Australia’s leading bookmaker the TAB gives an overview of today’s betting markets from the feature races and race meetings from around the country. See which races punters cleaned up on and lost on.
RANDWICK
RACE 1
Miss Ostend ($2.30) started favourite with several big bets and over 40 percent of the hold. But she failed to run a place with London Gal ($10) holding off Shelby Sixtysix ($13) with Tim Clark aboard.
London Gal had been $13 into $8.50 before settling at $10 at the jump.
BEST BETS: London Gal – $1,000 @ $10
RACE 2
Pecuniary Interest came from nowhere to overcome a sluggish start and $21 odds in the Midway Handicap.
Media Starguest was $2.60 favourite with almost 50 percent of the money while Pecuniary Interest was virtually unloved in the market with barely 2 percent of the hold.
BEST BETS: Pecuniary Interest – $200 place @ $4.40
RACE 3
Mark Newnham’s Dragonstone ($2.25) was the best supported horse on the card at Randwick with over 60 percent of the market in the Cellarbrations Handicap over 1100m.
But the big late money for James Cummings’ Bacchanalia ($3) proved spot on as Kerrin McEvoy reeled in the favourite. The Exceed And Excel gelding held close to 20 percent of the market by the jump, including a $20,000 outlay at $3.
BEST BETS: $20,000 @ $3
RACE 4
Mightybeel ($3.70) continued to reward Chris Waller and punters after running down favourite Herman Hesse in the Christmas Cup over 2400m.
The topweight went out at second fancy but had drifted from $3.10 today and an opening price of $2.60. With Hugh Bowman on board, Mightybeel occupied 30 percent of the betting in comparison to Herman Hesse with close to 40 percent.
BEST BETS: $10,000 place @ $1.40, $4.000 @ $3.70, $2,000 @ $3.80 (twice)
RACE 5
It wasn’t the winner punters hoped for from the Maher-Eustace stable in the Inglis Nursery.
El Padrino ($9.50) started firmly in the shadow of stablemate Boldinho ($2.30) who had a tick over 50 percent of the hold in the two-year-old sprint but finished fourth.
El Padrino took only 10 percent of the market.
BEST BETS: El Padrino – $7,500 each-way @ $7.50/$2.30, $2,500 @ $7.50, $1,000 @ $8
RACE 6
Snippy Fox ($4.80) jumped third favourite but fourth best backed behind Incredulous Dream ($3.60) and Irish Angel ($4).
The Joe Pride mare tightened from $6.50 in to $4.80 with some notable outlays prior to the jump.
BEST BETS: $2,500 @ $4.80, $2,300 each-way @ $5/$2.50, $2,000 @ $4.80, $1,500 @ $4.80
RACE 7
The Kris Lees trained Special Reward broke plenty of hearts in the opening quaddie leg, after upstaging $3.40 favourite Snapdancer in the listed Razor Sharp over 1200m.
Special Reward didn’t reward many punters with the $31 chance the worst backed horse in the race, registering barely three percent of market support, having started the day at $13.
BEST BETS: Special Reward – $300 @ $26
RACE 8
Brutality will eye the Doncaster with plenty of admirers who got on late in The Villiers.
In a big result for punters, Brutality was crunched from $8.50 into $5.50 second favourite after opening at $11. Steely started at $4.80, drifting from $4.20 with the weight of money for Brutality.
By the time they left the barrier for the Group 2, Brutality had cut Steely’s market dominance to take 21 percent of the hold, compared to the favourite’s 23 percent.
BEST BETS: Brutality – $10,000 @ $5.50, $3,000 @ $5.50, $2,000 @ $5.50, $1,000 @ $7 (multiple times)
RACE 9
Lightning Jack struck at long odds for Annabel Neasham with the Kiwi a $23 winner, out from $19 and with only 3 percent of the share.
The win was a shock for punters who had gone hard late for Mubariz ($5.50) and supported favourites Lackeen ($3) and Equation ($4) throughout the afternoon.
BEST BETS: $400 each-way @ $23/$5
RACE 10
Brookspire ($1.95) gave favourite backers something to smile about in the last with 55 percent of the money with the Chris Waller mare, including multiple outlays of $4,000 at $1.95.
BEST BETS: $5,000 @ $1.75, $4,000 @ $1.95 (multiple times), $3,000 @ $2.40
FLEMINGTON
RACE 1
Stupendo bolted into Magic Millions calculations with the Danny O’Brien colt moving from $26 into $15 after opening at $201 for next month’s two-year-old classic on the Gold Coast.
Stupendo ($5) had 22 percent of the market and started equal second favourite behind Kumicho at $4.80.
BEST BETS: Stupendo – $2,000 @ $5 (3 times)
RACE 2
Damien Olivier guided Brasada ($14) past heavily backed favourite Eluding ($2.15) in the second.
Eluding dominated betting with close to 70 percent support while Brasada defied a drift of $8 out to $15 before jumping at $14.
BEST BETS: Brasada – $500 @ $14
RACE 3
Punters were focused on Dance To Dubai ($4.20) and Modear ($5.50), who had opened at $11 during the week, but both finished out of the placings in the third.
Florescent Star winning second up again at $5.50, in from $7, but with only 10 percent of the market interest.
BEST BETS: Florescent Star – $2,000 @ $7, $2,000 @ $6.50, $1,500 @ $6.50
RACE 4
Punters saw what they liked with Seawhatyouthink a big result their way at $3.20.
The favourite was a popular winner with 40 percent of the money and multiple $1,000 bets at the $3.70 price after opening at $4.40.
BEST BETS: Seawhatyouthink – $2,500 @ $3.30, $2,000 @ $3.30, $1,500 @ $3.40
RACE 5
Philadelphia Storm’s victory for Michael Moroney was the second winner at double figures.
At $16, he attracted only 5 percent of the market as Arran Bay and Guardian Spirit battled for favouritism, although one punter landed the winner at $19/$4.60 each-way for a $1,000 outlay.
BEST BETS: Philadelphia Storm – $1,000 e/w @ $19 $ $4.60
RACE 6
Matthew Cartwright and American bred mare, Lighthouse, denied Moroney back-to-back winners with the heavily supported $2.25 favourite too strong for Bermadez ($3.60).
The duo dominated betting with the Maher-Eustace trained Lighthouse holding 52 percent before recording her third straight win.
BEST BETS: Lighthouse – $6,000 @ $2.30, $2,500 @ $2.30, $2,000 @ $2.30 (multiple times)
RACE 7
Mileva’s impressive form for Phillip Stokes continued with the second favourite claiming the Kensington Stakes at $4.80 having tightened from a $6.50 opening price but starting at $4.60 today.
Savvy punters snapped up the value early with a $10,000 bet taken at $5.50 and a $9,000 outlay at $5.
Tequila Time jumped favourite at $4 with over 30 percent of the market despite late money for Sartorial Splendor at $9.
BEST BETS: Mileva – $10,000 @ $5.50, $9,000 @ $5
RACE 8
The betting was open in the Gary Fennessy Handicap with Linda Meech guiding Five Kingdom to a drought breaking victory at $8.50 for Matthew Dale.
Having been $21 during the week, Five Kingdom opened today at $10 but got out to $11 with just eight percent of the punter’s support. Good And Proper was the $6 favourite with 25 percent.
BEST BETS: Five Kingdom – $1,000 @ $11, $1,000 @ $9
RACE 9
It was another win that was a long time coming in the last, with Pioneer River rewarding loyal backers by claiming the Darren Gauci Trophy at $4.60 for the Maher-Eustace team.
Kentucky Casanova was the best backed with 25 percent, to Pioneer River’s 15 percent.
BEST BETS: Pioneer River – $3,000 @ $4.40, $2,500 @ $4.40, $2,000 @ $4.60
