3 minute read

Makybe Diva Stakes day at Flemington with plenty of depth to the undercard.

Having a dominantly fresh Via Sistina down to face off against a rock-solid Mr Brightside and an underwhelming but still very dangerous Pride Of Jenni makes for great theatre at Flemington.

A full preview for that race can be found here, but for the sake of best bets, we'll look elsewhere.

I would've desperately liked to have stamped Growing Empire in the Poseidon Stakes as just that, and getting aggressive with the pricing can get him odds-on and to his market price, but as much of a star as I think he is, we'll opt against the easy way out for a tip (although I think if you got even money that's worth taking).

So we move on, and it's the fillies counterpart, the Cap D'antibes Stakes, where we find one at a bit of value.

Tobeornottobe comes here fresh having been beaten by Hayasugi twice in the Blue Diamond Preview & Prelude, missing the Group 1 and instead heading to the Group 3 Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes, simply proving too good for Ameena.

She ran to a rating of 105 that day, up from 102 and 96 prior, and that form has already worked out well in Sydney this time in.

Bold Bastille took on open company fresh and I thought she was quite plain, albeit behind Mornington Glory. I thought she was flattered by the compressed margins on a slow speed there, and I'm not convinced she's come back all that well.

The horse to beat is probably Drifting who won the Quezette well fresh. She ran to 106 there but was very well ridden to do so. She finished just 0.3 lengths ahead of Ameena when they met last time in and Tobeornottobe had just put 1.5 lengths on that horse.

Tobeornottobe won her latest jump out well and we're getting $7.50 for her. Keen to play.

The other each-way bet on the card I'll take is the Perth mare Alsephina in the Let's Elope Stakes. Fair play to those that got on at as big as 50-1 in the week, but $10 here is still a big price for close to the best horse in the race.

She holds a peak R&S rating of 112 when second in the Group 1 Railway Stakes and the market loved her that day, expecting to her to run around the 115 mark.

The main lead up was a messy, bunched finish won by Quintessa at 110, and Alsephina meets her 3.5kg better. She is first-up off a fairly long spell here which is the obvious knock, but she gets Shinn on with the aforementioned 55kg. Anything close to her best with that weight swing will see her fighting out the finish.

The Melbourne Mail

Best of the day: Race 3 #3 Tobeornottobe at $7.50

Each-way play: Race 7 #8 Alsephina at $10/3.30