Looking for some free Australian horse racing tips to enjoy this Friday? OnlyRacing has you covered! Pacific Cross has caught my eye in Race 8 at Pakenham. Meanwhile, my roughie of the day is Spirit Of Varanasi at Canterbury in Race 6. At Pakenham, the track conditions should be nice for race day, it's a good 4 rating at the moment. At Canterbury the track is rated a heavy 8 at this stage so look for runners that like to run in wet conditions. Let's get into it!
Horse Racing Tips and Best Bets 17/01/25

Best Bets of the Day
Best Tip: Pacific Cross #6 Pakenham R8
Pacific Cross is due for a win and this could be the perfect race under the lights at Pakenham. She’s been racing nicely without a win this prep, having finished 2nd in back to back races (both at Mornington). So I think she is building nicely for this run, which will be third-up. She has placed third-up before and in her only previous run at the track, it was a win. Let’s hope she can make it 2 from 2.
Best Roughie: Spirit Of Varanasi #6 Canterbury R6
I think Spirit Of Varanasi can run well in these conditions. The track should be pretty wet and she doesn’t mind that. She comes off back to back wins at Kembla Grange over 1200m and before that, she won at Randwick over 1250m. Jockey Keagan Latham has an excellent record on board with 3 wins in just 7 starts. Could definitely challenge this field.
Stats and Insights
- Pakenham is one of the smallest tracks in the country, with only 1400m circumference and as such suited to front-runners and those horses with the ability to race handy to the pace. Canterbury is a much tighter track than most NSW courses, giving significant advantage to close on pacers and those close to the rail in general. It also favours late rails-in-run horses due to the tight turning nature.
- R8 Pakenham - Pacific Cross has won 50% of her career starts. In her career, Pacific Cross has placed in 44.44% of races as well.
- R6 Canterbury - Spirit Of Varanasi is looking for 3 straight wins on Friday.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites
Betting Sites Bonuses and Promotions
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Hi, I'm Matt and I've been writing about sports and racing since 2016. Over the years, I've provided betting tips for some of the top companies such as Sportsbet, William Hill, PlayUp and many more. This includes a wide range of different sports such as AFL, NRL, NBA, NFL, BBL, MLB and Horse Racing. I'm currently involved in horse racing shares with Viva Racing and I work with thoroughbredsales.com.au - a leading racehorse website directory in Australia. My betting strategy generally looks at trends and following the best jockeys in the country. Outside of writing, you can find me playing social Cricket and Tennis or watching sports. Can't wait to nail those winning picks!
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