We have studied the form from all races across the country for Saturday, February 19, and provided our best horse racing tips.
Certainly one of the better renditions of the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes at Flemington this week in what surely is a sign that we are in for an exciting Autumn Carnival. But let’s park that race in the ‘too hard basket’ and pivot our focus to the home of the Autumn carnival, that being Sydney, where we think we have found you some value picks on a mouth watering weekend of racing.
It looks a ‘rocks or diamonds’ type of card where all the fancied favourites may well just salute but we are taking them on and trying to catch some quality runners working through their preparations whilst the price is still right.
We have made five selections in total and are confident that we have found you some winners! So, read on below to find our best horse racing tips for this Saturday, February 19.
Rosehill, Race 5 – 4. Sixgun ($34/$7.00)
*This horse has since been scratched.*
He’s never been one of mine and I’m tipping of the few supporters he once had, they have all long abandoned him but we can make a case for him here as the ‘roughie of the day’.
He should be coming into this a last start winner after what can only be described as an ‘ugly’ ride no doubt cost him the race at Canterbury. He was sound first up behind the promising De Grawin, then found the 1000m too short second up when doing his best work late on Australia Day.
He’s a pretty ordinary conveyance but with more than half of the small field resuming, Josh Parr jumping back on from the good draw and the fact he does have some figures around rain affected tracks, he is worth a cheeky each way ticket early on in the card which could set you up for the day.
Rosehill, Race 6 – 1. Shalatin ($7.00)
So we threw the rule book out the window with our last selection but we are reverting back to type here with this promising colt. The simple rule is as follows – just back the best horse in the race!
Two more sleeps until we are back at #RosehillGardens for Silver Slipper Stakes Day. pic.twitter.com/eTM9uTrdf0
— Australian Turf Club (@aus_turf_club) February 16, 2022
And whilst he might still be a maiden, there is no doubt in our mind that this colt is the pick of this bunch going forward.
You could easily pot him off his trials but keen observers would have been able to see the vice like grip he went to the line with on both occasions and certainly on what we have seen so far, he is a horse that needs not only a bit of rein, but also a reminder around the hindquarter of what he is actually there for.
With that in mind we think he would have gone straight past them with some gentle persuasion, and with Group 2 status, and a Slipper berth on the line here, we reckon he’ll get a couple of those turning for home after settling back from the tricky draw and might just be finishing over the top of them.
He’s a very good price for a horse with exposed form and all the hallmarks of a high quality colt about him.
Rosehill, Race 8 – 4. Hilal ($11)
“Back Pike, drink what you like!’ our friends from the west keep telling us. But the only thing more lonely than the unvaxxed Willie Pike sitting by himself in his customised quarantined Sydney jockey’s room at the moment would be the followers of the sandgroper who would be sipping tap water and eating Milk Arrowroot biscuits over the past week.
Yet to register a win since his exodus over east but we think it is high time that run came to an end.
We suggested he was worth an each way ticket when resuming at big odds and whilst his fifth placing didn’t give us a collect, the run was enough to tell us he was worth following up on.
Posted the best closing 600m of any runner in what was a quality field in the Eskimo Prince after being dragged back from a bad draw. He steps up a furlong here, gets a good draw and a rider hungry for a breakthrough win.
Has to be some query over an inconclusive run by star colt Anamoe on what was a ludicrously harsh surface first up. And we think at double figure odds, the Team Hawkes Bondi Stakes winner is the way to go.
Rosehill, Race 9 – 9. Giannis ($7.50)
Sticking with the Eskimo Prince as a barometer for future success here. This fellow dual accepted for this benchmark race along with the Group 2 Hobartville.
Whilst both races are a risk given how he bombed the start first up, this is by far the easier of the two and if there is one thing we have learnt about Chris Waller over the recent years is that he is the consummate professional, leaving no stone unturned, so you can guarantee this big boy would have been back to barrier education classes more than once over the past fortnight.
He does have some form in this department having played up on more than one occasion when he was in Brisbane over the winter. He was able to put those issues aside and produced a cracking run to finish runner up in the Group 1 JJ Atkins to round out that prep and a repeat of that has him well and truly in the mix here.
Simply dominant. 👀
Converge bolts in to claim the G1 JJ Atkins. 😍
(🎥 via @7horseracing)
pic.twitter.com/fqpuJeNK5Y— Racing.com (@Racing) June 12, 2021
Another who is probably over the odds however his price in the run will be halved after two strides if he comes out of the machine and we are backing master horseman Chris Waller to have that issue sorted, and that doesn’t sound like a bad bet to us.
Rosehill, Race 10 – 11. Steel Diamond ($7.50)
Without even going back through the history of this tips page, I can guarantee that we said she was on her last chance last start, and I am fairly certain that may not have been the first time we said it. But we are giving her one more.
She just looks ready to win, and try as you might, you couldn’t fault the run last start except to say she was probably looking for a touch further.
She gets that here, 1400m, home track, a bit of rain about, and a good price.
Hopefully we are well in front by now and can have a decent go at good odds and we can finally break even on her!
Best Bet – 1. Shalatin (Rosehill, Race 6)
Next Best – 9. Giannis (Rosehill, Race 9)
Best Roughie – 4. Sixgun (Rosehill, Race 5)
*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of Sportsbet.
