Flemington Racing Tips for July 18 – Exciting galloper hard to beat in Race 2

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

Keen on Hard Kick in Race 2. This is no easy assignment with five first starters in the field, several of whom have trialled well, while the talented Panchenko returns after a dominant five-length debut win at Bendigo. But it was impossible to ignore what Hard Kick produced on debut in the Talindert Stakes (1100m) down the Flemington straight, where he ran slick time to score in impressive fashion. Rather than pressing on to the Blue Diamond or Golden Slipper, the stable elected to spell him with bigger spring targets in mind, headed by the Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m). He looked sharp in a recent Werribee trial and, from a middle draw, should enjoy every chance to make a winning return.

Changing Colours looks well placed in Race 3. The five-year-old was switched from the Chris Waller stables to Lucy Yeomans after her summer campaign and made an impression at her first start for her new trainer, placing 4th at Flemington over the 1420m on a Soft track behind Stylish. She settled back on an even tempo after drawing wide and lost ground at the 1100m when steadied off heels then was held up for a run for the first half of the straight but worked home well to land two lengths off the winner. The daughter of The Autumn Sun draws ideally in barrier 3 and will be suited by the rise to the 1600m. With a clear crack at them this time around, she should be hard to hold out at the business end. 

Freedom Rally looks ready to produce at the each-way quote when he steps out in Race 8. The Gavin Bedggood-trained galloper took a few runs to get going in his current campaign and was luckless two starts ago when stepping up to the 2000m with a 4th behind Nellie Leylax at Caulfield. The six-year-old then tackled the Winter Championship Final (1600m) here a fortnight ago and worked home well to just miss out as the exacta horse behind Detonator Jack. He looks primed for another assault over the 1200m and should enjoy a clean and uninterrupted run from the back of the field, where the backmarkers might be suited with the likes of Smokin Romans and Chief Little Rock to set the race nicely up in front.