3 minute read

It's a 10 race card at the Valley this Saturday. Certainly a case of quantity over quality but the winners pay the same they say.

Most races are very evenly matched and in early markets there are few if any favourites that look attractive prices. For our bet of the day we head to race eight on the card where the Chris Waller-trained Black On Gold gets our attention.

He ran really well up in Sydney last time, closing strongly against the pattern of the race, and his rating from that effort leaves him looking extremely well handicapped at the Valley.

There's very much the feeling that a big peak is around the corner as well, having seen him improve in big chunks from first to second run back and then from second to third run back.

He won't improve as much here but that last start run looks every bit the run that tops him off. He's ready and $6.00 looks ripe for the picking.

For an each way play we will move on to the last. This isn't a bad handicap for three-year-olds at this time of year with plenty of them having shown bits and pieces of talent but there's very little between them.

Bel Sonic comes up the early favourite, and he's going well, but his racing pattern makes him fairly hard to be warm on.

Sam's Image is the one we are keen to have something on each way. He was ridden too conservatively last time but up to 1200m here he should go on and take control of the race.

That gives him a big of an edge against the likes of Bel Sonic and his best form, as intermittently as we might see it, rates as well as anything in the race. $13.00 looks worth taking.

THE MELBOURNE MAIL

Each way play: Race 10 #4 Sam's Image @ $13.00