Caulfield racing tips, value bets & odds | Saturday, August 14

A bumper nine-part card is scheduled for Caulfield on Saturday afternoon, and HorseBetting’s Victorian horse racing analyst presents his best bets and free quaddie numbers for P.B. Lawrence Stakes Day. The track is rated a Good 4 with the rail out 8m for the entire circuit, and the meeting is set to get underway at 12:05pm AEST.

Race 1: Thank You MRC Members Handicap (1700m)

The opening event on the Caulfield card is a Fillies & Mares BM84 over 1700m. In the small field of nine runners, the Shane Nichols-trained So You Assume looks to be one of the better bets of the day, having bolted in at Moonee Valley on July 31 in a similar race to what she faces here. The four-year-old So You Think mare has plenty of early speed to overcome the wide barrier and should have no issue in finding the front. Dean Yendall retains the ride, which is a bonus, and having won twice from her last three runs, So You Assume has the form to suggest she will be hard to beat.

Selections: 5-2-1-4

Race 2: Neds Handicap (1600m)

Despite failing to win as favourite on July 31 as favourite, we are willing to give No Effort another go on Saturday as she goes around with just 52kg on her back. With Josh Richards claiming 3kg, the seven-year-old mare is set to get a 4kg advantage on her rival Hi Stranger, who got the better of her at The Valley by 1.5 lengths. With Hi Stranger going up 2kg in the weights and paying $2.60, compared to the $5 available for No Effort, we are happy to take on the favourite here.

Selections: 5-4-6-1

Race 3: Neds Filter Form Handicap (1100m)

It was not all that long ago that Shea Eden declared Ocular as the best horse he has trained in his career. Having raced in tougher company than what he faces here on Saturday, the five-year-old son of Written Tycoon returns to the 1100m, a distance he has tasted success at on three occasions from five starts. He gets back on a firmer deck, which is an added bonus, and looks one of the better value bets on the Caulfield program with upwards of $9 available.

Selections: 4-1-7-8

Race 4: Mark Mazzaglia Handicap (1100m)

Plaquette comes back to the Caulfield 1100m following a win against the smart duo of La Mexicana and Miss Albania on July 24. The five-year-old Exceed And Excel mare has strong form coming into the race having won two of her past three, both of which are at Caulfield. She will be giving her rivals a start over 1100m, but armed with a strong turn of foot and an in-form Damien Oliver on board, we expect her to be too strong for this field as she savages the line and brings up a third win from four starts.

Selections: 1-3-4-8

Race 5: IVE Print Handicap (1400m)

The John Moloney-trained Imperial Lad comes to Caulfield chasing a hat-trick of wins, and despite coming up against a stronger field here than what he met at Moonee Valley on July 31, we expect him to be hard to beat. The five-year-old son of All Too Hard has a racing pattern which is hard to knock, where he jumps cleanly from the barriers and hunts the rail as soon as possible. He drops 4.5kg off that last-start win and on a day where it may be advantageous to be up on speed as the program goes on, the quote of $10 available from online bookmakers is hard to ignore.

Selections: 4-11-5-13

Race 6 – Vain Stakes (1100m)

The Group 3 Vain Stakes opens the Caulfield quaddie on Saturday and is one of the four black-type races on the card. In the event for three-year-old colts and geldings, the Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra-trained General Beau looks a clear top tip resuming off a near six-month spell. The colt has won both of his previous first-up runs in his career, including his debut win when beating Finance Tycoon. He took out the Blue Diamond Preview and Prelude last campaign before finishing fifth in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes. General Beau has a win over the impressive Anamoe to his name, and a scalp like that makes him the one to beat in a bumper edition of the Vain Stakes.

Selections: 1-5-4-2

Race 7 – Quezette Stakes (1100m)

Next up is the Group 3 Quezette Stakes, this time for the three-year-old fillies, and the return of the Peter and Paul Snowden-trained Najmaty has us excited. The I Am Invincible filly has a win to her name already over the Caulfield 1100m with John Allen on board, and we expect the pair to be hard to hold out once more. Najmaty has had three trials in the lead-up to this first-up run, so she should be ready to go. She will give this field a start when settling in the second half of the field, but her turn of foot is electrifying.

Selections: 4-7-1-9

Race 8 – P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m)

The Group 2 P.B. Lawrence Stakes is the feature event on the Caulfield card, and we anticipate the two-time Group 1 winner Streets Of Avalon will be too good for this lot second-up from a spell. He has won the Group 1 C.F. Orr Stakes and the Group 1 Futurity Stakes over the Caulfield 1400m, and his run first-up over 1200m in the Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes suggests he has come back in top condition. He comes up against Sansom, who beat him in the Bletchingly, but the extra 200m on Saturday should allow Streets Of Avalon’s class at weight-for-age level to shine through as he builds towards a start in the Memsie Stakes on August 28.

Selections: 2-7-1-4

Race 9 – Regal Roller Stakes (1200m)

The final event of the day is the Listed Regal Roller Stakes over 1200m for four-year-olds and up, and we expect the classy La Mexicana to be too good second-up from a spell. The Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained I Am Invincible mare was huge in defeat when first-up against Plaquette, and from barrier two under Jamie Kah on Saturday she should prove too good for this lot. She has six wins from 10 career starts and is undefeated from three starts at 1200m, including once at Caulfield. She is a class above this field and is a clear best bet on the Caulfield program.

Selections: 7-3-2-1

Saturday quaddie tips for Caulfield