Dracarys Photo by Scott Hamilton Media
The Group 1 $250,000 WA Oaks headlines a stellar 10-event card at Gloucester Park on Friday night and members of the WA Trotting Media Guild are confident of sending punters home with plenty of cash in their pockets.
Multiple winner of the Guild’s tipping competition Stuart Lowe and The West Australian’s Ernie Manning believe the impressive Mathew James can continue on his winning ways in the last race.
“My best bet is the speedy three-year-old Mathew James, who has won three of five starts,” Lowe said. “He impressed last start when he breezed before winning in 1.56.2 over 2130m. Looks the class runner here.”
And Manning agrees.
“Mathew James has shown considerable potential for trainer Justin Prentice since arriving from New Zealand and looks set to complete a winning hat-trick,” Manning said. “He faced the breeze last week in his Gloucester Park debut and scored from Jilliby Jake, who has since won. Mathew James, a Pinjarra winner at his previous start, had travelled to WA after a Kiwi victory and has not missed a place in five starts.”
Fresh from his recent honeymoon, leading tipster Matt Young believes Fanci A Dance is a good thing.
“Fanci A Dance will be suited by the trip and can make his own luck,” Young said. “He is coming along nicely and looming large for a win.”
GPTV’s Ken Casellas is in the Bettor Be Lively camp.
“Bettor Be Lively is racing with admirable enthusiasm for veteran trainer Colin Joss and he’s my best bet on Friday night,” Casellas said. “I expect him to lead from barrier two and hold off his rivals in the 2130m event. He set the pace last Friday night before being overhauled in the final few strides to finish a half-head second to Im Soxy.”
The West Australian’s racing co-ordinator Ryan Havercroft believes Miss Sangrial is the way to go.
“Miss Sangrial was a strong winner at Pinjarra on Monday under standing-start conditions when defeating Major Pocket,” Havercroft said. “She never got into the Easter Cup at her previous outing and should have finished closer than eighth. Her form prior to that was sound.”
Longshot king Pat Harding is looking forward to the return of pacing superstar Chicago Bull and has made the little champ his best for the night.
“My best bet of the night comes up in the fourth race,” Harding said. “Really looking forward to the re-appearance of Chicago Bull. Coming out of barrier two, this class horse should cap off his return to GP with a scintillating win.”
Guild president Wayne Currall has made his best bet Dracarys in the WA Oaks.
“Despite drawing the worst possible barrier (gate 10), Dracarys is the horse to beat in the Oaks,” Currall said. “She’s won 11 of her 16 starts and has champion reinsman Gary Hall Jr in the bike. Dracarys’ main rival, Typhoon Tiff, has drawn awkwardly in gate eight and Junior should have the last shot over the 2536m trip.”
VALUE BETS
STUART: The value bet is the mare Miss Sangrial, who followed a luckless eighth in the Easter Cup with a smart win off 30m at Pinjarra on Monday. Looks suited here.
ERNIE: Hes Talking has barrier one and is capable of a bold first-up run, after not winning in 10 starts before going for a spell last October. The gelding has won twice at Gloucester Park and he is expected to have a successful campaign for trainer-reinsman Colin Brown.
MATT: Rocknroll Delight is low flying and needs a few things to go her way in the mares feature, but she is capable of causing an upset at massive odds.
KEN: For value, I suggest Frostyflyer in race eight. He has a losing sequence of 22, but gave promise of better things to come when he was 11th at the bell and thundered home, out six wide, to finish third behind The Midas Touch and Fanci A Dance last Friday night.
RYAN: Hezgot Fusion Power resumed from an almost seven-year break when winning at the midweeks recently. He should have derived benefit from that outing and connections have come straight to Friday night company which suggests a level of confidence.
PAT: My value bet of the night comes up in race six with No. 7 Lincs Tiger. This horse has shown excellent form in his last three races and should make it back-to-back wins.
WAYNE: Halle Rage will be at liberal odds when she steps from the front line in the Race For Roses. However, master reinsman Chris Lewis can lead them a merry dance if he can take up the running with the the Ross Olivieri-trained six-year-old mare.
To view all of the Media Guild tips click here.
Good Punting.
