Caulfield full racing tips & best bets | Saturday, August 27

Race 1: BM78 Handicap (2000m)

Opening races do not get much tougher than what greets punters at Caulfield on Saturday where a massive field of 15 stayers face the starter. Despite not having tasted success this campaign, the Danny O’Brien-trained Americain Angel has been there or thereabouts and strikes a winnable race this time around. She ran her to best on a firmer deck last time out when finishing third behind Barbie’s Fox and Rusutsu at the Caulfield 1600m. Americain Angel boasts a record of 7: 3-2-0 on rain-affected tracks, with those two placings coming on Heavy surfaces. She can handle the conditions and will be wary of getting trapped deep from barrier 14, but we anticipate Damian Lane will have her fighting out the finish.

• 9
  

  AMERICAIN ANGEL

• 12
  

  STORM KING

• 13
  

  HANAADY

• 2
  

  FIFTH POSITION

Race 2: Mares BM90 Handicap (1400m)

The Ken & Kasey Keys yard is low-flying at the moment and we are hoping Zimowy can keep her strong form going as well. The seven-year-old mare managed to beat a handy field at Flemington on August 6, where despite being trapped three wide with no cover, managed to finish the better and looks well placed to bring up back-to-back wins. She is a proven wet tracker having won four times and placed on a further four occasions when able to get her toe into the ground. Billy Egan sticks on board and from barrier five, the pair should gain a perfect run in transit and at a nice double figure quote with online bookmakers, Zimowy looks a great bank builder early on.

• 4
  

  ZIMOWY

• 9
  

  STARLIGHT SCOPE

• 5
  

  LADY OF HONOUR

• 7
  

  SAIGON

Race 3: BM78 Handicap (1400m)

The Graheme Begg-trained Cardinal Gem is a model of consistency and looks well-placed by the stable, despite the competitive field he faces. He can be frustrating to back on a win basis for punters considering his horrid racing pattern of getting back upon settling and launching late to be deemed as an “eye-catcher” 75% of the time. However, with plenty of speed in this 1400m BM78, the race looks perfectly set up for Jordan Childs to have this bloke settled at the rear of the field and when asked for an effort, we anticipate he will sprout wings inside the final furlong and ultimately prove too hard to hold out at a nice price with Ladbrokes.

• 14
  

  CARDINAL GEM

• 13
  

  ATTRACTABLE

• 11
  

  EL ROCKO

• 6
  

  SO RISQUE

Race 4: Handicap (1400m)

Buffalo River gave a massive sight out in front in the P.B Lawrence Stakes last time out when beaten a half-length by the ever-impressive Mr Brightside. That was arguably one of his best performances on a firmer deck, as this bloke absolutely laps up the wet ground. He gets his preferred ground on Saturday boasting a remarkable record of 12: 6-3-1 on rain-affected going. He goes around with just 57kg on his back following Logan McNeil’s 3kg claim. In a race where he should gain an uncontested lead, Buffalo River should prove too hard to run down and looks to be one of the better bets of the day.

• 2
  

  BUFFALO RIVER

• 3
  

  BANKERS CHOICE

• 9
  

  GENTLEMAN ROY

• 12
  

  NICOLINI VITO

Race 5: H.D.F McNeil Stakes (1200m)

Impressive last start Sandown maiden winner Aft Cabin is now one of the market elects for the Caulfield Guineas in October and a win on Saturday will further solidify his claim as the one to beat. The three-year-old colt out of the Godolphin yard should arguably be undefeated after two starts, but peaked on his run late on debut to be caught on the winning post. He backed that effort up with a dominant six-length win at Sandown on a Soft 5 back on August 10 and did so with plenty left in reserve. This is a big step up in class, but from barrier three under the capable hands of Jamie Kah, Aft Cabin should gain a perfect run-in transit. With race fitness under his belt compared to most of his main market rivals, Aft Cabin should prove a bit too sharp for a quality field in the McNeil Stakes.

• 12
  

  AFT CABIN

• 10
  

  ZAMBORGHINI

• 6
  

  JACQUINOT

• 4
  

  CROSSWINDS

Race 6: The Heath 1100 (1100m)

The Group 3 The Heath 1100 opens the quaddie on Saturday and we are hoping the Clinton McDonald-trained Star Patrol can pick up where he left off during the autumn. The four-year-old gelding strung together three consecutive wins last campaign before a last start second in the A.R. Creswick Stakes behind the smart Passive Aggressive. He comes to this on the back of a smart trial behind subsequent Carlyon Stakes winner Bella Nipotina and if he is anywhere near his best, Star Patrol is the one we want to be on. Ben Melham takes the steer and from barrier 11, should gain a nice cart across the field with speed drawn either side of him. If Star Patrol is within striking distance on the home turn, his turn of foot is sharp and with a win could stamp himself a s a genuine Group 1 contender this spring.

• 10
  

  STAR PATROL

• 3
  

  GENERATION

• 4
  

  IN THE BOAT

• 2
  

  KALLOS

Race 7: W.W. Cockram Stakes (1200m)

The word star gets thrown around too often, but the Grahame Begg-trained Passive Aggressive could be just that by the end of the spring. The four-year-old mare has four wins to her name from as many starts and that includes a win over Star Patrol who we fancy in the race prior. It is simply too hard to knock the way this girl goes about her racing. She has perfect barrier manners, wants to lead and continually keeps on kicking in the home straight when running good time. This is by far her hardest test to date, but with a few of her key market rivals wanting further or potentially being vulnerable first-up, the race shapes up perfectly for Passive Aggressive to lead throughout. She is a clear best bet of the day.

• 7
  

  PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE

• 11
  

  CHAIN OF LIGHTNING

• 1
  

  GRACEFUL GIRL

• 3
  

  FLYING MASCOT

Race 8: Memsie Stakes (1400m)

The Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) is the first Group 1 in Victoria for the new racing season and what a cracking field we have awaiting us. Eight of the 14 runners have tasted success at Group 1 level and the market with horse betting sites show that with Western Empire and Alligator Blood sharing favouritism at $5.50 for this weight-for-age battle.

Click here for our full runner-by-runner preview of the 2022 Memsie Stakes

Race 9: Heatherlie Handicap (1700m) tip

The Listed Heatherlie Handicap rounds out proceedings at Caulfield and we are hoping the Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young-trained He’s Our Bonneval can bounce back from a midfield finish at Flemington. Prior to that last start effort, this five-year-old gelding had strung together impressive performances at Caulfield and looks to be a stayer on the way up. He was ridden up on speed last time out, but looks to be the type of runner who benefits being ridden cold and flashing home late. From barrier 17, we anticipate Craig Newitt will look to settle in the second half of the field. With the likes of No Effort set to make this a genuinely run 1700m race, it looks perfectly setup for He’s Our Bonneval to launch late and blouse the leaders.

• 16
  

  HE’S OUR BONNEVAL

• 9
  

  JIMMY THE BEAR

• 8
  

  NO EFFORT

• 4
  

  CHAPADA