Hendo’s Hopefuls: Saturday’s Best Roughies

Unearth the best value runners across Saturday’s race cards with our Ladbrokes roughie selections right here!

We had a bit of success with our weekend long-shots last Saturday, finding Confederation for a second in the Canonbury Stakes and La Gitana rounding out the Chairman’s trifecta.

Once more we’re on the hunt for the forgotten horses ready to run in the money (or even go past!) the better-backed fancies around the nation, and we’ve got a couple of stacked cards as the autumn Group 1 races fast approach.

From the Blue Diamond Prelude Day action in Melbourne to Sydney’s Inglis Millennium program at Royal Randwick, we’ve got the top double-figure chances to lock into your exotics and Same Race Multis.

The Value Whisperer is out to deliver the goods again! Check out her top Saturday roughies that could salute at huge odds below.

Caulfield Race 3 – Group 3 $350,000 Blue Diamond Prelude (C&G) (1100m)

No. 5 Invicto

INVICTO (4) lines-up for his second career start and at $15 at time of publish looks overs for mine to run in the money again.

Prepared by the master Ciaron Maher, this promising and nicely bred I Am Invincible colt only debuted in the Blue Diamond Preview on Jan 24 running out of his skin.

Despite not saluting as the well-backed favourite off a winning Cranbourne trial, he crossed just a half-length off the winner Alibaba in an excellent career kick-off losing few admirers.

He’ll only improve out of that, has the benefit of a race day run around the Caulfield circuit now and the in-form Ethan Brown sticks with.

Gate four in a small field, blinkers go on to help him focus and I think he’ll jump out clean, hit the lead and take some running down.

Each Way.

Caulfield Race 4 – Group 2 $350,000 Blue Diamond Prelude (F) (1100m)

No. 10 Medicinal

MEDICINAL (2) isn’t exactly a roughie at around $8 at time of publish but this Lindsay Park debutant remains excellent value to potentially get things underway with a win.

Michael Dee takes the sit on this unraced daughter of dual Group 1 winning sprinter Brazen Beau who has blue-blood breeding to suggest a nice showing.

She presents race day ready off to winning trials, the first at Pakenham in mid-January before taking out a 2YO hit out over 1000m at Geelong on Jan 27 with Dee aboard showing promise slicing through between runners.

Shown enough in the jump outs to hint that she’s not as green as a few of these other babies and she benefits from a plum inside draw.

Happy to throw a few dollars her way.

Caulfield Race 5 – Group 2 $300,000 Autumn Stakes (1400m)

No. 9 Cyber Link

I originally had this guy picked out as the value at Caulfield a couple of weeks back in the Group 3 Manfred before he was scratched.

CYBER LINK (11) now gets his chance in an even tougher assignment taking on the likes of resuming VRC Derby champ OBSERVER and the Caulfield Guineas runner-up PLANET RED in a top edition of the Autumn Stakes.

While this is obviously a very tough ask of Greg Eurell’s untapped Bivouac colt, I still think he’s worth keeping safe as he oozes the potential to be up there with the best of the season’s 3YOs.

He is still very much a work in progress with only one run under the belt, but there was plenty to like about his debut win and he’s got the pedigree to keep improving.

He took care of business fresh at Pakenham over 1200m, and while this is a decent jump in grade, he does drop a kilo with Mertens sticking — always a good sign.

He did the right thing by punters last start, has enough early speed to cross from the nasty draw land in the first few, and if he keeps finding late, he’s the type who can sneak into the finish at a nice price.

Caulfield Race 7 – Group 3 $200,000 Kevin Heffernan Stakes (1400m)

No. 7 Plymouth

PLYMOUTH (7) is the rank outsider in the Kevin Heffernan but deserves more respect than his $35 quote at time of publish suggests.

The Ben, Will & JD Hayes trained The Autumn Sun four-year-old resumes in a cracking edition of this race – the field of which reads more like a Group 2 than a Group 3 line-up – and I don’t think he’s out of place in it.

He was a close runner-up just a quarter-length off Brayden Star here last October in the Group 2 Herbert Power and while the 1400m is short of his best (he’s yet to win over less than 1500m) I am still thinking he could surprise for a top three finish.

Outclassed in the Caulfield Cup running 15^th at 70/1 during the spring but didn’t exactly walk over the line either.

First run since and he trialled well here behind a nice filly in Davida when runner-up on Jan 29.

He’s going to improve off whatever he does here getting up in trip later this prep, but the flying Benny Allen rides and I’ll be watching him from the back late.

Randwick Race 7 – Restricted Listed $2,000,000 Inglis Millennium (1100m)

No. 9 Where’s The Circus

WHERE’S THE CIRCUS (2) lines-up in this lucrative 2YOs feature at 25/1 at time of publish, but I think Paul Murray’s Trapeze Artist filly ticks a few boxes to back-up off a winning debut and outrun her starting price.

A lovely filly to look at, she lived up to her appearance at Randwick in mid-December taking out the Inglis Nursery at blowout odds beating Internal Affairs by over a length.

Nothing to suggest she can’t dig deep against a bigger field and run well again from a favourable gate two draw with the booking of Jay Ford for this another plus.

Kept fresh ahead of her second-up run, she’s got the Randwick circuit sorted, showed off a brilliant turn of foot when out pacing her better fancied rivals last time out and, while the pressure gets poured on here, I expect her to handle it well.

Price hard to explain, but I’m going to take advantage of it!

Caulfield Race 8 – Group 3 $200,000 Peter Le Grand Stakes (1100m)

No. 8 No Limitation

The Hayes boys could be in for a big day at Caulfield with plenty of upset chances including NO LIMITATION (8) in Race 8.

Big race specialist Craig Williams comes aboard this progressive Exceedance filly who arrives as a two-time winner from six starts to date.

With Clayton Douglas as a two-year-old, she joined the Lindsay Park yard before the summer and showed off her stuff straight away for the new stable winning back-to-back trials before a second by the barest of margins over 1000m at Seymour on December 28.

She went one better on Jan 17 at Cranbourne blowing away Soho Princess to win by nearly three lengths and shake off the cobwebs.

Rises in class now, but deservingly so, looks more than capable of seeing out a strong 1100m after the runaway margin last start and comes back from 57.5kg to 56kg.

Confidence at a peak, gets conditions to suit, and she should be hitting the lead at some point.

Can box on and hold them at bay if she’s good enough.

Randwick Race 8 – Group 3 $250,000 Eskimo Prince Stakes (1200m)

No. 8 Watson

WATSON (6) has been completely left alone by punters in the Eskimo Prince, but the price jumps out for mine.

He’s from the Waterhouse/Bott yard – always something to respect – and chases a hat-trick, so definitely one who knows how to find the line first.

Tim Clark sticks aboard the Capitalist gelding after guiding him for a huge 3.18 length win over 1250m at Canterbury on Jan 30 in a BM72.

Rises in class and weight but deserves his shot at this level.

Fit and firing, he should press forward early and make his presence felt, even in this tougher grade, and he’s the type who can stick on and cause a nuisance for a long way.

Caulfield Race 9 – Group 3 $200,000 MRC Foundation Cup (1600m)

No. 3 Casino Seventeen

CASINO SEVENTEEN (7) is no stranger to this grade of rivals and the evergreen eight-year-old at 30/1 at time of publish oozes appeal for punters chasing value in their exotics.

Trainer Gavin Bedggood is enjoying a charmed early start to the autumn, and this son of Casino Prince could continue that here first-up.

His record fresh is solid (7:2-1-3) and he’s proven at Caulfield.

From 11 goes at the 1600m he’s an eight-time placegetter – a stat I really like.

Form around some very nice horses during the spring and racked up a few good performances including a Group 3 Coongy Cup second and Group 3 Eclipse Stakes victory over 1800m at this track.

Things came undone on December 6 when he was out weighted with 59.5kg running 11^th in the Ballarat Cup but think he can atone.

Could need the run but not ruling out a good showing.

Randwick Race 9 – $160,000 Inglis Digital Feb Late Sale 19-24 Handicap (1600m)

No. 2 Travolta

TRAVOLTA (1) resumes in the penultimate race in Sydney on Saturday and looks a genuine Top 3 chance for exotics at blowout odds fresh.

Chris Waller’s consistent Lope De Vega five-year-old has a really solid first-up record (5:3-0-0) and he looks overs to add to that here.

The 1600m gets his autumn underway, and while he’ll no doubt be better over further as he progresses, first‑up last prep he scored by nearly a length in a Warwick Farm BM72 on July 2 handling the Heavy ground comfortably with 60kg to beat Hot Bandit over 1400m.

His strike rate at Randwick speaks for itself (5:2-1-0) and he’ll enjoy the Soft going.

At his latest he was a narrow Group 3 St Leger winner over 2600m here beating a good type in Etna Rosso.

Obviously carries a bit of weight (59kg) at this grade, but inside alley in a wide-open race without a genuine standout – he has to be considered.

Good luck punters!