HQ will host a talent rich ten-race program on Saturday, January 13th headlined by the Group 3 Standish Handicap.
As stables continue to gear up for the forthcoming Autumn Carnival, there’s plenty of value to be found in betting, and I am confident in having unearthed some of it below in my 2024 Standish Handicap Day Tips!
Just one of the nine horses engaged in the first on Standish Handicap Day has previous raceday experience.
I can’t find anything that I am particularly confident in, so I am happy to stay out of this one from a betting perspective with a view towards something later in the season.
South Australian Arugamama brings career-best form into this contest and looms as the one to beat again.
Arugamama returned to winning form in BM66 company at Morphettville back in November and hasn’t taken a backwards step, adding a pair of BM78 races at 1950m and 2100m to her CV.
She’s hard fit, the 2000m suits and she should relish the conditions at Flemington this weekend.
Otago debuted with an expected and dominant win out at Bendigo, and he can continue his rise through the grades at Flemington on Saturday.
The Ocean Park gelding was sent off an odds-on favourite in the 1300m sprint and didn’t disappointing, greeting the judge more than two lengths ahead.
With improvement for that experience, he can keep alive his unbeaten record.
Chester Warrior looks to have the superior form lines in this race in my opinion, and I am happy to give him another chance.
The Zululand gelding won over 1100m at Ballarat in his first start back this time, and after failing to fire in the Ballarat Magic Millions Classic in early December, he only just missed here at his latest.
He’s hard fit and something like this really does look within his means.
Interlinked puts his unbeaten record on the line in the fifth on Standish Handicap Day, and I am keen to stick with him.
The Savabeel gelding stamped himself as one to watch with an easy win on debut at Kilmore, and he franked that performance with another nice victory at Caulfield.
Fitter third-up and further out in trip, I really can’t find a reason why he won’t be in the finish again.
Fire Of Etna returned to action with arguably the best performance of her career last month, and I am confident that she can continue her rise through the grades this week.
The Rebel Raider made has won two of four since debuting, finishing second on another occasion and finding form around some credible opposition.
Having hit the line to win at Seymour first-up, she’s open to plenty of improvement, and this certainly isn’t the strongest race on the program.
Punch Lane has continued to improve with each start since making his debut, and he looks well placed to record another win on Standish Handicap Day.
The So You Think gelding returned to action with an eye-catching performance and easy win out at Echuca in October and resumed again in late December for a near five-length romp at Geelong.
This is the hardest task that he has been set, but I think that is ceiling is still firmly above this grade.
We were with Sghirippa when he recorded an outstanding win in the Christmas Stakes at Caulfield last time out, and I see no reason to jump off in Saturday’s feature.
The Lonhro gelding has fast become the stable star for South Australians Shane & Cassie Oxlade, and he really has gone to another level this time, peaking with his maiden bit of black type last time out.
He’s another that steps out this week in peak order, and he was decent in his only other run down the Flemington straight to date.
Miracle Spin returned to winning form up in Sydney at his latest appearance and as long as he handles the reverse running, I think he’ll make it two in a row at Flemington on Saturday.
The Pivotal gelding was a consistent performer last time in, but he clearly needed his first run back this time when fading late in a 1400m metro race.
I thought that his most recent performance was one of his best since debuting, and I am expecting the form out of it to hold up.
Jenny Jerome was decent at her first appearance back at The Valley last month and will take plenty of improvement into this race.
The Churchill mare has proven to be a decent horse for the Patty Payne yard throughout the last year, and she picked off a nice 1400m race here in May.
Her second-up record is excellent, and I think that she has a lot of these rivals covered for class.