| What | Ballarat Races |
| Where | Ballarat Turf Club – 240 Kennedys Rd, Miners Rest VIC 3352 |
| When | Friday, August 18, 2023 |
| First Race | 1pm AEST |
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Visit Ladbrokes |
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This Friday, for the second time this week, racing heads to the Ballarat synthetic track. An eight-race program is set to greet punters, with a typical winter’s day forecast. Being up on speed should be no disadvantage, but look for jockeys wanting to keep their mounts in clear air as much as possible to avoid kickback. Racing gets underway at 1pm AEST.
Best Bet at Ballarat: Princess Raffles
The Ben, Will & JD Hayes-trained Princess Raffles was a smart winner on the Pakenham synthetic on July 22 and looks to have found the right race on Friday. The five-year-old mare put together two minor placings in 0-58 company before her last-start win in a performance that said she was worth sticking with. She has shown some tactical versatility in recent times, so from barrier four, Jamie Mott can take his time to find a spot midfield with cover. With a genuine tempo expected, the race looks set up for Princess Raffles to blouse the leaders.
Best Bet
Race 7 – 
#9 Princess Raffles (4)
5yo Mare | T: Ben & JD Hayes | J: Jamie Mott (58.5kg)
Bet with PlayUp
Next Best at Ballarat: Meetmein Melbourne
The Tony & Calvin McEvoy-trained Meetme In Melbourne has been nothing but consistent over the past two months on the Ballarat synthetic, posting two wins and two seconds. The four-year-old stays in BM64 company following her last-start second behind Steel Jimmy at the Ballarat 1200m. With Ryan Houston hopping on board and claiming 2kg, the Russian Revolution mare gets in perfectly with 58.5kg on her back. If Houston can find the lead or, at worst, settle outside the leader, Meetmein Melbourne should prove too good for this lot.
Next Best
Race 4 – 
#1 Meetmein Melbourne (6)
4yo Mare | T: Tony & Calvin McEvoy | J: Ryan Houston (a2) (60.5kg)
Bet with Boombet
Best Value at Ballarat: Sailor’s Rum
Sailor’s Rum knows only one way: jump, lead, and try to run his rivals off their feet. It almost worked at Swan Hill on August 3, when he was nabbed late over the 975m. He draws barrier two on Friday under Jamie Mott and looks set to gain a relatively uncontested lead. He had his first start on this track three races back and was well beaten off a torrid run when caught wide up on speed, but if Sailor’s Rum can build on his last-start third, he could prove hard to run down.
Best Value
Race 2 – 
#7 Sailor’s Rum (2)
3yo Gelding | T: Tony & Calvin McEvoy | J: Jamie Mott (57kg)
Bet with Bet365
Friday quaddie tips for Ballarat synthetic races
Ballarat quadrella selections
Friday, August 18, 2023
- 1-3-4-9
- 2-4-5-6
- 7-9
- 1-3-7
Investment: $96 for 100%
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