30/10/21 Best Bets at Flemington for Saturday Racing

The Melbourne Cup Carnival kicks off in style this Saturday, with a mouth-watering edition of Derby Day set to light up Flemington.

A day adored by punters and participants alike, there's nine races over the course of the afternoon offering up cracking betting opportunities.

The track is currently rated a Good 4 and with only relatively small amounts of rain predicted, participants will be met with a perfect racing surface. 

The rail is True for the entire circuit, at this set-up, the track should play fairly. 

 

 

Flemington Race 1 #1 Brigantine $5.50

An interesting race to start proceedings here, and I'm angling with the Godolphin runner Brigantine in this Group 3 Carbine Club Stakes. 

Out of the three main fancies in the race, there are genuine excuses why Prix De Turn and Fangirl have some obstacles to overcome which I'll touch on later.

Meanwhile the pros heavily outweigh the cons when it comes to Brigantine, who was good behind Coastwatch and Hilal in the Group 2 Stan Fox last start.

He enjoyed a good run in transit and was just no match for that pair late, who have since run very well again in the Bondi Stakes.

He was very strong through the line behind Lightsaber two starts back, and now finally getting out to the mile looks very positive.

I'm convinced he will see out the trip strongly, and maps for a good run in transit as he pushes forward from the barrier to settle handy. 

Rock hard fit and ready to peak, he gets D Oliver aboard and can break through for his first black type victory with every favour possible. 

Despite coming through a big Group 1 run, Prix De Turn maps horribly to be well back in the field from a low barrier and will need to be very good from there. 

Fangirl is coming off a last start victory, but it was over 1400m and she doesn't stand out as a horse who will relish the mile, so there has to be concerns on her at the trip.

 

Flemington Race 4 #7 Oxley Road $3.20

Oxley Road came out last start in the Group 2 Caulfield Sprint and put in a dominant display that finally showcased what we know he is capable of. 

He was third-up into that run, but had been freshened leading in and after settling up on speed he put away Malkovich and co. with a great win.

The time recorded was 9 lengths quicker than standard, and he still managed to run the fastest last 400m sectional of the race after sitting on speed and going quick in front.

Fourth-up now and back down the Flemington straight, which is track we know he can excel at as he won here on debut and has been competitive in good races since. 

He gets in with another light weight carrying 6kg less than the topweight in Kementari, and B McDougall sticks after a peach last start.

His ratings show that he is a deserved favourite in this Group 2 event, and he would be very competitive in a Group 1 VRC Sprint Classic in a week's time if they opt to back up. 

I have him marked as a $2.80 favourite in this race and am happy to bet up at the current price. 

 

For a list of all the tipsters who have posted Flemington Tips for today's races, checkout the dedicated page at theGreatTipOff.com.