Saturday Roughie Tips – August 15, 2026
Chasing the best value Saturday roughies this weekend? Ladbrokes have you covered with the forgotten longshots in the Group races to get behind ahead of the spring majors.
Last week we found a couple of value third placegetters in Melbourne and the best of this Saturday’s racing again takes place in Victoria with P.B. Lawrence Stakes Day oozing with class runners at Caulfield.
We’ve got a host of hard-to-beat favourites in the meeting’s key events, but that’s not to say we can’t find some cheeky outsiders ready to give them a scare!
From the 3YOs in the Vain and Quezette Stakes ready to show off their Group 1 potential to a very deep edition of The Rosebud in Sydney, we’ve found the roughies you need to get behind.
Hendo is back and the Value Whisperer is ready with her blackbook of Saturday racing roughie tips right here!
What are the Best Value Racing Tips for August 15?
- Caulfield Race 5 – No. 9 Myhro’s Ruler
- Caulfield Race 6 – No. 6 Divine Dot
- Rosehill Race 8 – No. 5 Under Focus
- Caulfield Race 7 – No. 12 Coeur Volante
Caulfield Race 5 – Vain Chance to Rule
No. 9 Myhro’s Ruler
MYHRO’S RULER (8) is just under $10 at time of publish so isn’t an outright roughie but is overlooked in Vain Stakes betting and still lovely value for mine.
The John McArdle-trained Wild Ruler gelding was outclassed on debut here at Caulfield in the Listed St Albans Stakes back in March when dead last behind Rich On Bubbles, and the team did the right thing sending him out to mature.
Come back off two slick trials to break his maiden status at Echuca over 1000m on a Heavy (9) track and was enormous down in grade saluting by six lengths as the odds-on fancy.
Beat home Imperial Valley that day in good time considering the conditions with the runner-up franking the form with a next-up victory at Gundagai.
Will easily get the 1100m now and deserves a shot back up in class based on the lead-up win.
Rain-affected going for Saturday will suit to a tee, Jamie Mott sticks with; not saying he’ll win but don’t think he’s out of contention fit and firing.
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9. Myhro’s Ruler (8)
J: Jamie Mott 56kg
6×1T: John Mcardle
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| Second-up. First start ran last in a small field in the LR Valley Pearl (St Albans Stakes) at this track on March 21 over 1200m, 11 len behind Rich On Bubbles with 58kg at $4.80. Went for a spell before returning favourite; raced right near the speed and boxed on; won by 6 len at Echuca on July 24 over 1000m in heavy going defeating Imperial Valley with 58kg at $1.80. Dominant fresh, respecting despite a sharp jump in grade. | |||
Caulfield Race 6 – Divine Value Outsider
No. 6 Divine Dot
DIVINE DOT (16) is first-up and drawn a really nasty gate in the Quezette Stakes field, but I’m skeptical of ruling her out completely for the exotics based on some promising form from last prep.
It’s a deep edition of the Group 3 with some improvers and a Group 1 winning Kiwi to knock off and that opens up the value.
Another livewire place chance for McArdle, this promising daughter of Overshare is one of the best tested in the line-up having her sixth start.
She’s already a three-time winner, with two of those victories happening first-up, so I like her to outrun her price fresh again here.
Big winner on debut at Mornington last December, after which she wasn’t disgraced running fifth to Moana Spirit in the Geelong Diamond.
Took out the VOBIS Gold Strike at Warrnambool in her winter kick-off by a good margin on a Heavy rated track, then went on to salute again with 59kg in a 2YO Fillies Handicap at Sandown Hillside.
Fifth at her latest down the straight at Flemington when giving weight away in early June, she’s been kept ticking over with a winning Pakenham jump-out and looks ready to go.
The gate is obviously awful and gives a challenge to Mott to cross and take up the lead.
If they don’t burn too much energy doing that, I think she can hang on for a run in the money.
Flies fresh, right hoop and gets the chance to take it to the next level at a cheeky price.
| 6. Divine Dot (17) Scratched: | |||
Rosehill Race 8 – Focus on the Under Rated Bloomer
No. 5 Under Focus
Plenty of livewire hopes in this year’s The Rosebud and, despite the wide alley, I like the chances of UNDER FOCUS (13) running in the money at a great price.
The Kris Lees-trained colt is by one of the top sires, Too Darn Hot, and remains untapped with improvement during his 3YO campaign pending.
He broke his maiden status at start number two saluting over 1100m on Soft going at Kensington before bravely rounding out the Group 3 Kindergarten Stakes trifecta at Randwick during The Championships only 1.2 lengths off Blue Door.
The Kindergarten winner is currently favourite for The Rosebud, which bodes well for this overlooked youngster.
He’s had two lead-up trials including a winning 1000m hit out on August 3 in Newcastle so looks forward enough to show up and race well.
Dylan Gibbons has work to do from the gate, but if he can cross and sit on pace taking luck out of the equation I think he’s still in the mix.
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5. Under Focus (12)
J: Dylan Gibbons 57kg
213xT: Kris Lees
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| Racing first-up today. Finished off last preparation third of 10 at Randwick in the G3 Kindgarten April 4 over 1100m, soft track; 1.2 len behind Blue Door with 56.5kg at $5.50. On debut second of 8 at Warwick Farm 2yo C&G Mdn March 11 over 1000m, soft track; 0.9 len behind The Next Episode carrying 58kg at $11. Back in good order with the two trials but poorly drawn. | |||
Caulfield Race 7 – Feature Race Flyer Full of Heart
No. 12 Coeur Volante
The PB Lawrence is the feature race on Saturday and COEUR VOLANTE (6) is an always honest mare from the Lindsay Park yard who can add value to exotics.
Drawn well midfield, the Kiwi-bred daughter of Proisir runs at her pet course boasting a terrific strike rate at Caulfield (7:4-0-1) including back-to-back runs at the track and trip over the winter.
Earlier in her career she won a trio of Group status races including the Group 2 Thousand Guineas Prelude as a filly in 2023, as well as last year’s Group 3 Mannerism in a four-length romp home.
She went to Flemington at her latest on August 1 going down under a length carting 60kg for a brave fourth behind Sass Appeal in a BM100 run full of merit.
Returning to this circuit, sticking to her best distance and down in the kilos, she looks every hope to match motors with the WFA stars ahead of potentially bigger targets this spring.
Can surprise and continue her consistency.
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12. Coeur Volante (6)
J: Jamie Melham 57kg
31114T: Ben, Will & Jd Hayes
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| Form hard to fault. Most recently 4th in a small field at Flemington on August 1 over 1410m, 2 len behind Sass Appeal with 60kg at $9. The race before that ran on from midfield and won by a head at this track on July 11 over 1400m on a soft track defeating Rise At Dawn with 58.5kg at $4. Racing very well but place probably best here. | |||
A tidy little finish for this week’s Hendo’s Hopefuls: with spring fast approaching and the big guns sharpening up, there’s still plenty of room for the bold punter to find value in the shadows. Whether it’s a lightly‑raced improver, a forgotten filly, or a Sydney smokey ready to outrun its quote, the roughies are there for those willing to look past the favourites. Lock in your plays, trust the form angles, and let the outsiders do the heavy lifting — Saturday roughies remain one of the best ways to snag a juicy collect as the carnival builds.
Good luck punters!
Saturday Racing Previews
- P.B. Lawrence Stakes Day (Caulfield)
- The Rosebud Day Preview (Rosehill)
- Doomben Preview
Saturday Roughies – FAQs
Hendo targets outsiders with hidden upside — horses coming off forgive runs, subtle pattern changes, or maps that improve dramatically compared to last start. Value starts where the market stops looking.
Untapped types often jump several lengths once they hit their right trip or track. When the data sample is small, the market can misprice them — perfect territory for roughie hunters.
Early day patterns can flip races on their head. If the rail is off or swoopers are launching, horses previously “out of play” suddenly become live chances at double‑figure odds.
Absolutely. Blinkers on, tongue tie added, or a key shoeing tweak can spark dramatic improvement. Hendo loves a roughie with a meaningful gear switch the market hasn’t reacted to yet.
Many outsiders are crying out for more ground but haven’t had the chance to show it. When they finally get a staying trip or a more suitable tempo, they can explode at juicy odds.
Senior riders jumping aboard, or apprentices with a well‑timed claim, can completely change a roughie’s profile. A positive booking is often the first clue a stable thinks the horse is ready to spike.
Yes — especially those with strong top‑four consistency. They don’t need to win to add value; they just need to run to their pattern, making them ideal for exotic legs.
Quiet trial strength, stable comments, and subtle early market firming often reveal which outsiders are attracting interest. Hendo watches these clues closely.
When leaders overcook it, backmarkers and off‑speed runners suddenly become the ones you want to be on — and they’re often the ones at the big odds.