Freelance journalist and greyhound racing enthusiast Nick Ansell previews this week’s racing at Horsham (Tuesday twilight) and Ballarat (Wednesday night)…
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HORSHAM and Ballarat are renowned for their tough fields and ability to draw top class greyhounds, and this week will be no different with a number of classy sprinters on show.

The punting kicks off in race three at Horsham, with smart chaser Shirdon Connorae drawn valuably from the inside box. He demonstrated immense pace through the early sections in his recent treble of wins at Bendigo.

[youtube youtubeurl=”V5w-6jgF_4E” ][/youtube]Watch: Shirdon Connorae (2) scores a blistering 23.57sec Best of Night win at Bendigo on March 13.

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The Vivianne Giles trained Bonnie’s Revenge is a greyhound which provides great competition to Shirdon Connorae at $12.00 – fantastic value for an each way bet. Now a veteran of 82 starts, her recent form (an impressive three placings and win from her last four) warrants nothing less than an each way punt.

Moving on to race five, I can’t look past Amaro Bale from box three. Even though he has the tendency to be a tad inconsistent, his commanding 29.51 triumph over the 515 metres at Sandown last week is too hard to look past. Half Way There (2) and Elbow Room (8) will provide solid competition, but should Amaro Bale’s best be on show – he should be too hard to catch.

[youtube youtubeurl=”NAiQW2OO2nw” ][/youtube]Amaro Bale (2) leads all the way at Sandown Park on April 2 in 29.505sec.

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Later on in the evening, I like the look of Evers Bale (4) in race eight. He’ll face tough opposition in the form of Dyna Keitaro (2) but his form and consistency is too strong to ignore.
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Nick’s Tips @ Horsham:
Shirdon Connorae (Race 3 Box 1 @ 4:24pm)
Amaro Bale (Race 5 Box 3 @ 5:04pm)
Dyna Keitaro (Race 8 Box 2 @ 6:00pm)
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Horsham Formguide: Click Here
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BALLARAT will be set alight when the explosive Allkel to Excel takes to the track in race four. The current track record holder at Warrnambool over the 390 metres (a cracking 21.68sec), the Kelvyn Greenough trained sprinter will be too difficult to catch. He’ll begin favourite but is the safest punt of the evening.
[youtube youtubeurl=”ehPuzS7Cvpw” ][/youtube]Watch: Allkel To Excel (3) shows his brilliance in running a track record at Warrnambool on January 3.
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The following race and second heat of the evening also offers punters a number of handy choices. Both Awesome Cove (2) and Classy Sparks (7) are mid-distance specialists and will battle it out for the victory.

Classy Sparks scored in an emphatic 25.40 over the 450 metres at Warrnambool early last month, and recent consistency leads me to believe he’ll manage the track transition to salute again. Awesome Cove, a winner of three of his last four starts at Bendigo, has been just as impressive – a contest that will set the track alight come race five.

Race ten of the evening is another which highlights the competitiveness that Ballarat presents to punters each and every week. Jackie Baxter (1), Magic Diva (2), pictured atop of page, and Bills Back (3) are all in with a shout of coming out on top – though track specialist Magic Diva may be too smart. She has won or placed in all but one of her 11 starts over the track and distance and should triumph should she race to her capacity.
[youtube youtubeurl=”qQ4Q_8B0_1Q” ][/youtube]Watch: Magic Diva (5) comes from behind to win at Ballarat last week.

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Good luck for both meetings and happy punting!
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Nick’s Tips @ Ballarat
Allkel To Excel (Race 4 Box 3 @ 7:58pm)
Classy Sparks (Race 5 Box 7 @ 8:18pm)
Magic Diva (Race 10 Box 2 @ 9:58pm)
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Ballarat Formguide: Click Here