trackers so let’s assume he will handle it just fine. BET: EACH-WAY
CASH AWAY (Race 6 No 7)
Double figures is a great price about a good horse. Trainer Misty Bazeley’s stable star performed well over the summer at Ascot despite not loving that track and put the writing on the wall first-up without a trial last Saturday when hitting the line well. Cash Away is sure to have benefited from the outing, has shown he can handle wet tracks and retains the services of talented hoop Clint Johnston-Porter, who sits a creditable fourth in the Perth premiership. With a stellar record at this track and distance we can expect Cash Away to drift back before powering home wide out the be a major threat. BET: EACH-WAY