Horse Racing

Hong Kong form expert Luke Middlebrook provides his thoughts on every race at the Hong Kong meeting at Happy Valley on Wednesday 27 May. Happy Valley Race 1 3 Solar River Open Race time:  3 Solar River drops into Class 5 and has trialled well leading into this run. He has a couple of encouraging third-place finishes to his name from four and five starts ago, and that form stands him in good stead to break through today.  Selections: 3-6-10-8  Bet Now Happy Valley Race 2 7 Rosewood Fleetfoot Open Race time:  7 Rosewood Fleetfoot has been coming on with each run since joining…

Te Rapa hosts an eight-race card on Sunday, with a mix of flat and jumping races across the meeting. The track is currently rated a Soft6 and the rail is out 10m. While the forecast is clear for Hamilton, being a jumps meeting, I expect they’ll apply irrigation to keep plenty of moisture in the surface. Conditions should remain in the Soft6-Soft7 range throughout the day. Selections for each of the eight below: Te Rapa Race 1 6 Island Hop Island Hop (#6) makes his jumping debut here for the Kevin Myers yard and is sure to be well educated…

Hong Kong form expert Luke Middlebrook provides his thoughts on every race at the Hong Kong meeting at Sha Tin on Sunday 24 May. Sha Tin Race 1 1 Flying Amani Open Race time:  1 Flying Amani drops into Class 5 for the first time, gets blinkers on for the first time and maps for a sweet run from barrier 4 with Purton back in the saddle.  Selections: 1-6-7-2 Bet Now Sha Tin Race 2 14 Come Fast Fay Fay Open Race time:  14 Come Fast Fay Fay piques interest as Zac Purton rides for Jimmy Ting for the first time since December last…

Ellerslie hosts an eight-race program on Saturday, with the track rated a Soft5 and the rail out 3m. The forecast is clear in Auckland leading into and on Raceday, which should see the track remain a Soft5, if not a Good4 come Saturday. Selections for each of the eight below: Ellerslie Race 1 5 Fatal Affair Fatal Affair (#5) is a 2yo Home Affairs filly making her debut for Stephen Marsh. She has created a big impression through her recent trial performances, winning both trials stylishly and showing very sharp early speed in her latest hit-out. With what looks a…

New Plymouth hosts an eight-race program on Saturday, with the track rated a Soft5 and the rail out 3m from the true position. A clear forecast in the Taranaki should see the track present no worse than a Soft5 come race one, possibly upgraded to a Good4 later in the day. Selections for each of the eight races below: New Plymouth Race 1 1 Midnight Train Midnight Train (#1) dropped back to 1400m in a fresh state at Rotorua last start and produced a very good effort for 2nd, diving late and narrowly missing. The rise to a mile on the shorter…

The Group 1 action continues north of the border on 2026 Doomben Cup Day. Rothfire tossed up the first real shock of carnival when he saluted at $67 in the Ladbrokes Doomben 10,000 but focus now shifts to a stacked edition of the Doomben Cup, featuring names like Half Yours, Birdman and Pride Of Jenni. Scroll down for our Doomben tip sheet, featuring 2026 Doomben Cup best bets. Race 1 10 Larrikin Rouge Larrikin Rouge turned in some fine performances last time in, particularly in the early stages of his preparation, while he returned to action this time to fill…

Randwick hosts ten races this Saturday, May 23rd. After a wet weekend and start to the week, the sun has finally started to shine in Sydney but at publish, we’re still looking at a track rated in the Soft (7) range, while the rail will be left in the true position. Check out our Randwick tip sheet below! Randwick Race 1 3 Lady Catalina Having won on debut back in March, Lady Catalina returned from a freshen up to finish midfield here late last month before producing a tough on-pace performance in last weekend’s Listed Woodlands Stakes, finishing third. On…

Wingatui hosts a nine-race program on Friday, with the track rated a Heavy8. A clear but cold forecast in Otago should see the track remain in the Soft7-Heavy8 range throughout the day. Selections for each of the nine races below: Wingatui Race 1 4 American Cheval American Cheval (#4) produced a career peak performance last start when leading throughout for a dominant win over 1400m. The drop back to 1200m is a slight query, however she again maps to settle on speed throughout, whether that be leading herself or trailing Bakers Dozen in the run. She gets another rain-affected surface…

Racing returns to Hastings for the first time since September 2024, with a six-race program set down for Thursday. A clear forecast leading into and on raceday should see the Heavy8 surface improve closer to a Soft7 by the opening event. Selections for each of the six below: Hastings Race 1 2 Countach Countach (#2) is a 3yo son of Wootton Bassett making his debut for Tony Pike. Michael McNab taking the ride from a favourable draw is a big positive and should ensure he receives every opportunity on debut. This doesn’t look the strongest maiden lineup and he appears…