Flemington full racing tips & quaddie | Thursday, November 3

Race 1: 3&4YO Fillies & Mares BM70 (1700m)

Opening races do not come much harder than this BM70 for fillies and mares to kick off Oaks Day. With the blinkers going on for the first time, we are hoping Tahlequah can find her way back to the winner’s stall. The Tarzino mare has been hitting the line with great intent on the Pakenham synthetic over 1600m and with the step up to 1700m, she comes right into calculations in a race like this. She was placed on rain-affected ground on debut, so we know she will handle conditions and in what looks to be a race where we can find some value, Tahlequah at a $10 quote looks the best way to kick off Oaks Day.

• 12
  

  TAHLEQUAH

• 7
  

  MATRON BULLWINKEL

• 1
  

  ARKTIKA

• 14
  

  CABACCA

Race 2: Ottawa Stakes (1000m)

Having produced the best last 600m on debut, we’re hoping with natural improvement and better racing matters second-up that Charm Stone can take out the Group 3 Ottawa Stakes. With nine of the 16 two-year-old fillies on debut, we expect the Flemington straight raceday experience this I Am Invincible filly brings can be a slight advantage to have her winning the Group 3 event. She did plenty wrong when beaten 1.5-lengths to Zulfiqar in the Maribyrnong Trial Stakes, but the way she hit the line suggested she was one to follow. From barrier 12, Damian Lane should be able to have her settled with cover throughout and when asked for an effort, Charm Stone looks to have a nice turn of foot and looks a nice play early on.

• 2
  

  CHARM STONE

• 1
  

  OPTUME

• 8
  

  ABSTRUSE

• 12
  

  EMPRESS OF WONDER

Race 3: Inglis Bracelet (1600m)

Our best bet of the day comes up in the Inglis Bracelet worth a cool $250,000 where the Chris Waller-trained Roots looks a clear best of the day at Flemington. The four-year-old mare was sensational when racing in the worst part of the track at Moonee Valley in the Group 3 Tesio Stakes. She was beaten by a long neck to My Whisper on that day and considering this is much easier than that day, she looks hard to go past. James McDonald hops on board, which is an added bonus, considering JMac has partnered the Press Statement mare to three wins from their four starts as a combination. With Ancient Girl set to make this a genuinely run 1600m affair, the race looks perfectly set up for Roots to build through her gears and as she has continually shown on rain-affected tracks, she has a turn of foot that most of these cannot match.

• 8
  

  ROOTS

• 6
  

  ROCHA CLOCK

• 12
  

  CLIMBING STAR

• 2
  

  ARCTIC THUNDER

Race 4: Desirable Stakes (1400m)

With a bit of luck Roots has saluted and we can have a nice each-way play on the Patrick Payne-trained Birdies Galore in the Listed Desirable Stakes. The three-year-old filly was not beaten far first-up in the William Crockett Stakes behind Wee Nessy over 1200m, we expect the step up to 1400m second-up will be the tonic for success. She has already placed at the trip and considering she has not finish worse than third in her career and that she is proven on wet ground, the Spieth filly looks hard to beat. From barrier 14, we expect Michael Dee will have this girl settled close to the speed throughout and as long as the pair does not get trapped wide, Birdies Galore will be in this for a long way. At $14 with online betting sites, she looks to be one the market has forgotten about in the Desirable Stakes.

• 5
  

  BIRDIES GALORE

• 4
  

  PORTRAY

• 12
  

  GREY RIVER

• 2
  

  MUMBAI JEWEL

Race 5: BM90 Handicap (1000m)

Saint Bathans was an impressive winner last time out at Caulfield on October 15 and considering he has three wins from three starts on Heavy ground, he looks one of the better bets of the day on Thursday. The Andrew Forsman-trained son of Maurice finished half a length off Just Folk two starts back in the Seymour Cup and based on his last start win suggests he is going to take some beating in this. From barrier 12, Dean Holland will need a touch of luck early on to not get trapped three wide, but with proven wet track form and terrific form this campaign, Saint Bethans looks to have a field that is stacked with perennial non-winners covered.

• 12
  

  SAINT BATHANS

• 4
  

  ALCYONE

• 11
  

  FIFTH POSITION

• 2
  

  SIR DAVY

Race 6: G H Mumm Century Stakes (1000m)

Joyful Fortune found the going a bit too tough in The Everest last time out, but based on his first-up win over 1100m on a bottomless Heavy 10 here at Flemington, he looks the one they have to catch in the Century Stakes. The Mark Newnham-trained sprinter looks to have plenty of untapped potential and considering he looks to be the leader on paper, he looks a clear on top selection. As long as he handles the 1100m sprint against a decent field, we expect Joyful Fortune will prove too hard to gun down in the opening leg of the quaddie.

• 5
  

  JOYFUL FORTUNE

• 3
  

  ZOUSTYLE

• 1
  

  KALLOS

• 2
  

  HALVORSEN

Race 7: MCC Final (1600m)

The now annual Melbourne Cup Country Final looks to be a genuine dartboard job and is reflected by the fact we are taking the field in the quaddie. Our dart has landed on the Nathan Dunn-trained Corona Lad who was bloused in a similar contest at Caulfield on October 12 and considering the track was a Heavy 9 that day, we know he will handle what is in front of him on Thursday. Blake Shinn is in strong form and sticks on board and if he can have this bloke settled in the moving line with cover, he has a nice turn of foot and with a more than serviceable wet track record, Corona Lad looks the one to side with in the MCC Final despite it being an open affair.

• 13
  

  CORONA LAD

• 9
  

  PROWLING

• 15
  

  TYCOON BEC

• 5
  

  BOOKMAN

Race 8: VRC Oaks (2500m)

The Group 1 VRC Oaks has been taken out by some of the greats of the turf such as Jameka, Miss Finland and Surround. A field of 11 fillies will be looking to add their name to history books on Thursday, where She’s Extreme ($2.80) heads the market. Wakeful Stakes winner Zennzella ($6) and Ethereal Stakes victor Renaissance Woman ($9) look to be the key dangers to the favourite in markets with online bookmakers.

Click here for our full preview of the 2022 VRC Oaks

Race 9: Red Roses Stakes (1100m)

We round out VRC Oaks Day with the Group 3 Red Roses Stakes for three-year-old fillies and despite being five weeks between runs, Bound For Home looks a great play in the last. The Rubick filly simply was bought undone by the on-rail bias second-up at Moonee Valley, but her win in the Quezette Stakes when fresh has her right in a race like this. Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Mark Zahra hops on board and with a genuinely run 1100m event expect, the race looks perfectly set up for Bound For Home to settle just off the speed and pounce on some potentially vulnerable leaders in the shadows of the winning post. She is already proven on wet ground and we expect to see her claim a second Group 3 win in three runs this campaign.

• 4
  

  BOUND FOR HOME

• 6
  

  TROACH

• 18
  

  GREECE

• 2
  

  ENGLISH RIVIERA