Flemington full racing tips & quaddie | Saturday, February 18

Race 1: BM84 Handicap (1600m)

One of our better bets of the day comes up in the opening event when the Symon Wilde-trained Wishlor Lass continues her rise through the grades. The four-year-old mare is undefeated through three career starts and her dominant win at Sandown on January 26 showed she is more than capable of BM84 level and further. The Mshawish mare sat up on speed and managed to hold her rivals at bay in smart fashion to kick away and score by 1.5 lengths. Wilde ups the bar once again, but she strikes a race that is well within her grasp. Jamie Kah is a massive booking and from barrier three is almost certain to gain a gun run in transit. As long as Wishlor Lass does not get caught in traffic on the home turn, we expect the mare to bring up a fourth straight win to begin her career.

• 12
  

  WISHLOR LASS

• 7
  

  RIVERPLATE

• 2
  

  LYRICAL LAD

• 3
  

  PRIX DE TURN

Race 2: The Vanity (1400m)

It is not very often that James McDonald comes to Flemington, but when he does he dominates proceedings. We’re hoping the champion hoop can get the best out of the Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained Royal Merchant in the Group 3 The Vanity. The three-year-old filly was beaten a half-length in the Group 3 Manfred Stakes when edged out by subsequent Group 1 winner Jacquinot and the smart pairing of Bank Maur and Ruthless Dame. The form line jumps off the page in this and she shouldn’t have to improve too much to be winning here on Saturday. She draws to gain an economical run in transit under JMac and as she has showed in her brief six-start career, she is as honest a filly you could hope and is sure to take some holding out with a perfectly timed run.

• 7
  

  ROYAL MERCHANT

• 1
  

  SEE YOU IN HEAVEN

• 3
  

  PAPILLON CLUB

• 5
  

  CLIMBING STAR

Race 3: Talindert Stakes (1100m)

The Listed Talindert Stakes is the final time Blue Diamond Stakes aspirants can put their Group 1 case forward and having finished two-lengths off The Instructor in the Blue Diamond Preview, Scorsese looks a great play. The Peter Moody-trained two-year-old was a fraction slow out of the barriers and despite looming up as winning chance within the final furlong, the work he had to do early on to hold a spot paid a toll in the end. With that raceday experience under his belt and under the tutelage of the in-form Moody stable, he is sure to improve many lengths at his second start. With plenty of early-speed engaged over the 1100m, the race looks perfectly set up for Scorsese to bide his time and when asked for an effort, we hope he will quicken nicely and break his maiden at Stakes level.

• 4
  

  SCORSESE

• 12
  

  EXTREMELY WICKED

• 13
  

  HELL QUEEN

• 2
  

  AMUR

Race 4: BM84 Handicap (2000m)

Online bookmakers have this BM84 over 2000m markets at $6 the field and it easy to see why. We could make a case for a few of these, but we have opted to side with the Tom Dabernig-trained Hasseltoff who managed to string together consecutive wins at the track earlier this campaign. The six-year-old gelding has a dynamic turn of foot and needs the race to be run a certain way to play a role, but with a few key speed influencers in the event, he should gain that on the weekend. If Craig Williams can have him close enough on the home turn, we expect Hassletoff to pounce on some potentially vulnerable leaders.

• 7
  

  HASSLETOFF

• 12
  

  MIMI’S AWARD

• 1
  

  HELENE LEADINGSTAR

• 4
  

  NOBEL HEIGHTS

Race 5: Frances Tressaday Stakes (1400m)

Our best bet of the day comes up in Group 3 Frances Tressady Stakes when Annavisto returns from a spell. The Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)-trained mare has an excellent first-up record having won on three occasions and finished second in five fresh runs. Her last jumpout before this first-up assignment saw her travel wide and hit the line in arrogant fashion going to the line under a tight hold, whilst Blue Diamond fancy The Instructor was hard at work underneath her. We liked what we saw on that day and if she brings anything like that to Flemington, she might just blow this lot away upon return. Look for Jamie Kah to have Annavisto settled close to the speed throughout and as long as she is not three-wide the trip from barrier seven, we expect Annavisto to be far too superior.

• 4
  

  ANNAVISTO

• 6
  

  WROTE TO ARATAKI

• 8
  

  BOOGIE DANCER

• 7
  

  VESPERTINE

Race 6: CS Hayes Stakes (1400m)

The Group 3 CS Hayes Stakes has long been an Australian Guineas form reference and with a bit of luck, the Mitch Freedman-trained Attrition can make the step from BM64 to Group 3 grade with great aplomb. Despite his two wins this campaign being in significantly weaker company, the three-year-old colt has simply been breathtaking when giving his rivals a start and then a beating. It is a massive step up in class but considering a few of his rivals have struggled to find the winning post in recent times, the Churchill colt will have winning momentum behind him. Attrition is armed with a supreme turn of foot and as long as Jarrod Fry has him in clear air on the turn, he should prove too hard to hold out.

• 14
  

  ATTRITION

• 5
  

  ELLIPTICAL

• 4
  

  BANK MAUR

• 11
  

  CADETSHIP

Race 7: Black Caviar Lightning (1000m)

The Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning is the feature event out of Flemington on Saturday with a star-studded field of 11 sprinters set to go around. Nature Strip ($2.10) heads the market with online betting sites, with the best sprinter in the world looking to bring up a second win in three in the race.

Click here for our full betting preview & $100 betting strategy for the Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning

Race 8: The Elms Handicap (1400m)

We will be looking to strike some value in the penultimate race of the day when James McDonald reunites with Dalasan. The Leon Macdonald & Andrew Gluyas-trained six-year-old is a genuine warhorse and showed more than enough last campaign to suggest a race like this is well within his grasp first-up. He won over 1400m when fresh during the spring and with JMac on board for this assignment, we are more than willing to take the $15 on offer. He will settle midfield, hopefully with a bit of cover and if he brings his best, he is the clear class runner in the event and despite needing to lug the 60kg, he might just prove too classy for his rivals.

• 2
  

  DALASAN

• 3
  

  SCALLOPINI

• 6
  

  CROSSHAVEN

• 4
  

  UNCLE BRYN

Race 9: BM84 Handicap (1200m)

We started the day with a BM84 and end we the day the same, this time over 1200m and we are hoping the Phillip Stokes-trained Red Hott Nicc can bring up a third straight win. Like many, we were happy to take on Red Hott Nicc throughout his, but in recent times, he has since found that winning knack and looks a completely different horse. He managed to lead and thrash his rivals with 61.5kg at Moonee Valley on February 10 and considering he has a win and two runner-up efforts to his name at Flemington, we’re hoping he can bring that form here. From the middle of the line, we expect to see Zac Spain settle this bloke up on speed throughout and with race fitness on his side and confidence behind him, there is no reason why Red Hot Nicc cannot bring up a third win in succession.

• 7
  

  RED HOT NICC

• 3
  

  JUNGLE JIM

• 6
  

  EL ROCKO

• 1
  

  STRUCK BY