Gai's Tip Sheet
WEDNESDAY 25th FEBRUARY - ROSEHILLRail Position: +7M Entire BUBBLES UP, Race 1, 1200m, 2.20pm, T Clark, 57.5kgBubbles Up is delighting us ahead of her first start. Her two trials this time in have been very encouraging, and was still full of running through the line when finishing second in her most recent one so we couldn’t be happier with what she’s shown us thus far. 1200 metres is a lovely starting point for her, and Tim will be positive from barrier 1 to try and land in a prominent position where she can enjoy all the favours in the run. She’s conceding race experience to her key rivals which isn’t easy to do, but she’s debuting against her own age and sex which is always preferable so this adds confidence. She’s a lovely filly with a great attitude, so if she can enjoy some luck in running we hope to see her fighting out the finish to get her career off to an exciting start. HELLUVA KISS, Race 1, 1200m, 2.20pm, R Bayliss, 57.5kgHelluva Kiss ran a fantastic race on debut at Wyong. She was forced to travel widest of all into the straight so she conceded a bit of ground, but she knuckled down extremely gamely to the line and she was doing all her best work late so we expect the step up to 1200 metres to suit her enormously. This more expansive track and longer home straight will also play to her strengths, and Regan will try to roll forward from barrier 9 and settle on or just in behind the speed as he did last time. This is a lovely race for her against her own age and sex, and with natural improvement forthcoming we hope to see her right there at the finish. DOUBLE VISION, Race 3, 1500m, 3.30pm, A Hyeronimus, 58.5kgDouble Vision couldn’t be in better shape ahead of this run. She hasn’t put a foot wrong in her two outings thus far this preparation, and she was unlucky to be reeled in over the concluding stages when finishing a close second at Warwick Farm most recently. Two horses have since come out of that race and won Super Maidens at the provincials, so the form’s had a boost and she certainly deserves to be the next one to shed her maiden tag. She’s stretching out to 1500 metres here which we think will suit her now that she’s third-up in her preparation, and Rosehill’s a track where we have a lot of success so we expect it to suit her racing pattern. Adam will be positive from barrier 10 to try and get across and hold a handy spot, and whilst this is another competitive race her hoof is firmly on the till and it’ll take a good one to beat her. CENTENARIO, Race 4, 2400m, 4.05pm, R Bayliss, 58kgCentenario is a gelding who’s simply thriving at present. He went on from his promising first-up run when winning at Canterbury last time, and he’s been full of confidence ever since. We’ve always had faith in him and he’s required some patience, but he’s certainly starting to repay us all now which is so rewarding. He finds himself in the same grade of race he won last time but he’s gone up in the weights and has 2kg more on his back, so he needs to keep improving. However, the step up to 2400 metres can bring about further improvement and we expect him to relish every yard of it. He’s drawn barrier 1 but we know by now that he tends to settle in midfield, so Regan will let him land where he’s comfortable and ride the race accordingly. His last four starts have all been at Canterbury where he’s performed extremely well, but we do expect him to be well-suited by this change to a more expansive track so this adds further confidence. Regan knows him inside out and this race is the perfect steppingstone for him to continue going through his grades, so we expect him to be extremely hard to beat. LITTLE IRIS, Race 6, 1500m, 5.15pm, T Clark, 58kgLittle Iris ran a fantastic race to finish second at Warwick Farm last time. She was beaten by a colt who has since gone on to win again and looks like a smart type, so she lost absolutely nothing in defeat. She now finds herself back against her own sex which is a big tick, and the step up to 1500 metres is something she’ll relish. Tim will roll forward from barrier 7 to try and control the race to suit himself, and with further improvement to come third-up in her preparation we think it’ll take a smart filly to beat her. WEDNESDAY 25th FEBRUARY - LAUNCESTONRail Position: +3M Entire MAJOR BEEL, Race 9, 2400m, 5.29pm, W Costin, 60kgMajor Beel is thriving ahead of this run. He’s clocked up plenty of air miles during his career thus far but he loves it, and he’s had a real spring in his step since arriving in Tasmania. He couldn’t be happier in his new surroundings, and a change of scene often works wonders for these older geldings. He’s the top rated horse in the field by quite a margin so he’s got to concede weight all round which doesn’t make life easy, however he’s got the weight for a reason and it’s because the handicapper says he’s the best horse in the race. He went down all guns blazing at Magic Millions in January, and this additional 200 metres is probably what he’s looking for at this stage of his preparation. His recent tick over trial at Canterbury confirmed his wellbeing and Winona gets a terrific tune out of our horses, so if he enjoys some luck in running we see no reason why he won’t be challenging at the finish.
