Friday, 20 January 2017

G1 Telegraph Handicap (NZ) - 21.01.2017

No real high quality racing in Australia this week so I'll take a quick peek at the G1 across the ditch.


Hopefully I'll be able to find a couple of other winners at home too.


Who's Hot? 


Team Snowden has been on fire the last three weeks with 11 winners at a strike rate of almost 20%.

They have too many runners to list this weekend with acceptors at Canterbury tonight, Randwick, Eagle Farm and Newcastle tomorrow plus Wyong on Sunday.


TRENTHAM



*** At time of publication the track was rated a Dead 4. The forecast was for cloud increasing and northerlies strengthening. ***

Telegraph Handicap (Group 1, 1200m, set weights plus penalties)


Current Sportsbet market

 *** There are no early scratchings ***


Start Wondering was dominant last start in the G1 Railway Stakes  but he does meet Perfect FitStatham, Brighton and Reilly Lincoln 2.5kg worse off here. They're sure to have admirers because Perfect Fit beat the rest comfortably in that race, Brighton got a mile back and stormed home and Reilly Lincoln is two from three at this track and distance.

Then there's the up-and-coming First Serve who is facing his stiffest test to date and his first look at the Trentham circuit. Still he has three wins and a second from four goes at 1200m and is seven from nine overall. Mighty Solomon goes well at this track (6:1-2-1) and distance (6:3-1-1) and was solid fresh in the G2 Manawatu Challenge Stakes at w-f-a. Miss Appleton beat him that day and won well. She's never won at this track in six attempts but has placed four times including three at this journey.

The Aussie raider Odyssey Moon is making his first trip across the ditch but he did win the G3 Standish Handicap last start and that is also a straight six race on a left-handed track. Luna Rossa showed good early promise before a trip to Australia last Spring. She finished second in a G2 Tranquil Star Stakes before a couple of OK efforts in G1's. She has no weight here and trialled well for this. Speech Craft won well last start with 60kg and will appreciate some weight relief here. He's won down the straight here before. Passing Shot has an even better record at this track and trip - three from five. One for wider exotics maybe?

Locky's Selections

BEST        

14. Reilly Lincoln

DANGER  

3. Perfect Fit

FOR EXOTICS

18. Luna Rossa
13. First Serve
1. Start Wondering
5. Passing Shot


OTHER BETS



Pop 'n' Scotch (Trentham Race 10 No. 16) is massive odds in the G3 Wellington Cup but he is one you just know will run out a strong two miles because he's finished second in the Listed Queensland Cup three years in a row. Veteran jockey Robert Thompson travels to NZ for just one ride. Hmm.


Ninth Legion (Randwick 7 No. 2) won this race two years ago and his only other start at the Randwick 1400m yielded a second to Contributer in a G2 Apollo Stakes. In fact six of his eight career wins are at this trip. The good barrier and the addition of Blake Shinn are both big ticks.

Manolo Blahniq (Moonee Valley Race 7 No. 9) didn't make much of an impression during the Spring but he was taking on some top quality races and fierce opposition like Star TurnAstern and Flying Artie. He's taking on older opposition for the first time here but gets in on the minimum weight and he did show good potential early in his career.

Good punting!

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