Sandown Park Greyhounds Tips & Betting Preview May 1st 2014
Race 1 – 515M Grade 5 – 7:08PM
Xtreme Knocka is a promising chaser who caught the eye when scoring here recently in 29.85. After a slow start, he mustered speed quickly and worked his way through the field before hitting the line solidly. Tonight he has a slow beginner drawn directly underneath him, so he should get a clear run initially and be able to find the rails soon after box rise. I think he can get down to around the 29.50 mark and that should be enough to win this event.
Ever Alert backed up his sizzling 23.74 Bendigo win with a top placing here last week. In his brief career to date he has had three starts from wide draws and has been impressive in all three. Tonight he should once again settle near the speed and if Xtreme Knocka makes any mistakes I expect him to capitalise.
Lektra Hawk is the likely leader and he found his best form with an all the way 30.16 Meadows win last week. This is a big rise in class and the last 50 metres is the only concern. Include in your exotics.
Top Four: 2 – 8 – 4 – 1
Suggested Bet: Win bet on Xtreme Knocka, rove in quinella with 1,4,8
Race 2 – 515M Grade 5 – 7:25PM
My Jack Rabbit was desperately unlucky here last week and tonight he will get to exit a more favourable draw. Soon after box rise he was looking to move wide and was never given any space to muster speed. Tonight he has a slow beginner drawn either side and he should get some open running as they charge for the first turn. He has a slick 29.48 PB here and if runs anywhere near that again he will win easy.
Oakvale Destiny had no luck in last week's QLD Futurity final after winning her heat in a brilliant 30.01. With the big drop in class she will be looking to make her presence felt. The only downside is that she can bomb the start at times, however when she does step cleanly she can record very fast times, her 29.76 Cranbourne win in April is evidence of that.
Outside of the top two it is very open, Cosmic Rush has plenty of ability but can be inconsistent, whilst Terrorizer is expected to lead but he does fall in a hole late. Include both of those in your exotic bets.
Top Four: 6 – 2 – 7 – 8
Suggested Bets:
Trifecta: 6/2,4,7,8/2,4,7,8 ($12 for $1)
Trifecta: 2,6/2,6/Field ($12 for $1)
Race 3 – 595M Grade 5 – 7:44PM
Mepunga Tiara was far from disgraced when placed here last week and tonight from the coveted red alley she should return to the winners list. After missing the start she managed to push her way through into a prominent position, although beaten seven lengths she still hit the line solidly and her personal time was very respectable. With two slow beginners and wide runners drawn directly outside, she should find herself settling in the first three as they head into the straight the first time and from there on she should prove too strong.
Zell Bale was a recent finalist in the Launching Pad here and tonight I would expect him to show a little more early dash. Although he normally scouts wide, his record from inside draws is very impressive and his box manners appear to be better. A repeat of his 34.50 Meadows win in February would see him as a major player in this.
Untraceable is making his middle distance debut and is expected to start favourite. I think he is a big risk, normally a slow beginner, he relies heavily on being able to muster speed soon after box rise. From the bend start he has no chance of getting any room early. Fachoong and Athos look to be the other winning chances.
Top Four: 1 – 2 – 6 – 7
Suggested Bets: Win bet on Mepunga Tiara, rove in quinella with 2,6,7.
Race 4 – 515M GRV VBIS Maiden Final – 8:08PM
After two rounds of heats, tonight's final looks to be a very open affair. I have settled on the early speed drawn in the middle. In his two heat efforts, Summer Wages has recorded 5.11 to the first marker and that should be enough for him to settle in the first two. In the first round he went on to score in a slick 29.50 and that is faster than any other of tonight's finalists.
Blinder has also shown tremendous early speed in her two runs to date. In the first round of heats she led clearly and recorded a smart 29.70, a repeat of that will see her in contention for the majority of the trip. She was a tad disappointing in the second round but I think she will be better for the experience.
Lady Toy and Nicki Fields look to be the only other winning hopes. Lady Toy is expected to hit the line solidly, she is a must for your exotic bets.
Top Four: 5 – 4 – 3 – 8
Suggested Bet: Win bet on Summer Wages.
Race 5 – 515M Bill Collins Memorial – 8:28PM
Hooksy returns to Victoria after three brilliant Wentworth Park wins and you would have to be a fool to tip against him. His latest win was in a breathtaking 29.36 and if he can step cleanly he will put a space in this lot. He will be quite short, at around the $1.80 mark, but I'm not game enough to take him on.
My Bro Fabio is expected to get a long way back early but last start he showed that her has matured a lot. After missing the kick he weaved his way through the field and hit the line strongly when scoring a top 29.38 win. Obviously he can't give Hooksy a head start and win but the quinella spot looks very likely.
Iona Seven was a shade disappointing at The Meadows last weekend but she may show improvement from the red draw. Mepunga Melachi and Cornelius Fudge are both strong place chances.
Top Four: 6 – 2 – 3 – 7
Suggested Bet: Trifecta 6/2,3,7/1,2,3,5,7 ($12 for $1)
Race 6 – 595M Bert Bryant Memorial – 8:52Pm
In the past few weeks I have taken Prue Bale on because I had doubts she could run out the journey, however after three impressive performances I find it hard to steer away from her. Last week she pinged the lids and recorded a 34.13 win here. If she rolls to the lead again it will take a mighty performance from her competitors to reel her in. At the $3.50 I think she is a great bet.
Allen Deed has a great record at this track and over this journey. Tonight he has slow beginners drawn either side of him and this should allow him to get through the first bend relatively unscathed. When given clear galloping room he is capable of reeling off sizzling times.
Campaspe Will is the likely favourite and he was impressive in his win here last week, however he has been missing the kick of late and from the middle pin he is likely to get buried back in the early stages. Hailstorm Billy is as honest as they come and he will be hitting the line hard, whilst Shadow Lane is a great chance at double figure odds.
Top Four: 1 – 3 – 4 – 2
Suggested Bet: Win bet on Prue Bale, rove in quinella with 2,3,4.
Race 7 – 515M Grade 4 – 9:11PM
Great Spartacus has been racing in consistent form of late and tonight he is surprisingly well drawn in the middle. With a slow beginner drawn underneath he should get every chance to muster pace and drive to the early lead. If you go back through his form, it's worth noting that he smashed a quality field at The Meadows in March when recording a smart 29.89, that would be more than enough to get the job done tonight.
Humphrey Bale could be the surprise packet of the race. I'm expecting him to start around the $9.00 mark, but he is a much better chance than that. In recent times he has been racing without luck and tonight he meets a field which doesn't have a great deal of early speed. If Great Spartacus happens to make a mistake early I am expecting Humphrey Bale to capitalise, definitely worth a saver bet.
Kid Maximus has the good draw but he is very unreliable. Mepunga Ranger has a solid record here and he can show early speed at times, he must be included.
Top Four: 5 – 7 – 4 – 3
Suggested Bets: Win bets on Great Spartacus and Humphrey Bale (more on Great Spartacus).
Race 8 – 715M Lizrene Classic – 9:28PM
The main race of the night has assembled a star studded line up and there are two possible scenarios. The first is Xylia Allen runs the trip out and breaks the track record or she folds up late and Sweet It Is runs over the top late like she did in Sydney.
I'm tipping that Xylia Allen will get the job done. After smashing the 720m Wentworth Park track record in a heat of the Association Cup, she backed up the following week and ran a tiring third. I am willing to adopt the second up syndrome theory and give her the chance to redeem herself. She should have no trouble finding the lead tonight and her win two starts ago was absolutely phenomenal.
Sweet It Is looks to be the obvious danger, the finishing burst she produced to win the Association Cup had to be seen to be believed and Darren Mcdonald has helped her find a few lengths since acquiring her. Tonight I would expect her to be giving Xylia Allen a monster start and I think she may just leave her run a little too late.
Rocky Bale is the only other possible winning hope, he has relished the step up in distance of late and he produced a mighty performance when placed here last week. If he can avoid early bother he may be in a position to cause an upset.
Top Four: 7 – 6 – 8 – 3
Suggested Bets:
Trifecta: 7/6/3,8 ($2 for $1)
Trifecta: 7/6/1,2,3,8 ($4 for $1)
Trifecta: 7/6,8/1,2,3,6,8 ($8 for $1)
Race 9 – 595M Mixed 4/5 – 9:52PM
Know Class really caught my eye when placed here last week. The ex kiwi chaser stepped well from his middle draw and surprisingly showed quite a bit of early dash, after getting burnt off in the middle stages he managed to find the line strongly to only go down by two lengths in very fast time. From the red draw he should almost lead and prove very hard to run down. He should be around the $4.00 mark which is good value.
Nockabout Aussie has a ridiculous amount of talent but he doesn't always show it. Last week he found bother early before steaming home to run second behind the in form Prue Bale. Tonight there appears to be a bit of pace drawn underneath and if he can miss the start like normal, he should be able to find the rails early on and that will allow him to show his best.
Tick Bale has been very costly of late but he is always thereabouts. Once again the box draw may bring him undone but you can never leave him out of your exotics. Ema's Princess could be the smokey. She can ping the lids at times and she wasn't disgraced here last week.
Top Four: 1 – 5 – 3 – 4
Suggested Bets: Win bets on Know Class and Nockabout Aussie.
Race 10 – 515M Mixed 4/5 – 10:14PM
Dyna Geldof was surprisingly slow to begin here last week but he still managed to find the line strongly and go down by less than two lengths. With a fast beginner drawn underneath, he should be able to get a nice cart across in the early stages and then find himself in a prominent position as they head for the back straight. With Awesome Project expected to start favourite, Dyna Geldof should go around at nice overs.
Ozzy Bale has been missing the kick of late, however box one might help him change his fortunes. He has been hitting the line hard of late and tonight he should be able to settle much closer to the speed. He too will be over the odds and it may be worth having a saver bet on him.
Obviously Awesome Project is a winning chance but I'm not willing to take the short odds on offer. The form of Giddy's Star may look average on paper but her record here is impeccable, she has the ability to cause a boilover.
Top Four: 6 – 1 – 7 – 4
Suggested Bets:
Trifecta: 1,6,7/1,6,7/1,3,4,5,6,7 ($24 for $1)
Boxed Quinella: 1,6,7 ($3 for $1)
Race 11 – 515M Grade 5 – 10:38PM
In an open affair I've decided to look for early speed. Lavender Brown has been racing in much stronger company of late and she recently broke five seconds to the first marker here. If she can find the front tonight she should hit the line a little better as there doesn't appear to be any overly strong runners in the line up.
Dundee Toro was in a prominent position when he found bother here last week and he still managed to battle on and hold on for the runner up spot. Tonight he has the luxury of slow beginners drawn either side so he should once again find himself in a prominent position early.
Missile Flash made a mistake from this draw at The Meadows on Saturday and that is a bit of a concern again, she will need to do everything right at box rise to feature. Searle Bale may be a little value tonight, I expect her to be around $20.00, but on her night she is more than capable. From box eight she may get a clear run early and that will allow her to return to some form.
Top Four: 4 – 7 – 8 – 1
Suggested Bets: Win bets on Lavender Brown and Searle Bale (saver bet on Searle Bale).
Race 12 – 515M Grade 5 – 10:58PM
We should be able to finish the night off on a high with Footluce Diva. After making a solid start to her career she has managed to find a leg or three over the past fortnight. In her past two starts she has fired to the early lead and put a space in her rivals and on both occasions she impressed on the clock. If she reproduces her 29.35 effort she will win quite easily.
Dynamo's Gift made his metro debut her last week and he was far from disgraced when placed behind Footluce Diva. Tonight he has drawn poorly again but I expect he will continue to improve, with some luck in running he can give the favourite a scare.
Lou Todd and Mepunga Ledger look to be the other main hopes, however both will rely heavily on luck in the early stages, place claims look best.
Top Four: 4 – 5 – 3 – 2
Suggested Bets:
Trifecta: 4/2,3,5/1,2,3,5,6,7 ($15 for $1)
Trifecta: 4,5/4,5/Field ($12 for $1)
Quaddies
6/1,2,3,4,5/1,3,4,5,6,7/6,7 ($60 for $1)
6/1/1,3,4,5,6,7/6,7,8 ($18 for $1)