Feature racing stays provincial in New South Wales this week, and we’re off to Kembla Grange for The Gong Day.
Mister Sea Wolf, Count De Rupee and Detonator Jack are amongst the winners of The Gong since its inception back in 2019, and another classy field of milers will chase their share in $1 million on Saturday.
Check out my selection in the race and the remaining nine on the program at Kembla Grange below.
Race 1 - 12:35pm AEDT
Highway Class 3 Handicap (1400m)
Texas Fireball will take improvement into this, his second campaign task, I think he’ll be right in the finish.
The Matt Dunn-trained gelding has turned in some fine performances in just eleven trips to the races, and he returned to action to finish midfield over 1200m at Eagle Farm.
He strips fitter and getting out to 1400m looks suitable.
1 Unit Texas Fireball
Race 2 - 1:10pm AEDT
Midway Handicap (1400m)
Justela turned in a decent performance in her first run back from a spell and looks a winning chance in this week’s Midway.
Justela was a consistent performer last time in, and she worked home well behind the likes of Direct Fire in a race not dissimilar to this one at Rosehill a fortnight ago.
With natural improvement and from the good draw, she has claims at a price.
1 Unit E/W Justella
Race 3 - 1:45pm AEDT
Traffic Logistics BM78 Handicap (1000m)
Pisanello will take a power of beating again on The Gong Day.
Pisanello returned to action with a sharp performance and victory in BM72 company at Warwick Farm before winning the last on Stakes Day at Flemington a couple of weeks ago.
Fitter third-up, he is my best bet on the program.
5 Units Pisanello
Race 4 - 2:20pm AEDT
Carlton Dry 3.5 F&M BM78 Handicap (1200m)
This is a quality race with plenty of winning chances engaged, and I thought that Gently Rolled represented value at current odds ($10 at publish).
She turned in some fine performances last time in, and after finishing midfield behind Pharari at Rosehill last month, she worked home well again to finish on the placegetters’ heels in a BM88 at Randwick last time.
She strips fitter, this is a drop in class, and we can have an each way play at the price.
1 Unit E/W Gently Rolled
Race 5 - 2:55pm AEDT
PFC Food Services BM78 Handicap (2000m)
Alalcance strikes another winnable race second-up from a spell at Kembla Grange this week.
The Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained mare has finished worse than second once in five career starts, winning twice. Including her eye-catching effort at Warwick Farm on debut in Australia in September.
She’s been back to the trials a couple of times while being freshened, while the booking of Timmy Clark adds further confidence this week.
2 Units Alalcance
Race 6 - 3:30pm AEDT
Evergreen Turf BM78 Handicap (1400m)
Blazing Harry takes winning form into this contest and looks capable of making it two in a row.
Blazing Harry returned to action for consecutive third placings in provincial company down in Victoria last month, while a switch to the opposite way of going paid immediate dividends when he recorded a comfortable victory at Randwick last time out.
In peak order, the 1400m looks ideal, and I can’t find a reason why he won’t be in the finish.
2 Units Blazing Harry
Race 7 - 4:05pm AEDT
Abax Civil BM88 Handicap (1600m)
Tavi Time is the fourth emergency in The Gong field but if he doesn’t gain a start in that race, he’s the one to beat here.
The Tavistock gelding was an eye-catching winner at this grade at Warwick Farm two starts back, while he worked home well to finish fourth in The Big Dance last time out.
He’s hard fit, and a repeat of either of those performances would see him extremely difficult to beat again in something of this quality.
3 Units Tavi Time
Race 8 - 4:45pm AEDT
Group 3 The Gong (1600m)
The Gong has been elevated to Group 3 status this year, and with a case to be built for many of them, I’m going to have something on Encap at a huge price ($14 at publish).
Encap finished midfield in The Golden Eagle last time out, hitting around four lengths behind winner Lake Forest, while he turned in some fine performances prior to that, including an eye-catching victory in the Group 2 Theo Marks.
The visitor’s draw is the obvious knock, but there’s no doubting his fitness this week, and he has many of these rivals covered for class.
1 Unit E/W Encap
Race 9 - 5:20pm AEDT
Group 3 The Warra (1000m)
The Warra has also drawn a classy field of sprinters and one that I thought looked a touch of overs in the market is Brudenell ($10 at publish).
Brudenell hasn’t been seen at the races since August, but he boasts a competitive fresh record and is a multiple winner at this point of his preparation.
He raced well in Group 1 company in the autumn, and after a couple of recent trials, he’s another whom we can have something on each way.
1 Unit E/W Brudenell
Race 10 - 5:55pm AEDT
Elite Sand & Soil CG,E BM78 Handicap (1200m)
This is a tough way to end The Gong Day from a betting perspective and at publish, we’re faced with $6 the field.
That said, I thought it looked a decent second-up target for Starman.
Starman has turned in some nice efforts without a lot of consistency in recent seasons, but kept on coming to finish just over a length behind a fit Fire Star at Rosehill when resuming a fortnight ago.
With natural improvement, something like this is the next logical target.
1 Unit E/W Starman