Bairnsdale Racing Tips for July 13 – Sub Guage a strong play second up at Bairnsdale

Here are our best bets from the meeting, which also feature in our daily selections.

Admire Mercury is set to break through in Race 4. The three-start Maiden has not had much luck so far but has managed to place in two of the three, including a last start effort at Moe when filling the exacta over the 1217m behind Eton Affair. He was slowly away and overraced early on then was held up at the 400m before coming home with the fastest last 200m to land within a length of the winner. He comes to Bairnsdale and was an eye catcher when 3rd at the venue on debut on a Heavy track, while he draws perfectly in barrier 5 for this assignment and should be right at his peak. 

This looks to be a suitable assignment for Winter Grace. The five-year-old was dominant on a Heavy at the track and trip two starts ago in a lowly BenchMark 52 before having a crack at a BenchMark 74 at Sandown over the 2400m and finding that grade beyond her. The Cranbourne mare will find this more to her liking and does come in with the best last start benchmark figures of any runner, having gone two lengths faster than standard at Sandown, which is nearly six lengths better than anything her opposition served up at their most recent start. She draws barrier 2 for this assignment and will settle in a midfield spot before working into it. Expect her to be hard to hold out at the business end. 

Keen on Sub Guage in the final race of the day at Bairnsdale. The six-year-old resumed at Moe over the 1000m recently and was posted wide no cover but kept coming to fill the minors behind Naswaary. He spiked big time on benchmark figures at this stage of his last preparation when going from a runner-up at Kilmore to a win at Warrnambool over the 1000m on a Heavy 10. He draws a tad awkwardly in barrier 10 and just needs to find a spot early on.