| What | VRC Season Premiere Race Day 2022 |
| Where | Flemington Racecourse – 448 Epsom Rd, Flemington VIC 3031 |
| When | Saturday, August 6, 2022 |
| First Race | 12:10pm AEST |
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Visit Ladbrokes |
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The first Saturday metropolitan meeting of the 2022/23 racing season in Victoria heads to Flemington, where a bumper nine-race program is set down for decision. The Group 3 Aurie’s Star Handicap is the feature event of the day, with most of the field looking to progress to the Memsie Stakes at Caulfield in three weeks’ time. The track has come up a Soft 6, with the rail out 10m the entire, but as always at Flemington, every runner will get their chance if good enough. The first race is set to go at 12:10pm AEST.
Aurie’s Star Handicap Top Tip – Sirius Suspect
The Group 3 Aurie’s Star Handicap is the feature event on Saturday, run over 1200m and worth a cool $200,000. The field may be small in numbers, with only seven runners engaged, but the class is right up there for an early-season Group 3. Following a stunning victory in the Listed VIC Sprint Series Final, we are siding with the Saab Hasan-trained Sirius Suspect – a clear track-and-trip specialist. Boasting a career record of 12: 4-1-2 over the Flemington 1200m, he is one of just two runners in the race to taste success at the course and distance. There’s nothing against last-start Bletchingly Stakes winner King Of Sparta, but with a proven record at the track and trip and a potential uncontested lead throughout, Sirius Suspect is going to take some catching in the Aurie’s Star.
Aurie’s Star Handicap
Race 5 – 
#4 Sirius Suspect (6)
8yo Gelding | T: Saab Hasan | J: Ethan Brown (54kg)
$4.80 with Unibet
Best Bet at Flemington – Nicolini Vito
Our best bet of the day comes up in the penultimate event as the Ben & JD Hayes-trained Nicolini Vito pushes for a fifth win from his last six starts. The five-year-old gelding returned with a win down the straight on July 16 by the barest of margins in a run that suggested he will only get better second-up over further. From barrier four, we expect Daniel Stackhouse will look to lob this bloke in the first half a dozen in the moving line. If he is able to do that and get clear running at a crucial point in the home straight, the son of Nicconi should win this and mark himself as one to follow throughout the spring. The $2.30 with online bookmakers looks to be a perfect price considering Nicolini Vito has the most upside in this race.
Best Bet
Race 8 – 
#4 Nicolini Vito (4)
5yo Gelding | T: Ben & JD Hayes | J: Daniel Stackhouse (55.5kg)
$2.30 with Unibet
Next Best at Flemington – Quintello
Rule a line straight through the last run of Quintello from the Ciaron Maher & David Eustace stable and suddenly she brings the best form into this BM84 for mares. Having travelled four wide with no cover on June 18, the daughter of Intello was simply never going to feature in the finish after such a tough run. Her form prior in both Victoria and Sydney suggests she will be hard to beat in a race like this, and with a senior jockey like Mark Zahra taking the steer, she is sure to take some holding out. From barrier nine, look for Zahra to lob her midfield with cover, where he can have her making her move approaching the home turn. She looks to have one of the best finishing sprints in the race, so if Quintello is somewhere near her best, this lot won’t get near her.
Next Best
Race 2 – 
#3 Quintello (9)
5yo Mare | T: Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | J: Mark Zahra (58.5kg)
$3.80 with Palmerbet
Best Value at Flemington – Coolth
He is a horse that simply does not know how to run a poor race, but the Tony & Calvin McEvoy-trained Coolth needs to find another win sooner rather than later. We expect that win to come on Saturday in this BM78 over 2000m. The six-year-old gelding has not tasted success in a race since January 16, 2021, but having not finished any worse than fifth in five runs this campaign, he has shown enough to suggest this race is within his grasp. He drops 4.5kg from his last-start fifth at Sandown and from barrier five draws to gain a perfect run in transit around midfield. With a record of 4: 1-0-2 at the Flemington 2000m, he clearly handles the track and trip, and as long he avoids traffic at a crucial time, we’re happy to side with Coolth at a double-figure quote with online betting sites.
Best Value
Race 4 – 
#10 Coolth (5)
6yo Gelding | T: Tony & Calvin McEvoy | J: Ben Melham (57kg)
$11 with Neds
Saturday quaddie tips for Flemington
Flemington quadrella selections
Saturday, August 6, 2022
- 3-4-5-6
- 1-4-5-6-7
- 4
- 7-9-10
Investment: $60 for 100%
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