Racing Preview: Cranbourne 12th January

Kicking off Friday’s card is a competitive-looking maiden where ten horses will head down to post searching for their first victory.

In what looks to be a competitive betting heat, it’s expected that Jessup will start as the heavy favourite. 

Trained out of the Grahame Begg yard, Jessup is yet to win in any of his eight career starts but has finished inside the top three on five different occasions.

Heading into this contest fresh off the back of another second place, this could be the race where it finally all comes together.

Other horses to keep an eye on are Este Dia and Reward’s Daughter, who both look to hold excellent chances.

Another tricky maiden contest awaits in the second race of the day. Eleven horses will be bidding for victory, but the pre-race betting is set to revolve heavily around the Phillip Stokes-trained Edge of Seventeen.

This will be just her second start, and there was plenty to like about her debut, where she finished third. Seemingly getting the hang of things late, she was closing with each and every stride and would end up being denied by just under a length. With improvement likely, she looks like one of the best bets of the day.

A quartet of maidens will kick off Friday’s Cranbourne card, and the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Maiden Plate looks like one of the toughest betting heats of the day.

Set to start as the favourite is Firestorm Boy, but he arrives with plenty to prove, having recorded just one top-three finish in his career. 

With plenty of other horses to take him on, Docinthe could be a viable alternative, as could New York Lustre, who finished third on debut.

Kenrick Road is another who warrants consideration, and he will be aiming to come on from his debut, where he could only finish fifth.

The final maiden of the evening comes in the Hertz Maiden Plate. Taking place over 1400 metres, fifteen horses have been declared to run.

Despite the deep field, Mawhera is bound to be a popular selection. This will be just his second start, but his third place finish on debut was highly encouraging, and the two horses who beat him have gone on to win their next races. That form looks rock solid.

Other horses to keep an eye on in the betting are Sinepia and Voriah.

Sinepia finished a narrow second two starts ago but couldn’t back up that performance when finishing a disappointing sixth last time out. With that run coming on heavy ground, his connections will have high hopes of a return to form back on a sounder surface.

Voriah ran with credit to finish second last time out. While others may make more appeal, that form shouldn’t be discounted, and he could be a player at a price.

A field of nine will head down to post for the R & C Asphalt Handicap, with Highland Hill expected to start as the very marginal favourite. 

By no means a prolific winner, he has tasted victory just once, with that win coming nine starts ago. Now on a long winless run, he has finished fourth in his last two starts but still looks to have plenty to prove.

If looking to take the favourite on, a good selection could be Royal Fox or Auspirit. 

Royal Fox will head into the race without a win in his last eight starts but is consistent, having finished inside the top two in two of his last five starts. 

Auspirit is one of the form horses of the contest. A winner when last seen, he battled hard right up to the line and should be in with another good chance of victory. 

The sixth race of Cranbourne’s Friday card seems to be a straight shootout between Masterful and Movader.

Masterful heads into this race following a win last time out, where he bolted up the finishing straight to land the spoils stylishly. A winner of three races, he is one of the most experienced runners in this field and could take some stopping.

Looking to halt Masterful’s bid for a fourth career success will be Movader. A former winner, he arrives at Cranbourne with slight fitness concerns as this will be his first start in twenty weeks. If fully tuned up, he will hope to go better than his second place when last seen.

Nine horses will be bidding to capture this year’s Grand Ridge Arenas Handicap. 

Likely to start as the heavy favourite will be Loved Up Lawyer, who will be looking to record his second victory in his last three starts. A runner who loves slightly softer conditions, Cranbourne should be right up his street, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him make another bold bid for victory.

Only the Best was a winner last time out, and as one of the least exposed horses in the field, is another who looks to stand a major chance.

The final race of Cranbourne’s Friday card is the Ladbrokes Blackbook, a handicap contest over 1000 metres. 

Accending looks like one of the best bets of the night and could take all the stopping. Having only raced twice, she kicked off her racing career with a stunning victory and ran with real credit when finishing a narrow runner-up last time out.

Hoping to ensure that Accending doesn’t have things all her own way, Zouthur will be hoping to win his first race in six starts and should be worth consideration. 

At a huge price, it might be worth keeping an eye on Arroance, who was a gutsy winner when last seen.