Bendigo Racing Tips for October 28 – Valley to reign in Bendigo Cup

Sunbliss should be hard to beat in Race 2 at Bendigo. The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained filly was a debut winner at Cranbourne back in March and has worked home well in her two runs this preparation. She finished runner-up behind Times Of Tale over the 1000m at Sandown before stepping up to Group 3 company at Caulfield, where she finished ninth over the 1200m. She was slow out of the barriers that day and settled back off a moderate tempo on a day when the leaders were suited, but still managed to produce the second-fastest final 200m. The daughter of The Autumn Sun will find this considerably easier and should have further improvement to come. Ethan Brown takes the ride and strikes at 26% for the stable.

Going with Prestige Lucky to make it two wins from as many career starts when he steps out in Race 3. The four-year-old made his debut at Morphettville recently, settling back before rattling home in the straight for an impressive win over the 1050m. The son of Lucky Vega clocked a slick 21.92 seconds for his final 400m to edge past Confucius Flyer, putting four lengths on the rest of the field. The runner-up has since franked that form by winning his maiden by four lengths. Prestige Lucky rises in grade but should be suited by the big field, with several runners likely to push forward and generate a solid tempo for him to work off. Expect him to be charging home late.

Lawborough shapes as a major player in Race 6. The four-year-old has not won since taking out his first two races earlier this year but has been competitive in all three runs this preparation, including a narrow defeat at the track and distance when resuming. The Simon Zahra-trained gelding comes off a last-start fifth at Caulfield, where he was beaten less than a length behind Sweethearted. He appeared to resent settling back off the slow tempo and raced keenly but continued to find the line, producing the fastest final 400m of the race. The son of Per Incanto normally likes to roll forward and draws a much more suitable barrier this time around, giving him the opportunity to dictate proceedings. Fourth-up and with conditions more in his favour, he should be ready to pounce.

Hard to go past Kings Valley in the Bendigo Cup (2400m). The Ciaron Maher-trained galloper is on the quick back-up after finishing runner-up behind Juja Kibo in the Moonee Valley Cup (2500m) on the weekend, having previously produced an impressive fifth in the Caulfield Cup (2400m). Any concerns about his demanding recent schedule are somewhat offset by the strong early betting support, while he is following a similar path to 2024 Melbourne Cup (3200m) winner Knight's Choice in a bid to secure a start in the big one. The son of Territories has had little luck at the barrier draws and will likely be forced back again, but the wide expanses of Bendigo should suit. A genuine tempo looks likely, with The Euphrates and So You Are among several runners that like to roll forward. With the race potentially setting up for those coming from behind, expect Kings Valley to be hard to hold out late.