Rocky Newmarket Day | Best Bets + Preview

It's Day 1 of the Rocky Cup Carnival, with eight of the best out of Callaghan Park this afternoon. The Rocky Newmarket comes up in Race 6, with a strong field assembled for the $100,000 feature sprint. We're starting the meeting on a Soft 5, while the rail is out 2.5m the entire way. The first gets going at 12:25pm local time.

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Race 1: Maiden Handicap (1050M)

Mark Currie & Justin Huxtable look to be in for a big afternoon, and they can get the day rolling in the first with Over Draft. He was well backed on debut at Toowoomba but just found one better on that occasion, however he put a big margin on the rest of the field. He'll get the chance to settle from a low draw and should be hard to hold out - provided one of the first starters doesn't jump out of the ground on debut.

Race 2: Class 3 Handicap (1100M)

It's not a race I'm overly keen to bet into. I could make cases easily for the four main hopes (1-2-3-5), and just as easily mount a case against them all, so I'll stay out.

Race 3: 2YO Maiden Handicap (1200M)

This is hopefully the start of a good day in the saddle for Nash Rawiller. Yes, you read that right. Nash is at Rocky. Enforceable looks a cracking type, and in both runs in the South East, he's shown ability. He'll roll forward from the good draw and should be set to peak in his third race start this afternoon.

Race 4: 0-58 Handicap (1300M)

Lone Artist looks one of the better bets on the program for Liam Birchley and that man Nash Rawiller. He started his career in NSW with Bjorn Baker, winning his maiden at Bathursy and running well in some provincial races down there. Both runs for Birchley have been solid, running third and fourth at the Sunny Coast respectively. He was heavily backed the other day, but was scratched at the gates and now finds an easier race and gets Rawiller on.

Race 5: 0-58 Handicap (1600m)

I loved the first-up run of Lupine over 1200m at Toowoomba. He was a little tardy away over a trip short of his best and had the race shape against him. He reeled off the fastest last 200m of the race after being held up in the straight, and now gets to a more suitable trip second-up. The winner of that race, Big Boy George, was a short favourite there and looks set to start hard in the market in a Saturday Metro race tomorrow, so the market clearly respects that form line. With even luck, he should be winning.

Race 6: Rockhampton Newmarket (1300M)

The feature of the day is unsurprisingly the toughest race of the afternoon, so I'm going to have two bets. Bank Maur is the first of those, who brings some genuine Group 1 form from Victoria during his 3YO season, while this prep he has been running well in Listed grade in his past three. He had no luck last start when caught off the track in the Eye Liner, and now draws low with Nash on in weaker grade. He'll take beating.

Also having something on Kathy's Beau. The stable aren't going as well as they often do, but they won this 12 months ago with a similar style of horse in Honkytonk Diva. He'll put himself up on the speed and will tough it out.

Race 7: Belle Of Capricornia (1400M)

There's a fair chance Dream Smart will just explode and blow them away, but the $2.30 seems rock-bottom. Happy to speck Hearsay who was strong at the end of the Battle Of The Bush last Saturday at Eagle Farm over 1200m. She'll enjoy getting to 1400m and the big track suits.

Race 8: 3YO Handicap (1200M)

It's a tough way to finish the afternoon, especially if playing around the favourite Outback Bandit. He's hard enough to beat, but he can mix his form just a touch, despite finishing no worse than third in his past five starts. Joy A Plenty comes north for Daryl Hansen first-up with no public trials, but he rarely misses when he comes to Rocky with runners, so I'm having something on her. She won two of her first three starts, and then has run in some strong races since, including a strong 3YO Handicap at Eagle Farm and the Sunlight Consolation. She can sit off the speed and get over the top late.

Living Breathing - Race 5 #5 Lupine

Selections

Race 1: Over Draft

Race 2: No Bet

Race 3: Enforceable

Race 4: Lone Artist

Race 5: Lupine

Race 6: Bank Maur & Kathy's Beau

Race 7: Hearsay

Race 8: Joy A Plenty