3 minute read

The Spring Carnival is officially over but we roll on to the Valley for a rare meeting with the lights off and it looks a reasonable betting card.

We're looking to get the cash early with our best bet on the card coming up in race one. It's a good three-year-old race where four of the seven runners are last start winners and one of them in particular has caught our attention.

That is Advancing who took a couple of runs to find his form but delivered last time around Moe in a maiden that rated highly.

From his place at the bottom of the handicap on Saturday he looks particularly dangerous off that last-start figure which was not only strong but also promises to provide a platform to progress rather than regress.

The early favourite is Smart Elissim who has been contesting stakes races, and finds something undoubtedly easier here, but his exposed talent looks overplayed by the early betting and we are more than happy to take him on at that quote.

Front-running Kiwi Our Big Mike can carry our money later in the day, appealing as a good each way play in race eight where he looks like controlling things on speed.

He ran well at his Australian debut in a strongly-run (and strong edition of the) Kyneton Cup and that can give him the base he needs to run to his peak on Saturday.

If he can do that in a race where his key dangers are likely to be waited with he is going to look a great gamble at 8-1 as they corner.

THE MELBOURNE MAIL

Bet Of The Day: Race 1 #7 Advancing @ $5.00

Each Way Play: Race 8 #3 Our Big Mike @ $9.00