Sandown Racing Tips for May 23 – All set to collect with Shockletz in Race 4

Here are our best bets from the meeting, which is one of the major metropolitan meetings from around Australia to complement the action in Brisbane, where the Doomben Cup is the feature. 

Nice performance by Almairac at Caulfield on May 5 and the six-year-old can go one spot better in this race after finishing runner-up behind Simurgh. At Caulfield, the Cliff Brown-trained galloper was posted three-wide no cover and had no option but to stride to the lead in the middle stages. He kept going as they cornered with the others around him fading, going for home in the straight but he was a bit of a sitting duck when run down late. That was a strong performance to go more than 11 lengths faster than standard benchmark and he should be right at his peak after three runs. From barrier 3, the son of Golden Horn should enjoy a more economical run and will be hard to beat. 

Amedei shapes as a major player in Race 3. The filly from the Price/Kent Jnr camp shows promise and claimed her Maiden at Seymour over the 1300m when resuming before heading to Adelaide for a crack at the Listed Port Adelaide Guineas (1600m) and finishing runner-up behind Tiptop Tori. She settled handy and was shuffled back from the 800m to the 600m before working home well late, putting nearly three lengths on the rest of them. The daughter of Zoustar drops in grade and at this stage of her debut prep she was a big improver on benchmark figures when going from a 5th in a Kilmore Maiden to a 6th at Group 2 level behind Salty Pearl on Cox Plate day. She will land in the second half but should get her chance on the Hillside circuit with the rail in the true position. 

Keen on Shockletz in Race 4. The Ciaron Maher-trained galloper has a solid record of six wins from 13 career starts and resumed at Bendigo in the Golden Mile (1600m) with an excellent performance to place 3rd behind Von Hauke. She was snagged back early then was held up in the straight before landing half a length off the winner. The runner-up out of that, Wonder Boy, has since come out and won. She meets that horse 4kg better at the weights and will relish the step to the 1800m. At this stage of her last preparation, she improved more than six lengths on benchmark figures to place 5th at Flemington and with the 52.5kg, she should be rocketing over the top of them late in the piece. 

King Zephyr draws wide for this but has the class to take him a long way. The lightly raced five-year-old draws wide in the big field and will look to settle into midfield position. He needed the run first up over the 1200m when 6th at Caulfield before getting out to his preferred trip of the 1400m at Flemington and finishing runner-up behind Big Swinger. He was just a tad slow to begin before clocking the fastest last 200m to land half a length away, putting a couple on the rest of them. The Grahame Begg-trained galloper improved six lengths on benchmark figures at this stage of his last preparation when runner-up in the Weekend Hussler (1400m) behind Zou Sensation and was a winner at his only other third up run. He should be tough to beat.