| What | The Gong Race Day |
| Where | Illawarra Turf Club – Princes Hwy, Kembla Grange NSW 2526 |
| When | Saturday, November 19, 2022 |
| First Race | 12:20pm AEDT |
| Feature Race | $1,000,000 The Gong – Race 8 |
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Visit Ladbrokes |
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The Gong is the $1 million feature this weekend at Kembla Grange as the Illawarra track hosts a blockbuster nine-race program. Not only do we have The Gong, but a terrific field has assembled for The Warra as well, worth $300,000 in prizemoney for the 1000m sprinters. We’re set for perfect conditions with little to no rain predicted as we sit on a Good 4 surface heading into raceday. The rail is in the true position for the entire circuit, so let’s hope we’re racing on a fair track on Saturday afternoon. The first race is scheduled to get us underway at 12:20pm AEDT.
The Warra Selection Best Bet: Athelric
Athelric looks a fantastic price in the $300,000 sprinting feature on Saturday afternoon. Trained by James Cummings and team Godolphin, you’d be hard pressed to find a horse with better form than this son of Exceed And Excel. You only need to look back to his effort first-up running second in the Concorde Stakes behind Eduardo on September 3, beaten 2.5 lengths. He was huge that day on an unsuitable surface, then wasn’t disgraced in his second-up tilt against the world’s best sprinter, Nature Strip, in The Shorts. He had excuses in the Gilgai Stakes at Flemington when he ran into Private Eye over 1200m, before going down to Flemington straight track specialist Joyful Fortune last start in the Century Stakes. His form is top quality and sticking to 1000m around a turn back in NSW seemingly looks his opportunity to grab a feature before heading to the paddock. There’s no stable you’d rather be with, and no better jockey as in-form apprentice Zac Lloyd drops Athelric down to the 53.5kg. He should look to box seat in behind likely leader Malkovich before getting off the leader’s back late to score. He’s a great bet and we’d be staggered if he wasn’t in the finish here.
The Warra Selection Tip
Race 7 – 
#3 Athelric (4)
4yo Gelding | T: James Cummings | J: Zac Lloyd (A3 – 56.5kg)
$7 with Neds
Kembla Grange Best Bet: Smirk
Our best of the day is set to run in the third race on the card, over the 2000m at BM78 level, in the form of the Chris Waller-trained mare Smirk. She’s third-up and looks a fantastic price, and after two prep runs up in Queensland over the 1600m she steps back in grade here and goes up to the 2000m for the first time since being competitive against the likes of Gypsy Goddess in the Queensland Oaks on June 4. She was only 2.7 lengths away on that occasion to end her three-year-old campaign and has been crying out to step up in trip after being kept to the shorter distances early in her four-year-old season. She looks to return to NSW a winner here, and with Zac Lloyd booked to ride from a perfect barrier, the $7 with online bookmakers shouldn’t last. Her opposition don’t have as much depth in their form, so we’re happy to snap up the price.
Best Bet
Race 3 – 
#2 Smirk (4)
4yo Mare | T: Chris Waller | J: Zac Lloyd (A3 – 59.5kg)
$7 with Palmerbet
Next Best Bet: Vianello
Vianello comes to this race second-up after a terrific return for team Godolphin at Warwick Farm on October 19. She was luckless after getting clear running late in the piece to hit the line strong over the 1000m contest, beaten a nose, so the step up to 1200m here looks ideal for her to be going one better on Saturday. James Cummings looks to have figured something out with this mare by Teofilo; spacing her preparation with a month between runs looks deliberate to keep her fresh heading into raceday. We’ve yet again got Zac Lloyd aboard; his book of rides looks outstanding on the weekend, Vianello no exception. He knows this mare well after riding her first-up, and with the claim down to 54.5kg, she looks well weighted to be figuring after lobbing the one-by-one and then getting clear running to chalk up career win number three.
Next Best
Race 5 – #11 Vianello (3)
4yo Mare | T: James Cummings | J: Zac Lloyd (A3 – 57.5kg)
$5 with Ladbrokes
Best Value Bet: Classy Jaybee
You’re reading correctly — we’ve gone to the Zac Lloyd well for all our best bets at Kembla Grange on Saturday. Classy Jaybee is in great form heading to this 1000m BM78 contest third-up for the Jeremy Sylvester yard, after a strong second-up performance behind Mars Mission at Rosehill on October 29. He sat in behind the leaders before peeling out late and was only beaten 0.8 of a length off a very progressive galloper over the 1100m. Stepping back to 1000m here should only suit our galloper’s pattern, as he’ll look to press forward from the awkward draw before looking to kick clear of his rivals at the turn. That’s what he did in Hong Kong before arriving in Australia, and based on his performances so far on our shores, he should be strong through the line again to be right in the finish at the each-way quote.
Best Value
Race 4 – 
#2 Classy Jaybee (8)
6yo Gelding | T: Jeremy Sylvester | J: Zac Lloyd (A3 – 61.5kg)
$7.50 with PlayUp
Kembla Grange quaddie tips for The Gong Race Day
Kembla Grange quadrella selections
Saturday, November 19, 2022
- 2-3-8-10
- 3-9-12-13
- 2-4-11-12
- 1-2-5-8-10
Investment: $320 for 100%
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