Gai's Tip Sheet
Friday 26th DECEMBER - BEAUMONT NEWCASTLERail Position: TrueSTATE SECRET - Race 2, 1350m, Z Wadick A 57.5kgState Secret is delighting Adrian and I ahead of this assignment. He has taken a big step forward since his encouraging debut at Canberra, and that outing did him the world of good. He showed his inexperience when placed under pressure, but he still fought on bravely to the line and he's learned a huge amount from it. He strips fitter with that race day experience under his belt, so stepping up to 1350 metres looks the ideal progression at this stage. Zac’s claim at this level is an added advantage, and he should be able to use the horse’s tactical speed to his advantage to roll forward and land in a handy position where he can make his own luck on or close to the front end. He will be well suited by this expansive track and long home straight, so if he takes the natural improvement we expect him to from his debut he should run a very competitive race and hopefully be in the finish for you once again.KNIGHTS EMPEROR - Race 4, 1200m, Z Wadick A 57.5kgKnights Emperor is delighting Adrian and I ahead of his debut. He has done everything right in the lead into his first start, and his two trials have given him the right foundation for race day. He improved on his first trial to finish a close fifth in his latest one, where he showed a lot of determination when placed under pressure and kept battling away gamely through the line. These trials have given him a very good educational grounding and fitness base for this assignment, and he has continued to progress nicely at home since. He’s a relatively straightforward gelding who gets on with the job, and we expect Zac to be prominent from barrier 10 to try and get across and control the race from the front. 1200 metres is a suitable starting point for him, and Newcastle's an expansive track with a long home straight so he'll have every opportunity to balance up and hit topflight down the running. He's debuting against some horses with good form for this grade so it won't be easy, but we are looking forward to seeing him get to the races and we hope to see him run a very competitive race to get his career off to an encouraging start.THE LITTLE GENERAL - Race 5, 1350m, Z Wadick A 57.0kgAdrian and I couldn’t be happier with The Little General coming into this assignment. He has kept improving this preparation and we were thrilled with his dominant Hawkesbury win, where he controlled the race from start to finish. He has come through that run in excellent order and hasn't missed a beat since, so he's full of confidence ahead of this outing. He’s a horse with good tactical speed and we expect Zac to be positive early from barrier 10 to try and roll forward and take up the running. This would allow him to control the tempo and make his own luck on the speed, and his turn of foot would be all the more effective. He wasn't stopping through the line at Hawkesbury, so this extra 50 metres looks well within range, and with his confidence high and his rock-solid race fitness we expect him to run another very competitive race and be in the finish.Friday 26th DECEMBER - ROYAL RANDWICKRail Position: +8m Entire BOTTLES OF SHELLS - Race 2, 1200m, R King 55.0kgBottle Of Shells has been pleasing us since her debut run earlier this month. Whilst the result looks a touch disappointing on paper, both Nash and Adrian were positive about the performance. She ran a good race without a lot of luck after slightly missing the start, being caught wide as a result and then having to do plenty of work which just told late. She has taken plenty of natural improvement from that run and, with better luck in running, we feel she can measure up in a race of this class. She will appreciate getting to a bigger track and stepping up to 1200 metres, and both of these factors should allow her to settle into a more comfortable rhythm in the middle stages which will then hopefully enable her to finish her race strongly. Rachel gets a terrific tune out of our horses and we think she will suit her well, so if she enjoys a smooth run in transit we expect her to take a big step forward and be competitive in this. MAJOR BEEL - Race 7, 2000m, R King 56.5kgMajor Beel is delighting Adrian and I ahead of this outing. He has come through his latest win in terrific order, and it really was a fantastic effort where he showed so much tenacity to out battle his rivals. He has since had a trial to keep him ticking over and he has continued to please us at home, so we can't fault him ahead of this. It's a slight step up in grade to Group 3 company so it demands a bit more from him, but he is a proven Stakes race performer and 2000 metres is his sweet spot so this race is as a no brainer for him as the summer goes on. Moreover, the depth of his Listed ATC Cup win has also received a nice boost with Future History going on to win the Listed Christmas Cup at Randwick, so this gives us further confidence. Rachel got a terrific tune out of him last time so we're thrilled that she maintains the partnership here, and if he can get into a comfortable tempo and switch off in the run we see no reason why he won't deliver his trademark kick and be battling out the finish once again. SHANGRI LA SPRING - Race 7, 2000m, R Bayliss 54.0kgShangri La Spring has come back in terrific order since his last run and Adrian and I have been very pleased with how he has trained on. He was excellent when finishing second in the Listed ATC Cup at Rosehill over 2000 metres last time, and it was a brave performance as he kept battling away right to the line. He has since had a trial at Kensington to keep him ticking over and he couldn’t have been more impressive there when winning the heat with Regan aboard, so he comes into this race spot on. The depth of that ATC Cup form has also received a nice boost with Future History going on to win the Listed Christmas Cup at Randwick, so this gives us further confidence. This is a step up to Group 3 company so it’s tougher, but that last run over 2000 metres has given him the right foundation to tackle the distance again and he’s a tough horse so we do think there's more to come from him. If he enjoys a smooth run in transit and gets luck at the right times, we see no reason why he won't be fighting out the finish. Saturday 27th DECEMBER - ROYAL RANDWICKRail Position: +10m 1000m to Winning Post, 8m remainderCOLLECT YOUR CASH - Race 4, 1600m, R King 57.5kgAdrian and I have been very happy with how Collect Your Cash has come through his latest run at Randwick. He didn’t perform to expectations when finishing eighth, but we feel it was an off day and it's not unusual for a horse to race flat second-up off the back of a big effort first-up. Importantly, he has come out of that race well and he's bouncing along at home which is the key. He's dropping back to 1600 metres which isn't our usual preference, but in his case it's a distance that seems to suit him well and Rachel will be positive from barrier 5 to try and land in a forward spot where she can get him travelling strongly throughout. There's only seven runners but it's a tricky little race so it won't be easy, but if he bounces back to his best form there's no reason why he can't make his presence felt.SLY BOOTS - Race 6, 1600m, R Bayliss 58.5kgSly Boots is delighting Adrian and I ahead of this assignment. He was very good when resuming at Randwick a fortnight ago, and we particularly liked the way he travelled through the race before hitting the line strongly. He has taken plenty of improvement from that run and he comes here in great order, so we can't fault him. Stepping up to 1600 metres is ideal for him at this stage of the campaign, and Regan knows him inside out so he will allow him to find his feet early, settle where he’s comfortable and build into the race from the 600 metres. If he reproduces his Randwick effort and takes the natural improvement we expect him to, he should run a very competitive race and be right in the finish.NEWFOUNDLAND - Race 9, 2000m, A Roper 61.0kgNewfoundland is coming up beautifully ahead of this first-up run. His two trials have done their job in getting him fitter, and Adrian and I are very pleased with how he is tracking. He’s a wonderfully genuine stayer who's rarely run a bad race, so whilst his best form is over further 2000 metres is a suitable enough starting point. Anna’s claim is a handy advantage in this grade, and she should be able to land in the first half of the field from barrier 3 and have him travelling comfortably in a rhythm in the middle stages. If the leaders set a genuine gallop it will suit him because all he does is stay, and we expect him to be doing his best work through the line so fingers crossed he can run competitively to get his preparation off to an encouraging start.SHAMARKAND- Race 9, 2000m, R Bayliss 57.5kgShamarkand is progressing pleasingly ahead of his first-up run. Adrian and I have been very happy with how he has been training since the latest of his three trials, and these hit outs have given him a solid fitness base to kick off his preparation with. He's a dour stayer without much speed at all, so 2000 metres is very much a starting point and we expect him to find even this trip to be on the short side. With that said, we've put blinkers on in an attempt to liven him up and try and get him travelling a bit more positively in the run. Regan will see where he lands from barrier 13, but ideally he'd at least settle in midfield to try and pique the horse's interest rather than lobbing around out the back. If the leaders set a genuine gallop it'll suit him, and we just hope to see him either put himself into the race or close off strongly to show he's in good order and to get his preparation off to an encouraging start. SUNDAY 28th DECEMBER - CANBERRAMISS FARNAN - Race 1, 1100m, L Beuzelin 56.0kgMiss Farnan is delighting Adrian and I ahead of her debut. She has done everything right in the lead-up to this race, and her two trials with Louis aboard have been excellent. We love the professionalism and tenacity she's shown, and these trials have given her a very good fitness base and educational grounding for a sharp 1000 metres first-up. Louis knows her well and should be able to have her travelling comfortably in a handy position from barrier 4 before asking her to quicken from the home turn to try and put the race to bed. She's a fast filly and this is a lovely starting point for her, so if she brings her trial form to race day she should be hard to beat here. RUSKANA - Race 3, 1300m, L Beuzelin 57.5kgRuskana is progressing pleasingly since his latest trial, and Adrian and I have been very happy with how he has come to hand ahead of his debut. He has had three trials to prepare for this, so they’ve given him a strong educational grounding as he's had the chance to learn what it's all about. These hit-outs have also built a very solid fitness base for 1300 metres first-up, and he has continued to please us in his training at home since his latest trial. Louis knows him well and he will be positive from barrier 11 to try and get forward into a prominent position so that he isn't being dictated to by the rest of the field. He's debuting at a realistic level and whilst he'll improve for the experience, he's forward enough to run a big race so we hope to see him saluting the judge for you to get his career off to the best possible start. WHACK ATTACK - Race 5, 1600m, Z Wadick 57.5kgWhack Attack is progressing pleasingly, and Adrian and I have been very happy with how he has come through last week's run at Goulburn. He produced a solid effort to finish fourth in Class 1 company in what was a strong race for the grade, and we expect him to take further natural improvement from it as he gradually becomes a more seasoned gelding. Stepping up to 1600 metres looks a positive move at this stage as all he does is keep galloping at the one pace, and Zac should be able to have him travelling comfortably in the run from barrier 4 before he starts to up the tempo from the 800 metres. He won well at this track first-up so he has course form which can count for a lot, and if he can improve over the longer trip we see no reason why he won't be right in the finish. SUNDAY 28th DECEMBER - GOSFORDBELLA MONTAGNA - Race 6, 1600m, R King 54.0kgBella Montagna looks a picture of health at present and she's trained on beautifully since her last run. She attacked the line very strongly on that occasion and would've won with a bit more luck, so she's certainly going the right way. This is a step up to Group 3 level so it's going to be tougher, and the mile on a tight track like Gosford probably isn't her ideal setup. However, it's a valuable race against her own sex and represents a brilliant opportunity for her to try and gain some valuable Black type. Rachel knows her well and from barrier 10 she probably won't have much choice but to bring her back, find a spot where she can travel comfortably and try to work in the race from there. Gosford can be a tricky track to come from behind at, and she'll probably be forced to come wide into the straight, so she's going to need some luck. However, she's in marvellous order and if the leaders go hard up front and set it up for the swoopers we see no reason why she won't be right there at the finish.
