The Gong betting preview & best bets | Kembla Grange, 19/11/22

What	2022 The Gong
Where	Kembla Grange Racecourse – Princes Highway, Kembla Grange NSW 2526
When	Saturday, November 19, 2022 \| 4:40pm AEDT \| Race 8
Prizemoney	$1,000,000
Distance	1600m
Status	Quality
Conditions	Three-year-olds and upwards
2021 Winner	Count De Rupee (13) \| T: Robert & Luke Price \| J: Brock Ryan (57.5kg)
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The 2022 edition of The Gong is set to run over 1600m at Kembla Grange on Saturday November 19, we’ve got a full field of 16 engaged for the $1,000,000 on offer with the winner taking home $580,000. Count De Rupee found strong support in last year’s edition of the race, however, this year we’ve got a wide-open field with the market yet to gravitate to any particular runner with form-lines converging from last weekends The Hunter all the way to The Big Dance, The Invitation and so many more.

Online bookmakers have opened with the Peter and Paul Snowden-trained Old Flame with favouritism around the $6, with plenty of other runners around the single figures including Hope In Your Heart ($7.50), Brutality, ($8.50), and Rustic Steel ($8.50). The race doesn’t end there with many other race hopefuls at double figure odds that deserve respect with The Invitation winner Promise Of Success ($15) and Matriarch winner Atishu ($10).

We should have a moderate temp on paper with Surf Dancer the obvious leader and the likes of Kolding and Riodini pressing forward from the inside draw, while Love Tap will look to get across from the wider draw. Expect most of the market favoured runners to get back in the field drawn poorly with Old Flame, Brutality and Atishu all being forced back in the ruck. Promise Of Success, Sky Lab and Rustic Steel should all lob gun mid-field sits on the speed map and all will look to be chasing late in the piece, hopefully we can find the winner in what looks a difficult race to dissect.

Continue reading for HorseBetting’s top selections and $100 betting strategy for the 2022 The Gong

Sky Lab represents massive value here for the Paul Perry yard and looks a perfect set up for this son by Real Impact to be peaking second-up after a superb effort in last weekends The Hunter. He drew barrier-12 last time and this time looks to sit much closer in the running from barrier three on Saturday. There should be enough tempo on paper for Winona Costin to be steaming home late to be picking up a cheque, and at a massive each-way price Sky Lab is a must consider for us on a firming surface come this $1,000,000 feature. While there is an argument to be made, he’s more effective on a wet surface, but we’ve never really had a chance to see this gelding get on top of the ground and at the price and his breeding we’re happy to find out. We love the one-week back-up and to step straight up to the mile shows intent that this has been the Grand Final plan for Sky Lab all along. The price discrepancy between Sky Lab and Brutality from the same form-line is just crazy, you’re getting a cracking price for a horse that beat Brutality fair and square.

Promise Of Success deserves to be shorter in the market after a forgive run in the HKJC Stakes at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day. If you go back to her win in The Invitation at Randwick on October 22, she looks beautifully placed to hit another peak performance after going against the F&Ms on that occasion. She’s got to go against the boys here, but at the price, weight and barrier, she looks over the odds as well after hitting the line strong and finding more suitable condition on the Good 4 surface expected for race-day. This John O’Shea galloper has slide under the radar just as Sky Lab and we’re got to be having something on the pair of them.

As we said this race is wide-open and so you may want to play expansive in the Exotics and Quaddie. Atishu is dual accepted for the Ballarat Cup, but with the likelihood of wet deck down south we expect she’ll be heading to this race. Her win in the Matriarch was phenomenal and her run prior in the Empire Rose rates well coming into this. If they elect to come here, she must be respected.
It’s hard to knock Brutality as well, as this has looked a target race a long way out for Joseph Pride and the team, it’s just a matter of the speed map looking ugly for him drawn wide, but you’ve got to think he’s ready to be peaking here fifth-up.