RACE 2 - 12.30PM: ADORS PARTY HIRE MAIDEN HANDICAP (1620m)

Low-grade affair here. Love the value about local four-year-old gelding 8. Get Up Alby which can break through at 13th start. Was OK late in a stronger maiden at Mudgee, and previous form stacks up well in this company.
Dangers: Five-year-old Orange mare 7. Cat Walk Queen gets her chance to break through at 22nd start. Finished OK two runs back this track before a sound on-speed effort in that same maiden at Mudgee behind Via Condotti. Local three-year-old gelding 3. Arraign has only one placing from 12 starts, but found the line nicely from a wide gate and under more weight this track last start. Over the odds.
How to play it: Get Up Alby to win.

RACE 3 -1.05PM: DUBBO RSL CLUB RESORT MAIDEN HANDICAP (1320m)

Tough and open race. Three-year-old Gulgong gelding 2. Duntroon Man (also accepted for race two) resumes, and normally comes to hand fairly quickly. Has had two trials, and draws to get the right sort of trail off the speed.
Dangers: If local three-year-old gelding 9. Shwanky Doo gets even luck from the wide barrier, he'll be in the finish. Didn't do much in three runs, but back on home track powered home to just miss at fourth career start. Local two-year-old colt 5. Witness Collector has steadily improved across three runs in his first prep, and draws well.
How to play it: Duntroon Man each-way.

RACE 4 - 1.40PM: COMMERCIAL HOTEL CLASS 1 HANDICAP (1320m)

Gulgong mare 6. Tropicana Lass had a nine-week freshen-up after two fair runs over the mile, and hit the line hard over a shorter trip at Mudgee last start. Smart enough for this, and generally peaks second-up.
Dangers: Rival three-year-old Gulgong gelding 1. Slatey Bay has burst onto the scene, just missing on debut from the front at Bathurst before charging over the top as an odds-on favourite this track. Has the obvious class, but drawn off the track and coming back slightly in trip. Three-year-old Mudgee gelding 3. Lawnmeet has loomed to win plenty of races, but only saluted once from nine. Boxed on OK after covering ground this track last start, and drawn much better third-up here for leading trainer/rider combination. Four-year-old Wyong gelding 2. Brixton Town has done his best work late in two runs this prep, and should be suited back on a more spacious track with top country rider jumping back on.
How to play it: Tropicana Lass each way and box trifecta 1-2-3-6.

RACE 5 - 2.20PM: KINGS HALL JEWELLERS CLASS 1 HANDICAP (1320m)

Improving four-year-old Bathurst mare 2. Heavenly Glory produced a sustained finish from midfield resuming off a long break to win her maiden this track at second start. Breeding suggests this is a nice rise in distance, and stable is having a strong run.
Dangers: Local three-year-old gelding 1. Toulon Brook is a nice horse which produced a big run to just miss in a tight BM58 finish this track two runs back before disappointing in similar grade at Coonamble when getting a mile back. Gulgong filly 4. Song Of Luck appreciated a wet track, powering over the top at Ballina to win her maiden two runs back before closing off OK this trip and track.
How to play it: Heavenly Glory to win.

RACE 6 - 2.55PM: REEVE WHEELER MEMORIAL OPEN HANDICAP (1620m)

Seven-year-old Wellington-trained gelding 3. Steamin’ was unwanted in betting second-up at Mudgee, but still hit the line hard in a good quality BM81. This is his best trip, and looks well weighted for a horse beaten under two lengths in the much stronger Mudgee Cup last December.
Dangers: Another seven-year-old and popular local 1. Any Blinkin’ Day took advantage of a drop in weight to win this grade and trip two runs back when heavily specked in the market before fighting on into a place at Canterbury. Back up in weight on home track, but draws to park right behind the speed. Local five-year-old gelding 9. Helstar kept improving to land a class 3 this track last start when well backed, and looks ready for tougher grade dropping in weight, while six-year-old gelding 7. Podium Bound has won two of his last three at BM58 level when sparingly raced but while significantly down in weight, this is much tougher.
How to play it: Steamin' to win and box trifecta 1-3-7-9.

RACE 7 - 3.35PM: JOHN MCKINNON MEMORIAL BENCHMARK 66 HANDICAP (1020m)

Good competitive race. Smart five-year-old Scone gelding 1. Atum should have made it back-to-back BM58 wins this track two runs back before a sustained show of speed to lead all the way at Tamworth. This is tougher, but rider’s 3kg claim gets him in nicely.
Dangers: Huge market watch on local five-year-old gelding and former smart juvenile 4. Pray To The Sky which hasn’t started for 21 months, but dashed away to effortlessly win a recent home trial by more than four lengths and will wear visors. Well-bred sprinter which won on debut at Hawkesbury more than three years ago, but has spent most of the time in the paddock since. Three-year-old Mudgee filly 10. Key Factor has a good strike rate and resumes for leading stable. Very capable fresh, and has the early speed to offset the wide draw. Five-year-old Dubbo gelding
2. Larlabrook is yet to recapture the form of mid-2018 when he was placed in a much stronger Randwick Highway. Didn’t fire first-up this track when in the market, but expect natural improvement in just his third run for 12 months with the blinkers going on. Include six-year-old Condobolin gelding 3. Hope Island in exotics which resumes off a nice trial win. Big watch on local five-year-old gelding 9. Sons Of Bourke who resumes after a solid campaign in the autumn, and is normally good fresh while eight-year-old Mudgee gelding 7. Escebee rarely runs a bad race, and drops sharply in weight for this tougher test.
How to play it: Atum each way and box exacta 1-4-10.

RACE 8 - 4.10PM: THE MILESTONE HOTEL CLASS 2 HANDICAP (SCALED -0.5KG, 1120m)

Open battle with a stack of chances. Expecting big improvement second-up and back on firmer ground from progressive three-year-old Orange filly 3. Supreme Gem which didn’t fire first-up, but much better suited here.
Dangers: Three-year-old Nyngan gelding 2. Supreme Attraction returns for a second prep off a near 10-month break without an official trial, but has worked well, and did win a weaker race on debut last year. Capable four-year-old mare 11. Invincible Thunder looks well placed at the weights resuming for strong local stable. Four-year-old Hawkesbury gelding 1. Choice Harvest took on stronger last prep, and got home nicely resuming on the synthetic at Canberra. Drawn to get plenty of cover midfield with a 3kg claim. Three-year-old Gulgong filly 4. Smart Moove is building a nice record, and went through the early grades well last prep, but inside draw may not suit her natural pattern. Improving four-year-old Nyngan gelding 7. Festival Of Light bolted in third-up, but draws right off the track here while expect improvement also from Wyong mare 12. Cunningar Lass which never got warm resuming at Muswellbrook, and senior rider goes on.
How to play it: Supreme Gem each way and first four 2-3-11/1-2-3-4-7-11-12.

RACE 9 - 4.50PM: CHILL-RITE DAIKIN BENCHMARK 58 HANDICAP (1420m)

It doesn’t get much easier here, although four-year-old Muswellbrook gelding 2. Roy's Command looks well placed fourth-up, with senior rider jumping aboard. Resumed off two trials in a Randwick Highway before dropping down in grade with two solid closing runs from well off the speed. Ready to peak.
Dangers: Plenty of them headed by three-year-old Gulgong gelding 1. Larynx which won this grade three runs back, but has to cart a big weight. Four-year-old Mudgee gelding 9. Thunderzone has drawn the widest gate, but ridden cold is capable of charging late into the finish. Two other rival Mudgee geldings, 3. Humboldt and last-start BM 58 winner this track 4. Griffin's Gaze, will also both drift back from wider barriers and look to finish hard while include consistent four-year-old gelding 5. Sipharderson with nearly all his success coming here on his home track.
How to play it: Roy's Command each way and trifecta 1-2/1-2-3-4-5-9.

Best Bets:
R2 8. GET UP ALBY
R5 2. HEAVENLY GLORY

Best value:
R6 3. STEAMIN'

Tips supplied by Racing NSW.
Full form and race replays available at racingnsw.com.au