3 minute read
There are four meetings set to take place on Monday, including at Pakenham and Warwick where nine-race cards are set to take place.
They also race at Corowa and Gunnedah.
Race 9 PakenhamGin O'Clock @ 9.00
Race 5 CorowaStar Buyer @ 3.00
Race 8 WarwickStormtrooper @ 5.50
Gin to score at Pakenham
They race on the synthetic track at Pakenham with the final race on the card a 1400m Benchmark 70 handicap.
Truffle Finder is expected to jump as favourite, having built on three consecutive top-three finishes when winning at Cranbourne on his penultimate start.
The gelding jumped at short odds for that Class 1 handicap over 1400m with the soft 5 track in his favour that day.
The four-year-old raced at metro level when racing in a Sandown Benchmark 70 handicap subsequently.
Clinton McDonald's representative registered a decent sixth in a 12-runner contest that day and he tackles an easier event here.
GIN O'CLOCK is preferred on this occasion with the ex-European galloper having registered two wins since switching hemispheres.
The first of those wins saw him triumph by nearly six lengths when contesting a 1600m Class 1 set weights contest at Corowa in early December.
The five-year-old resumed this prep with a creditable fifth in a 1300m Benchmark 64 handicap at Cranbourne in May.
Luke Nolen, on board that day and set to ride here, was again in the saddle when the 9.00 pick triumphed by a narrow margin upped to 1500m at Geelong 6th June.
While that Geelong event has yet to produce a winner, it's of note that the third, fifth and sixth have all registered placed efforts in the interim.
The selection won a synthetic track when trained in the UK while the Ben, JD & Will Hayes team boast a 32% strike-rate (7/22) here this season.
Star to shine on debut for Dale
The most valuable race on the Corowa card is a 1200m Class 3 handicap set to take place on a soft 5 surface.
Trainer Ron Stubbs boasts a 31% strike-rate (4/13) in the last 30 days and his Magmetric is expected to have his supporters.
The son of Magnus was one of those four winners when registering a four-length victory in an 1175m Benchmark 58 handicap at Albury 24th June.
The gelding was racing second up when encountering a soft 6 track that day and he has experience of this track having placed third over 1300m here in December.
Nick Heywood's mount STAR BUYER is the pick here, however, having registered some good efforts earlier this season.
Those efforts included two top-three finishes over 1300m, including when beaten less than a length in a Benchmark 64 handicap in October.
A fair fourth when stepped up to 1400m at Wagga followed, prior to a length third back over 1300m in a Benchmark 70 handicap held on a soft 6 track at Wodonga.
The 3.00 selection has changed trainers since that Wodonga effort on 24th November and he is taken to make a winning debut for the Matthew Dale stable here.
Stormtrooper goes for Warwick glory
The penultimate race at Warwick is a 1200m Benchmark 58 handicap, with STORMTROOPER taking the eye despite a wide barrier.
The seven-year-old has won twice this prep, including when taking out a 1350m Restricted 58 handicap here in May.
The 5.50 pick recorded fourth-place finishes on his next three starts, including when racing over the same distance in a Benchmark 62 handicap at Ipswich.
The gelding's second victory this prep saw him race over this distance when contesting a Benchmark 58 handicap at Kilcoy last month.
The son of El Nino raced on the speed in that Kilcoy contest and, with similar tactics expected, he is taken to complete a double to record his third win at this venue.
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