Some of Saturday’s roughies are flying under the radar – check out the long shots Ladbrokes says are worth a second look.
Last Saturday we found the Run To The Rose third placegetter, Skyhook, at a price and came very close with a couple of rank outsiders finishing fourth.
Spring racing goes up another level this weekend with the Underwood Stakes Day card in Melbourne boasting two Group 1s and we’ve got the underrated fancies in both to add to your exotic selections.
In Sydney Randwick lights up with The Everest Carnival getting underway and we have found a juicy Each Way play in the $1 million The Shorts not to overlook.
The Value Whisperer Lucy Henderson’s roughie picks below could be the ones to watch.
Caulfield Race 7 (3:40PM AEST) – Group 1 $1 million Underwood Stakes (1800m)
No. 3 Smokin’ Romans ($35 at time of publish)
Ciaron Maher is yet to claim this race, but he’s launching a strong three-pronged attack this year headlined by his seasoned campaigner SMOKIN’ ROMANS (2) who lines up for his 51st career start. A six-time Group 1 performer, the evergreen nine-year-old hasn’t raced at the elite level since his 13th-place finish in the 2023 Turnbull Stakes, where he failed to defend his title. But Maher knows how to place his horses, and after some solid runs over the past year, he’s thrown the veteran back into the deep end.
Last spring, this horse produced a dominant all-the-way win in the Group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) and followed it up with a runner-up finish behind Sydney Cup winner Arapaho in the Sandown Classic on heavy ground. While he’s mostly raced in Listed grade since, he showed he still has a turn of foot with a Warrnambool Cup win under 59kg in May.
First-up this prep, he was flat over 2040m at The Valley, but bounced back strongly at Caulfield on August 30, carrying 60.5kg and finishing just a quarter-length behind Revelare—who franked the form by winning the Group 3 Archer Stakes and booking a Melbourne Cup ticket.
With strong form lines, a drop in weight, and proven staying ability, Smokin’ Romans could be a genuine smokey for the exotics at a blowout price in the Underwood.
Check out my complete 2025 Underwood Stakes Runner-by-Runner Preview here!
Caulfield Race 8 (4:20PM AEST) – Group 1 $1 million Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m)
No. 10 Damask Rose ($14 at time of publish)
DAMASK ROSE (17) adds genuine value to any SRM to run Top 3 or 4 in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes, with the talented Kiwi mare lining up for her second Australian start.
Trained by Mark Walker, the four-year-old daughter of Savabeel is already a $2 million earner, boasting four wins from eight starts, including a dream run in the inaugural $3.5 million The Kiwi slot race at Ellerslie in March, where she defeated Evaporate by 1.5 lengths. That win followed her Karaka Millions 3YO triumph, confirming her class.
First-up in Australia, she finished fifth in the Group 3 Cockram Stakes (1200m) on August 30, just 1.5 lengths off Magic Time, and looked strong late. She’ll only improve second-up, steps up to a more suitable 1400m, and drops sharply in weight from 57kg to 52kg with Michael Dee aboard.
Yes, the wide draw is a challenge, but she’s proven up to a mile and has the turn of foot to finish strongly. A genuine Top 4 contender with upside.
Randwick Race 9 (4:40PM AEST) – Group 2 $1 million The Shorts (1100m)
No. 9 Marhoona – SCRATCHED
Caulfield Race 9 (4:55PM AEST) – Group 3 $200,000 Naturalism Stakes (2000m)
No. 8 Mark Twain ($11 at time of publish)
It’s a full field of Spring Cup hopefuls, and this year’s Naturalism Stakes looks a tough puzzle for punters—but MARK TWAIN (16) stands out as a genuine Each Way chance at 10/1.
The Kiwi stayer, trained by Roger James & Robert Wellwood, is a son of Melbourne Cup winner Shocking and looks ready to fire third-up over a more suitable trip. A Listed Roy Higgins winner at HQ in March, you can forgive his first-up flop on a Heavy (10) track in NZ—it was more a trial than a true test.
He returned to Australia last Saturday and last (6th) at 80/1 in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes, finishing five lengths off three-time champ Mr Brightside in a red-hot form race. Now dropping in grade and weight (2kg lighter), he’s on the quick back-up, drawn wide but gets Jamie Mott again.
With staying credentials and strong form lines, he’s well worth an Each Way ticket.
Good luck punters!