Gypsy Wyong (13 from 23 – 4 from 5 Trk/Dst) – already a G3 winner over 725m – has been selected by The Watchdog to demonstrate her versatility by claiming tonight’s 600m G1 TAB Hume Cup final at The Meadows, which carries a $75,000 first prize.
Group placegetters Mepunga Warrior (2 of last 3 – 4 from 6 Trk/Dst), Bounce Back (3 of last 4) and Bobby The Brute (3 from 4 Trk/Dst – 34.20sec PB), along with fastest heat winner Mr. Speaker (34.27sec PB), will provide strong competition to Gypsy Wyong.
The $25,000 to-the-winner G3 RSN Silver Bullet (525m) has many chances including Kinson Bale, G1 winner Lakeview Walter (29.67sec PB), G3 winner Barooga Smoke, Hebridean Black (6 of last 8 – 29.61sec PB) and Geelong Derby winner Nikoli Bale.
Aston Lights v Titan Blazer (6 from 14) v Osprey Phantom (2 of last 4) v Substantial v Dynamic Prince (5 from 8) v Gold Skulltula (won last 3) is a great battle to start the meeting in a Grade 5 525m final.
Greysynd Shock v Tiberia Bale v track specialist Javi v G2 placegetter Gypsy Bun should be an enthralling Mixed 3/4 525m race, while WA stayer Casus Belli (5 of last 6) is favoured in the Mixed 4/5 725m race.
G1 finalist Envy To Burn, Geelong Oaks winner Osprey Rose (4 of last 7) v Ultimate Avenger (3 of last 4), Kasemi v Ben Mayo (4 from 7 – 29.79sec PB), Caroline and Russian Sub (4 of last 8) highlight the six Grade 5 525m heats.
According to The Watchdog, My Prom Queen (2 of last 4) and Trickity Click (2 of last 3) should both prevail at Healesville, Just Admit It (2 from 2 Box 2) is in her favourite box at Warrnambool, and El Sueno and Joffa’s Monaro are strong chances at Ballarat.
Here’s an extensive analysis of today’s Must Watch Race, and be sure to scroll down further for ? The Watchdog’s $10 spend…
? MUST-WATCH RACE: Group 1 TAB Hume Cup Final
GYPSY WYONG ? MEPUNGA WARRIOR ? BOUNCE BACK ? BOBBY THE BRUTE
? The Meadows ? Race 8 ? 600m ⏱ 9:15pm
Form ? https://watchdog.grv.org.au/meeting/666539237/race/8
The Watchdog says ?: Cracking line-up and the box draw is going to play a major role. GYPSY WYONG (1) has come up with the coveted red draw and if she can step on terms, she should be able to hold a top three spot at the bend and she will then prove very hard to hold out. She was coming off a three-week break in her heat and after working hard to find the rail, she really got into her work and charged to the line in a slick 34.53sec. She obviously lost ground in the run, and we all know she is capable of going a lot faster, so with an ounce of luck early, she will take a power of beating. MIRROR ILLUSION (3) is the real ‘Smokey’ for me. She is yet to win in her four runs over this distance range, however she has been ultra-impressive in a couple of those, and she appears to be getting stronger with every go around. There is very little pace drawn around her, so if she can reproduce her 8.91sec to the first marker in her heat, she should be leading as they head past the post the first time. The 34.40sec mark is probably the best she can get down to at present but with the backmarkers expected to find some bother in running, that might be enough to score. BOBBY THE BRUTE (8) is the interesting runner. We all know how good he is, but the box draw is a big concern. The one thing in his favour is that BOUNCE BACK (7) is as reliable as they come at box rise. If they can both step well, he should get a nice run into the bend and if he can find the rail without too much bother, he can make his presence felt. MEPUNGA WARRIOR (6) has the class edge but with the abundance of pace on his outside, he couldn’t have drawn any worse. MR. SPEAKER (2) was enormous in his heat and a similar performance tonight can see him figure prominently. However, he is enigmatic and with a slight mistake early, he may find himself too far back initially. GYPSY URANA (4) deserves a mention. She has continued to improve with every run over this distance range and she will be powering to the line. If she doesn’t salute tonight, she is still worth following in the coming months, especially once she steps up to 700m.
Selections: 1 – 8 – 3 – 5
