What to punt on Champions Night

Meant To Be at $7.50 to be first Kiwi home in the TAB Trot looks a good price. Photo / Ajay Berry

For a night with one of the shortest priced favourites in New Zealand racing history there is actually some money to be made on the punt at Cambridge tonight.

The TAB bookies have to come to the party with plenty of options for those not wanting to take Keayang Zahara’s $1.05 price while the support races have some value with the better horses facing tricky draws.

So here is a punt plan for some of tonight’s races presenting you with value on the Night of Champions:

Race 1: Only a small field with three winning chances but the least favoured of those Delany (No. 3) can win.

His trainer says he is very fit and they will try to lead all the way which makes his $3.50 fixed odds appealing as Layton David (4) and Off Shore (5) might have to come from behind him to beat him.

Race 4: Nice race to stick with Team Dunn. They have the best horse in the race in Bounce N Beyond (10) who can do things wrong and faces a big handicap but might still be able to win.

The value though is his stablemate Bravehearthighlander (7) who galloped when about to run to the lead last week and would have probably won. At $7 boosted he is a good each way bet or used in cover alongside his stablemate.

Race 5: Best filly in the race is Ripples (9) but from barrier 1 on the second line over 1700m she is going to need a lot of luck. She can still win, as can second favourite Queen Lizzy but you can make a strong case for backing Wat Next (3) who has gate speed and could lead and then covering on Smackdown (1) who should also be handy on the markers.

At $6.50 and $7 you won’t need to have much on.

Race 7: Race looks to set up perfectly for Allamericanplayer (3).

Has been placing behind a super little horse in Jumal lately and drawn to lead here over 1700m in a race without too many attackers.

TAB giving $3 with the Box Seat Boost and that is very simply a smart bet whereas his $2.20 with the book a touch short.

Race 8: A great field but Leap To Fame is still the best horse so you shouldn’t feel too uncomfortable about taking around $2.40 (boosted on Betcha) as he can win sitting parked and if he runs to the front the race is over.

But there are some other value options:

** TAB are betting $2.40 for the track record not to be broken which is overs.

** The boosted quinella Leap To Fame/Swayzee at $5 is good money.

** Merlin paying $2.05 to finish Top 6 for a horse who has never finished outside the Top 6 in his 52-start career is just plain silly even if it effectively is a Top 5 since Leap To Fame is not an option in that market.

Race 9: Keayang Zahara is a budding champion but even she isn’t worth backing at $1.05.

* Gus at $2.50 in the “Favourite Out” market makes great sense as he should beat the Kiwis so really you are getting $2.50 for him head to head with Jilliby Ballerini.

* Meant To Be paying $7.50 to be the first Kiwi home is wonderful money considering the vulnerabilities of the other three locals.

Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.