Saturday Racing Tips Eagle Farm 16/12/23

There are just a few Saturday meetings between now and 2024, so we hope to end the year on a high, starting at Eagle Farm this weekend. The horse racing bookmakers look to have left some meat on the bones of the prices on Saturday afternoon, so we are looking to take advantage of that with a few winners. We hope that the best bet of the afternoon will live up to his name.

(Note: Odds provided by Bet365)

Best of the Day	Eagle Farm Race 9 #4 Far Too Easy	Win: $2.10 Bet Now	Place: $1.30 Bet Now
Next Best	Eagle Farm Race 8 #9 Abounding	Win: $3.40 Bet Now	Place: $1.75 Bet Now
Roughie of the Day	Eagle Farm Race 6 #4 The Drover	Win: $15.00 Bet Now	Place: $3.90 Bet Now

Eagle Farm Race 6 - BM 78 Handicap (1400m)

Selections:
#7 Sha Of Gomer - $3.60
#8 Hamlet Von Snitzel - $8.50
#4 The Drover (ROUGHIE OF THE DAY) - $15.00
#12 Light Of Boom - $4.80

BEST BET - #7 Sha Of Gomer
A track and distance winner on his first start of this prep when he was on the pace, he was further back when running on late last time out, only beaten a length in a stronger race than this. The return to this track should be a plus for him as he has two wins and a second from four races here. He has only had 15 starts in his life, so there might still be a little bit more to come from him, and he is in good hands with Chris Waller in charge of his campaigning.

THE DANGER - #8 Hamlet Von Snitzel
There does not look to be much pace in this race, which should allow this gelding to get a soft time on the front end. He has only managed to get his head in front once in the last 12 months, which means he is more of a place prospect than a winner, even though this maps to suit. He does not have the strongest record at this track without a win in seven starts, but that most recent effort was strong. He has been behind both Sha Of Gomer and The Drover of late, so he has plenty of collateral form with them to play a leading role.

VALUE BET - #4 The Drover
A smart winner at Doomben two starts back, things did not go as well last time out when only seventh at the same track. His win was on a Soft 5 which is probably as deep as he wants, Soft 6 last time when below that level. He has a pair of wins on good ground, which he is likely to encounter here and will be a big help to him. His form has been hot and cold throughout his career, but he has the talent to be a big player at a roughie price if he is on a going day.

Eagle Farm Race 8 - Gold Edition Plate (1200m)

Selections:
#9 Abounding (NEXT BEST) - $3.40
#6 Show Me Mercy - $5.00
#7 Spirit Of Mac - $9.00
#4 Deep Respect - $7.50

BEST BET - #9 Abounding
She has only finished outside the first three once in nine career starts when she was fourth. In four attempts in Stakes class races, she has yet to get her head in front, runner-up three times, and third in the other. She has done the best of her racing when encountering a good surface, a close-up second in a Group 3 at Sunshine Coast in April. That was over this trip of 1200m, so this looks like the ideal opportunity to get her head in front for the first time in this grade.

THE DANGER - #6 Show Me Mercy
The winner of three of his four starts looks worth a try at this level. It was a BM70 that he won over this track and trip at the end of September, spelled for the 11 and a half weeks since. He has won both times that he has been first up in a prep, so fresh is a good time to catch him. This is by far the most challenging race he has encountered in his career, but there is undoubtedly more to come from him, given how few bites of the cherry he has had.

VALUE BET - #7 Spirit Of Mac
One win in his four career runs came on the Polytrack at Aquis Park. He ran better on a soft surface than a good one in his two starts on turf so far, so he won’t mind a bit of rain. That was over 1200m, his first start at this distance, which bodes well for this step-up in grade. This is a tougher task for him to try and handle, but there has been enough promise from the form in the book to take his chance seriously.

Eagle Farm Race 9 - Lough Neagh Stakes (1400m)

Selections:
#4 Far Too Easy (BEST BET) - $2.10
#1 Scallopini - $7.00
#5 Irish Songs - $11.00
#6 The Big Goodbye - $10.00

BEST BET - #4 Far Too Easy
He only made it to the track for a single race in the spring, but that was when he was third in the Kosciuszko. That is a very strong line of form to bring into this Listed contest, a level he has been second at three times already. He deserves to break his duck in this grade, and clearly, fresh is no concern for him given the strength of that performance at Randwick, having finished second in the same race the year before. The five-year-old is worth another try at this distance and should be hard to beat.

THE DANGER - #1 Scallopini
The veteran is a three-time winner in this grade, saluting in 13 of his 44 career starts. The nine-year-old has been a long way below his best the last twice that he has been seen on the track, but one of those was a Group 1. The winner of three starts at this track in the past, he is worth giving another chance to prove that he can still get involved at this sort of level.

VALUE BET - #5 Irish Songs
Another veteran who has more than enough back form in the book to warrant giving plenty of respect at this level. He has three wins from seven starts in this grade, the most recent of those coming over this same track and trip back in September when saluting in the Tattersall’s Members Cup. He was a $16.00 roughie that day, so it was a bit of a surprise to punters, but he beat a solid field for the level without it looking like any sort of a fluke. Below par in three starts since, but these veterans often bounce back out of nowhere.

Bet365 is our top bookmaker for our horse racing tips this week. They are one of the biggest bookmakers in the world and have an assortment of markets that most bookmakers could only dream about. One of the most significant advantages of betting with bet365 is watching a live stream of all the action. It is hard to compete with their level of sport shown live. As a company born in the UK, it is no surprise that you can bet on all of the horse racing across Europe and America and all of the Australian action. There are always boosts and special offers to take advantage of, as well as offering prices that match up well with their competitors.

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Jockey Of The Day – James Orman

A smart book of rides on Saturday afternoon for James Orman, including a couple that we think will have strong winning chances. The online betting prices suggest he will have a winner or two on the afternoon at least.

R1 - #10 - Invinovich - $8.50
R2 - #9 - Fleur Du Monde - $10.00
R4 - #5 - Maid To Fit - $4.20
R5 - #2 - Mass Destruction - $8.50
R6 - #7 - Sha Of Gomer - $3.60
R7 - #4 - Kirikan - $7.00
R8 - #4 - Deep Respect - $7.50
R9 - #4 - Far Too Easy - $2.10
R10 - #5 - Rousseau - $6.00