A small and select group of bets for me Saturday but I'm very keen to have something on Winx's little brother at double figure odds.
MYSTIC OPAL (Doomben Race 4 No 6)
Not a bad Open Handicap this, and I'm keen to be on Mystic Opal after she put the writing on the wall last Saturday with a flashing lights effort on resuming. Chris Anderson's mare was a big betting drifter first-up yet charged home to only be narrowly beaten by the talented Havasay, the $1.28 favourite. To my eye, Mystic Opal should have won after being held up behind a slow one before powering late. There should be good speed in this to enable Mystic Opal to sit off them from barrier one and run over the top of them. An extra 150m suits perfectly.
BET: WIN
ODDS $4.60 @ CrownBet
MISSROCK (Moonee Valley Race 5 No 4)
I love, love, love the Queenslander Houtzen but she is rock-bottom odds in a race where you can give six of the seven runners a hope. I kept defaulting back to one question. Why can you get $10 about Missrock when Heatherly is only $6? Missrock beat Heatherly fair and square last time. Yes, Missrock stays at 1000m and that is probably a negative but trainer Robbie Laing is no dope. There will be stacks of speed here in a hot race with Houtzen, Heatherly and potentially Russian Revolution all set to go like the clappers. Damien Oliver will be smoking his pipe behind them and don't forget Missrock ran the fastest last 200m of the day last time. Previous form running second behind Vega Magic in the Group I Goodwood looks outstanding.
BET: EACH-WAY
ODDS $10 @ Bet365
EL DIVINO (Moonee Valley Race 7 No 10)
El Divino was always going to be on a hiding to nothing, given he is Winx's younger brother. But at $13 here, he represents outstanding each-way value. The Darren Weir stablemate Brave Smash is obviously very good, just going down to Vega Magic last start, and he could just blow them away. But leave me out of the $1.60 thanks. El Divino is certainly no Winx but he gets plenty of things to suit here. Was clearly run off his legs first-up at 1000m but kept coming in a sure sign the 1200m here will be much more to his liking. Finished alongside Keen Array last time but now meets that horse much better at the weights. El Divino may have only won two from 10 but he did beat Astern in the early days and has only just been beaten by Tivaci. Lovely each-way bet with more going on at the place at $3.20.
BET: EACH-WAY
ODDS $13 @ CrownBet, Sportsbet, Ladbrokes, Bet365
