Geelong Racing Tips for July 31 – Form says I Said So in Race 8 at Geelong

Here are our best bets from the meeting, which is one of two for the day in Victoria running alongside the meeting at Wangaratta. 

Vespasian can be an improver in Race 5. The Hayes-trained galloper has placed just once in four career starts and has had a fair few excuses in those. He has drawn very wide gates in his two runs this time in and settled back on a crawling tempo before being chopped out of it with 600m to go at Bendigo over the 1400m when finishing well back, despite producing the second fastest last 200m when warming up late. At his most recent start, he drew the carpark and pushed forward on a suicidal tempo before sticking on reasonably well for 5th on the Ballarat Synthetic. The son of I Am Invincible finally draws a barrier and should enjoy the step up in trip to the 1700, while he will be getting towards peak fitness. 

This is a weak race and I Said So looms as a solid chance second up from a spell. The four-year-old resumed at Bairnsdale earlier this month over the 1200m and was back on a slow tempo then wide before making up plenty of ground as they cornered then losing momentum when the rider dropped the whip. That, and the lack of early tempo, counted against in the end. He draws the inside this time around and was an improver second up at his last preparation when going from an eight length 6th in Maiden grade to a runner-up. His only win so far came on a Soft surface and he is likely to enjoy similar conditions here.