Kembla Grange tips, value bets & quaddie picks | 11/9/2021

HorseBetting brings you a full race-by-race preview for Saturday’s massive 10-race card at Kembla Grange, which is headlined by three Group 2 races – the Sheraco Stakes, Theo Marks Stakes and The Run To The Rose. The track is rated a Good 4, and the rail is out 5m from the 1100m to the winning post and 2m for the remainder of the course. The first race is set to jump at 11:40am AEST, which will see a Class 3 Highway race run and won.

Race 1 – Class 3 Highway Handicap (1400m)

A Highway field is always a pretty grim way to start what looks to be a cracking day of racing, so we won’t be having a bet in the opener. Joe Cleary’s mare Princess De Roca is building a nice record, winning three of her six career starts including her last two, winning by a length at the Sapphire Coast and then just hanging on to win at Moruya on August 15. The daughter of El Roca has since won a trial and should relish the quick freshen-up. Barrier three will see her in the first half of the field, and she’ll take serious beating under Kerrin McEvoy’s urgings.

Selections: 15-14-4-5

Race 2 – Benchmark 78 (2400m)

The stayers get their chance in the second race of the day, with a field of 11 set to go around over 2400m. Again, it is a pretty average sort of race, but Mankayan from the Ciaron Maher & Dave Eustace stable looks to have plenty of ability after two nice runs on Australian soil. The ex-European caught the eye in his Australian debut at Flemington, storming home out wide to run second to D’aguilar over a mile, before coming to this track over 2000m on August 28 and again flashing home into third behind Our Intrigue. Stepping out to 2400m here will suit, while Hugh Bowman retains the ride and he maps to get every chance from barrier three. The six-year-old can make his Australian breakthrough in this.

Selections: 1-2-9-4

Race 3 – Benchmark 78 (2000m)

Chris Waller and Kerrin McEvoy combine in the third with impressive last-start winner Crystal Pegasus. The five-year-old son of British sire Australia took a while to warm up in his first few starts Down Under, but he relished getting to 2000m at this track on August 14, winning by almost a length in record time. Drawn in barrier nine on Saturday, McEvoy will be towards the middle of the field again and within striking distance in the straight. We will also be looking to see some sharp improvement from Pesto, who rises to a suitable distance now, while James McDonald sticks with Our Intrigue, who was a dominant winner here a fortnight ago when defeating Mankayan.

Selections: 4-1-3-9

Race 4 – Benchmark 72 Midway (1200m)

If you were on Oxford Tycoon last start, our hearts bleed for you a little bit – we were on the winner, but with any luck in the straight, Kim Waugh’s six-year-old would have won and won well. He was bottled up on the inside of runners and only got out very late, chasing Royalzel to no avail and running second to be beaten by the smallest of margins. The son of Written Tycoon stays in the same grade and drops from 1300m to 1200m on Saturday, which should suit, although he is going to rise 1kg at the weights. It would be incredible if Tom Sherry was to find any trouble from barrier 11, so we are banking this galloper to have a lot more room to let down this time.

Selections:1-6-7-2

Race 5 – Listed Dulcify Stakes (1500m)

A good field of three-year-olds contest this year’s Dulcify Stakes at Listed level in a bid to join Mo’unga and Theseo on the honour roll. Six runners in the field of 13 come into this on the back of last-start wins, while Silent Impact aims to remain unbeaten, Hinged and Royalzel look to make it four straight wins, and Aeecee Express will be hoping to make it three straight. The race is incredibly competitive, with Tiger Of Malay the class of the field with his exposed form, although the likes of Silent Impact, who has been ultra-impressive in his two victories, and Arnaqueur, who should relish the step out to 1500m, make this race very interesting. Former Queensland filly Hinged can round out the top four as she heads towards the Flight Stakes.

Selections: 1-7-8-11

Race 6 – Group 2 Sheraco Stakes (1200m)

The first of the three Group 2 races will be run and won in the sixth when a field of 11 fillies and mares duke it out over six furlongs. Kiwi mare Entriviere is back for her second Australian start after being narrowly beaten in the Sapphire Stakes by Fasika on April 17 over 1200m at Randwick, so connections will be hoping to go one better here. The Jamie Richards-trained mare has won five of her seven career starts and placed second in the other two, boasting a near-perfect record which installs her as a deserving favourite. Drawn in barrier six for James McDonald, the daughter of Tavistock will not have to do half as much work as she did from barrier 14 last time we saw her at the track. With even luck, Entriviere should win this with no issues.

Selections: 4-6-5-9

Race 7 – Group 2 Theo Marks Stakes (1300m)

First-up winners Big Parade and Private Eye are battling it out for favouritism in what promises to be one of the races of the afternoon, with the latter having been very well backed after a super win in the Show County. One runner we have a massive soft spot for is the James Cummings-trained Roheryn, who will be looking to make it six wins from six first-up runs. Cummings elected to scratch the son of Lonhro from the Bobbie Lewis Quality at Flemington in favour of this 1300m, and considering he has drawn favourably in gate seven for Hugh Bowman, we cannot see any reason to knock back the generous $14 quote. Nothing against the two at the top of the market, but the value about Roheryn is too good to pass up.

Selections: 3-6-10-2

Race 8 – Group 2 The Run To The Rose (1200m)

This is the race we have been waiting for, due in no small part to the return of Anamoe. The colt took the world by storm in his Sires’ Produce Stakes victory as a two-year-old, romping in to win the 1400m Group 1 by nearly three lengths in a canter, so his resumption has been highly anticipated. The son of Street Boss does have to face a tricky field that includes Golden Slipper winner Stay Inside, Champagne Stakes winner Captivant and JJ Atkins winner Converge. Anamoe will have to be at the top of his game, but if he is to justify the hype and his favouritism in the Golden Rose, he should win this with James McDonald in the saddle once again.

Selections: 2-4-3-8

Race 9 – Benchmark 88 (1200m)

The fun of Group racing is over for another week as we return to Benchmark grade in the final two races to round out the card. Never Talk was disappointing first-up in the Toy Show Quality, beating only one runner home, but we are happy to forgive on the basis that we know she is better than that. The Kris Lees-trained mare has won five of her 11 races and has run some big ones at the highest level during the autumn to suggest she should be competitive in a BM88. Undefeated from two second-up runs, the daughter of No Nay Never can settle a touch closer than stone motherless from barrier one on Saturday in this 1200m sprint and salute at good odds of $12. Emanate should relish the drop in class from the Toy Show too.

Selections: 5-4-8-11

Race 10 – Benchmark 78 (1500m)

The 10th and final race of the day rounds out the card in difficult fashion with impressive last-start winner Brookspire looking to do it again, while Kingsheir and Loveplanet will be aiming to pay back their followers after narrow defeats last time out. We are with Kingsheir once again, with the Hawkes gelding hopelessly unlucky not to win in a nail-biting finish at this track and distance two Saturdays ago in a three-way go. The son of Kingman has Tim Clark take over riding duties, which will see him settle closer from barrier one in an attempt to emulate his first-up win when hard up against the fence. The two aforementioned runners should be right in the finish as well.

Selections: 6-9-7-12

Saturday quaddie tips for Kembla Grange