3 minute read

With the carnival winding up in Adelaide, Melbourne's meeting on Saturday goes off with little fanfare but it does look a solid betting card.

We here at the Melbourne Mail are keen to get amongst it, coming off a frustrating weekend last time where our best Superium ran second, beaten a neck, and our each way play, Duke Of Plumpton, ran fourth beaten a neck. What a game... 

At least we are in it. And we press on to Sandown in footy coach mode - we have to trust the process! 

This week that process leads us to Race Nine and Vowmaster, one who was fancied by many to make his mark in better races at the start of the autumn but failed to live up to that billing and now finds himself at a sleepy Sandown meeting looking to get back on that track. 

Vowmaster's latest was a return to the level of form that had him so well regarded at the start of this campaign and now he finds a thinner race. Thudson and Miss Devine Em draw out wide together with competitive ratings and Dark Horse is just that - but Vowmaster has run at least as well as any of those last time and he did it without much luck at all. 

That he has been too far back at his latest couple is some cause for concern but he is drawn to be there or thereabouts and we make him a bet at prices around $3.80. 

The betting for the sixth race on the card is headed up by Charleise who arrives off a tidy win at the course and has earned her place at the top of markets. 

Garvoc comes off a fairly tepid third and will need to to better than that to be winning here but she is certainly capable of better and potentially has a little map advantage over the favourite. 

There is some concern that Garvoc has missed her chance to really cash in on her good form at the start of this prep, with her latest being a ratings dip, but double figure prices make plenty of allowance for that and they make plenty of appeal in a race where she looks like getting across into a nice spot in the first few and finding every chance to put up her best form. That will take plenty of stitching and $11.00 makes her an easy one to throw up. 

THE MELBOURNE MAIL 

Bet Of The Day: Race 9 #8 Vowmaster @ $3.80

Each Way Play: Race 6 #10 Garvoc @ $11.00