Horse racing tips: Best bets for Orange with Shayne O’Cass

Six-time Highway winning trainer Danielle Seib heads to Orange with three chances for her apprentice Hannah Williams to edge within close reach of 100 wins in the saddle.

Williams’ 95 winners are spread across 24 different tracks including Rosehill courtesy of Overlord’s Highway victory earlier in the season.

“Hannah is doing a really good job,” Seib says. “She is a really hard worker and she knows all these horses that are racing on Sunday.”

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One of those is Griffinstown Girl whom the Wodonga born hoop piloted to her all the way win at Corowa on September 19.

“She showed a lot of speed last start and she was very tough to the line,” Seib said.

“She probably overdid it a little bit early and then didn’t quite handle the tighter Corowa circuit and just laid out a little bit around the corner while under pressure, but to her credit, she kept on knuckling down and when they came to her, she fought really hard to stick her nose out on the line.

“With the blinkers on like she had a Corowa when she knocked her maiden win off coupled with a bit more race experience, she is starting to learn her job.”

Griffinstown Girl’s breakthrough win took her earnings to $28,850 after six starts.

A win on Sunday, would see her balance exceed the $38,000 she cost Seib at the 2020 Scone Yearling Sale.

“We have always had a bit of an opinion of the horse,” she said.

“It has just taken a little while to bring it together and the more racing she has the more we are going to see her ability.”

There won’t be many better looking, or better bred, horses in action at Orange than the Seib-trained Stand In Line who tackles the Pirtek Maiden Handicap (1410m).

Born and raised at Waikato Stud in New Zealand, Stand In Line is a son of Tivaci who won the All Aged Stakes for Mike Moroney but was bred by Bart Cummings.

Stand In Line’s broodmare sires read like a who’s who of 20th century European breed-shapers like Shirley Heights, Habitat, Ribot, Big Game and Nearco.

Stand In Line was sent for a spell after his fast closing second at Goulburn on January 23.

Fast forward to October 3 and Stand In Line could only manage a distant sixth of eight when resuming but there was hidden merit to be found.

“He had a long lay-off and he perhaps raced just a little bit green and new the other day,” Seib explained.

“He was a little slow away and copped a bit of check at the 600m

“He is a big striding horse and that just halted his momentum when the rest of the field were going forward and he had to rebalance and then start working himself back through the gears again.

“He strips a bit fitter for the first-up run off a long break and is getting back into the groove of his racing again.”

Seib and Williams’ remaining runner of their trio is Chaotic Beauty who finished last of six in an oddly-run 2125m race at Goulburn on September 22.

“It was run backwards really. They never really took a breather and allowed her to get on the bridle and get into any sort of rhythm so it just didn’t suit her. I would put a line through it,” Seib said.

“It is a race no harder than what she was racing against prior to that and she is very consistent so she should be right in it on Sunday.”

SHAYNE O’CASS’ TOP SELECTIONS

BEST BET

Race 1 No. 1: Raiding

Daughter of VRC Derby winner Rebel Raider who has been absolutely flying all preparation.

NEXT BEST

Race 2 No. 1: Big Wandji

Turned in two good fourth placings in what were surely stronger maidens than this one.

VALUE BET

Race 5 No. 9: Feimazuo

Looked the part in her trial at Bathurst last month. Will get better with racing but seems to have some talent.

QUADDIE

Race 4: 6, 7, 11

Race 5: 4, 9, 10

Race 6: 1, 8

Race 7: 8, 12

JOCKEY TO FOLLOW

Grant Buckley has a great chance of taking out the TAB Jockeys Challenge.

INSIDE MAIL - ORANGE

RACE 1

Raiding is a daughter of the VRC and SAJC Derby winner, Rebel Raider. This Garry Lunn-trained four-year-old has raced 14 times for four wins and three placings which is an admirable strike-rate but what makes her even more likeable is that she has three of her past five starts and placed at the other two. Her biggest danger could well come from within as it were, given the presence of her stablemate Careering Away who was runner, albeit a distant one, to her at Dubbo last time out. Chaotic Beauty is a forgive and forget run from last run.

Bet: Raiding to win

RACE 2

Big Wandji is a Gayna Williams-trained five-year-old who has just two starts on his resume so far. They are both fourths as it happens and in pretty strong maidens too given the winners of each race. The other positive thing is that he has gone 1000m, 1200m and is now 1410m which he seems to be crying out for. The same goes for Stand In Line who has been getting back and running on. He was beaten eight and a half lengths first-up but went better than it looks on face value. Take out the last run and Poppy’s Girl would be some sort of chance.

Bet: Big Wandji to win

RACE 3

Dylan’s Lad has also accepted for the last at Scone on Tuesday but that looks a much stronger race than this. Surely he races here given that, and barrier 2, in what is just the ideal second-up assignment for the first-up Beaumont runner-up. Timmy has hit his best stride again this campaign with back to back seconds at Mudgee and Bathurst. Luna Eagle should have finished closer and higher up the order at Dubbo. Ferrari Girl and Fantasy Crown are players.

Bet: Dylan’s Lad to win or if scratched Timmy to win, Luna Eagle to place

RACE 4

Wild Beau is a member of one of Newhaven Park’s oldest and most successful foundation families; think Blooming (foaled 1956). As for Wild Beau, he is unplaced in all three starts so far but two were at Newcastle, the other one at Rosehill. If he runs like he has been on raceday, he will lose again but if he runs up to his trials, that is a different story. Wilbury went within inches of a first-up win at Coonamble last Sunday. Roigard makes his raceday debut at his home track and the trial was quite good. Shezi can figure.

Bet: Wild Beau to win

RACE 5

Feimazuo is trained here at Orange by Alison Smith who has found herself in the happy scenario of being able to debut the filly in familiar surroundings albeit with a wide draw. So far as the trial goes, Feimazou was jogging alongside the winner of that 1000m heat at Bathurst. She may need some racing and longer (1400m perhaps) but she seems to gallop alright. Flying Rani is the tenth foal of Marju Rani and as the saying goes ‘they can all gallop’, this one included. Loch Anton Lady has placed seven from 19 but can win.

Bet: Feimazou each-way

RACE 6

Precious Socks blew like a hurricane ($10 to $26) at her first run there at Dubbo for Cindy Monaghan. First of all, the mare should have been $5 on her trial and Victorian form. In the end, the market was totally wrong given how close this fast daughter of Reward For Effort got to winning. Has a dud draw again sadly. The ‘best’ Arimathea just wins. Way down in class from that last start at Hawkesbury and best of all, the Dean Mirfin trained mare is unbeaten in her two runs at the track and trip. Gilgai-bred, ex-Tulloch Lodge resident was pretty impressive, winning at her Garry Lunn stable (and career) debut.

Bet: Precious Socks to win

RACE 7

Miss Hades is a Gary Portelli trained and Elite Thoroughbreds-owned horse, just like Testashadow et al. This daughter of Hellbent is well on the way to paying down her $80,000 Inglis Classic invoice having won $24,525 already in just two starts. Sure, it wasn’t a great maiden there for her at Cootamundra, but she won easily. And here’s the big thing to take notice of; the two that beat her at Nowra were Panic and Rinzai. Shubick’s only win was at 1400m. He has more ability than a Class 1 horse from 14 starts. Madison Point is in the mix.