Top Bets For Wentworth Park, Thursday, August 11

IT'S the NSW finals night for the Nationals and it's set to be a bumper night of chasing at Wentworth Park on Thursday.

Best Bet

Race 1 Number 5 PUNTER'S BANDIT

This is a strong edition of the maiden this week, a few go better than most and for that reason, I think we should be able to get a decent enough price. Punter's Bandit is beautifully-bred, a half-sister to Tiger Jack, Doonan and the like and if reports are to be believed – she might be the best of the lot of them. She wasn't suited by one-turn racing at Goulburn in the Zoom Top Maiden series but she showed enough, producing an extremely powerful run home in her heat. 520m suits her much better than 440m and she showed decent enough lick early in her two starts to have her near the speed in this. I'm thinking she can lead and if she finds the lure it's – game, set, match.

FIELDS AND FORM WENTWORTH PARK THURSDAY NIGHT

Next Best Bet

Race 2 Number 2 ELANDA BALE

This handy Masters bitch is racing better than ever and she looks one of the better bets of the night off the checks. She's won four of her last eight starts with two solid performances at Wentworth Park during that run. On both occasions, she went sub 5.50 to the first mark and a repeat of that here has her on the lure. From there she's sub 30.30 in her two recent starts here and looking at her opponents' recent performances at the track, if she runs under 30.30 in the lure here, it's unlikely she'll be getting run down.

NSW National Distance Final

Race 5 Number 1 TIGER JACK

This shapes as a cracking distance clash and you can make a genuine case for five of the eight runners. I'm a massive Super Estrella fan but I'll always take a dog on coming off a career-best performance and that's what she has to do after running a PB of 41.63 here last Saturday night. Tiger Jack also ran his time 41.70 over this track and distance in the same race but the difference was he wasn't doing on the lure and this time he goes from box 8 to box 1. I think the draw suits him down to the ground, he can stalk the speed and with an unimpeded run, he'll prove hard to hold out.

NSW National Sprint Final

Race 6 Number 2 ZIPPING MASERATI

His record from inside draws is second to none with 10 wins from 14 starts off the inside three boxes. He comes into this race and is drawn with generally slow beginners inside (Simply Limelight) and out (Ritza Donna) and he's capable of running sub 5.40 to the mark. If he steps clean he leads and he's capable of going sub 11.80 home making it all but impossible for him to be run down on the lure, as the super strong Ritza Donna learnt a few runs back. This race sets up perfectly for him.

Quaddie
1st leg – 1, 7
2nd leg – 2, 8
3rd leg – 2, 3, 7
4th leg – 3, 4

Cost – $24