1/11/2002 edition

Moonee Valley Betting Tips

The Moonee Valley racetrack can often be an absolute nightmare for punters. It has a StrathAyr surface, which means there is usually some give in the track. Combine that with a very tight turning track, a very short home straight of only 173 metres and often, not always, a biased leaders' track when the rail is out and you can see why there will be trouble for punters.

Horses drawn inside barriers, particularly one, are often very risky betting propositions. Take the case of Oregon Seal in the Group 3 Mares Tesio Stakes run over 1600 metres.

Moonee Valley is very much a specialists' track and Oregon Seal is a track specialist. From seven starts at the track she had the excellent strike rate of two wins and three thirds going into this year's Tesio Stakes. She had also won the Tesio Stakes two years ago and finished third in the race last year.

But this year, from barrier one, things went awfully wrong. Oregon Seal did not have the early speed to take up a position on the pace. Darren Gauci did not settle her at the tail of the field, which would have given her the chance of making a move round the field from approximately the 600.

Instead Gauci settled her midfield on the rails. At Moonee Valley in a field of 14 runners that is often asking for trouble. Sure enough, rounding the home turn and into the straight Oregon Seal was unable to obtain a clear run. Damaschino, which had been fourth on the rails, commenced to weaken and as a result, not being able to get out, Oregon Seal was shuffled right back through the field. Oregon Seal was ninth at the 400. Oregon Seal finished last of the 14 runners, beaten by nearly nine lengths.

The only saving grace was that Oregon Seal's starting price was $16.00. At those odds, being one of the class runners in the race, the bet was worth the risk. But punters take very short odds about horses in big fields at Moonee Valley. On a tight turning, specialists' track with a very short home straight, that's asking for trouble.

This edition of Punt to Win:
Northerly wins the Cox Plate
Moonee Valley betting tips
Watch these horses from Moonee Valley
Betting tips - risk versus reward
Handicapping tips - weight and class
Money talks - Rosehill plunge horses
Money talks - Moonee Valley plunge horses
Money talks - Doomben plunge horses
Money talks - Morphettville plunge horses
Future winners - unlucky horses
Punt to Win 25/10/2002
Punt to Win index

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