Ballarat Racing Tips for May 24 – Blizzard to hit at Ballarat in Race 4

Here are our best bets from the meeting, which also features in our preview of racing from around Australis on Sunday.

Baltic Blizzard is a clear top pick in Race 4 of the day at Ballarat. The locally-trained filly out of the Henry Dwyer stables has had the two career starts for two runner-up performances with those coming late last year at Donald and Seymour. She finished in front of a number of subsequent winners in the most recent of those when going 3.5 lengths slower than standard benchmark, which is a better figure than what any horse in this race has produced. The 1400m at her home track looks like a good starting point and she comes in with a trial win, while this is a weak field.

Staunch shapes as an each-way player in Race 5. The seven-year-old comes into this fourth up and was outclassed in Saturday grade at Caulfield two starts ago before dropping to BenchMark 62 at Ballarat and placing 3rd over the 2000m behind Breathless Spirit. He meets that horse 2kg better at the weights and should be neat his peak, while the prospect of a Soft track is a bonus. Expect him to settle back and enjoy a nice cart into the race with a few of these to go forward in the early stages. LeavLe

Done Leavy can just about make it back to back wins when she steps out in Race 7. The Hayes filly did a few things wrong when when racing keenly and without luck when placing in three of her first four starts then showed nice improvement at the track and trip on May 10 when scoring ahead of Master Taj, with that horse putting more than three lengths on the rest of them. She seemed to benefit from a few gear changes and relaxed much better. She rises to BenchMark 62 and gives the impression she can measure up in a race where the tempo looks like it will suit, given she is likely to tuck in just behind them.