Feature races heads north to Newcastle this Saturday afternoon with a quality card of racing available to punters.
Our full 2022 The Hunter Day Preview can be found below.
I whole heap of juveniles with little to no race day form to assess.
Happy to stay out of this one from a betting perspective.
No Bet
These Highway races are often times won by progressive horses on the rise and Unzaga fits that profile well.
The four year old gelding has been placed in five of his seven career starts and having been narrowly defeated first up, he didn’t handle the heavy track as favourite last time out.
He’ll be better back on top of the ground and the blinkers go on to sharpen him up.
1 Unit E/W Unzaga
Short Shorts is a lightly raced mare with a heap of upside who is racing well so far this prep.
She has managed four wins from her 10 career starts including a dominant 3.38 length win at Rosehill last start in a similar race to this one.
Even though she will be required to carry 4.5kgs more, that may not be enough to stop her winning.
2 Units Short Shorts
The Australian Bloodstock stayer Our Candidate has been placed in all three runs so far this prep which includes a win in the Cessnock Cup two back.
He was beaten by half a length at Rosehill over 2400m last weekend and will drop 7kgs for that effort into this event.
1 Unit E/W Our Candidate
Annulus has been up for a long time this prep but is racing very consistently.
He’s been placed in nine of 12 overall and comes into this event off the back of an impressive win at this track and distance last start.
Barrier four is perfect for him and his record on the firm track is good.
1 Unit E/W Annulus
Maurice’s Medad has just the one win from 19 career race starts but he is capable at this grade of racing.
He was beaten less than a length in a benchmark 88 first up from a spell and the blinkers have been added for this first time for this race.
1 Unit E/W Maurice’s Medad
Saveadateforme looks a really talented individual and he has proven this with back to back wins by a combined 6.5 lengths.
This is obviously a big step up in grade and he lacks race day experience as this is only his fourth career start but with natural progression he will be tough to beat yet again.
2 Units Saveadateforme
Waihaha Falls has been really well placed in this event after an enormous fresh run in the Group 3 Sydney Stakes where he savaged the line to finish a length off the winner.
He has a huge amount of upside and if he gains a start in the field he will be very tough to beat.
If he doesn’t get a start I’m happy to be with Apache Chase who was much better in the Sydney Stakes than it reads on paper.
2 Units Waihaha Falls
1 Unit Apache Chase
I’m going to assume Waihaha Falls gets a start in The Hunter but he’ll be tough to beat if he lines up in this even with the big weight.
Never Talk has not been far away in all three of her starts this prep and can run a race at double figure odds.
Loch Eagle was not up to them in the Silver Eagle but I can’t get that first up win at Canterbury out of my head.
1/2 Unit E/W Never Talk
1/2 Unit E/W Loch Eagle
I have a bit of an opinion of the Freedman trained Notions who has managed four wins from 12 career starts and will be competitive in a higher grade in my opinion.
She finished within two lengths of the winner Waterford first up at Rosehill and will be fitter for that run second up.
The drop back to 1400m suits and she represents good each way value.
1 Unit E/W Notions