It's Lismore Cup Day on Thursday with eight races to be decided and plenty of chances in most of the races but we have found three solid bets on the program.
The $60,000 XXXX Gold Lismore Showcase Cup is the day's feature and it is arguably the most open race on the program but being a country cup, we have to have a tip and going with the Barry Lockwood-trained Skytrek who is the weight horse of the race after carrying 58.5kg to victory at Ballina last start and drops to 54kg in his quest for the cup on Thursday.
With still scope for improvement having his third run this time and drawn to get all the favours in the run from barrier four Skytrek is clearly the horse to beat.
The Best Bets
READY FOR DANGER (Race 4 No 2)
The Matthew Dunn stable is hard to beat wherever they take horses but even more so on the Northern Rivers of New South Wales with the stable representative Ready For Danger rating as one of the day's best bets in the Oatens Beds'r'us Class 2 Showcase Handicap (1516m).
Ready For Danger has returned to the winner's stall in two of his three career outings winning at Ballina on debut in two runs in his first preparation before finding 1200m too short at the Gold Coast resuming two runs back before appreciating the step up to 1400m to win a class two at Ballina last start.
The increase in distance on Thursday can only aid Ready For Danger's chances and is set for back to back wins.
CASHING UP (Race 6 No 5)
The Barry Lockwood-trained Cashing Up is the horse to beat in the Lismore Workers Club Rousillon Showcase Handicap (1516m) despite having to shoulder an extra 6kg after winning the Ballina Cup at his latest outing.
Cashing Up opposes inferior opposition on Thursday with the second favourite in early betting Secret Code coming off a class four victory at Beaudesert last-start but running slower time than the maiden winner over the same journey on the day looking under the odds and the third pick Anne Bonny finishing over six-lengths from Cashing Up in the Ballina Cup.
It all adds up to Cashing Up winning again.
PROFILER (Race 7 No 1)
Trainer Stephen Lee has given punters a strong lead for stable representative Profiler by scratching the stablemate Hydrazine from the Somerville Laundry Lomax Untamed Showcase Sprint (1200m).
Profiler will have the blinkers back on Thursday with the gear change looking significant.
Connections notified stewards of a similar gear chance on December 14 and the blinkers back on gained immediate results with Profiler winning the Christmas Sprint at Murwillumbah on December 16 carrying 60kg and looks well placed on Thursday with 59kg after the claim for apprentice Cejay Graham.
Profiler has won two from three fourth-up in his preparations and with the gelding fourth-up on Thursday and a proven gear change to boot, all the stars align for Profiler at Lismore on Thursday.
