3 minute read

It's the Australian Steeple and Hurdle at Sandown on Saturday as well as a solid card of flat racing for this time of year.

There's a handful of short-priced options on the card but none of them really appeal at early prices and so we will roll right on through to race eight for our bet of the day and it's the Lindsay Park-trained Smooth Landing who we are keen to be with.

Her latest run looks very plain on face value but the lack of tempo there exposed her for speed. That lack of speed is what saw her a long way from the bunny in a fast (too fast) tempo race prior to that but she charged through the line to finish second there and produce what looks a terrific piece of form for a race like this.

She ran well against top fillies back in the spring, albeit without threatening, and her ratings from those runs are very good for the task she faces on Saturday.

The real key to her chances on Saturday lies with the map. The lead looks like being strongly contested and that can give Smooth Landing her chance in a sustained battle as opposed to a test of top speed.

For an each way play we are looking to another coming back from an Adelaide adventure.

Again pace looks a key, this time with the free-rolling Greycliffe.

He was allowed to roll along at an even sort of tempo - by a good rider in that scenario - two back and produced a top effort to be beaten less than a length into second in a race that produced plenty of winners.

Held up at a slow pace last time he was blown away in a dash for home.

He's better than that and $19.00 looks a huge price about a horse with obvious excuses last time.

THE MELBOURNE MAIL

Bet Of The Day: Race 8 #8 Smooth Landing @ $5.50

Each Way Play: Race 6 #2 Greycliffe @ $19.00