OnlyRacing has you covered for Thursday horse racing action at Pakenham and Hawkesbury. We have your best bet of the day as well as a cheeky roughie. Pakenham is a night meeting on Thursday and is rated a soft 7 at the moment. There's a small chance of rain fall. While at Hawkesbury, the meeting starts around midday until the afternoon and the track is a soft 5. Let's get into it!
Horse Racing Tips and Best Bets 23/05/24

Best Bets of the Day
Best Tip: Il Cubo #1 Pakenham R6
First race back after five months, took it easy at the start but finished strong in a tougher race. Now, he's fitter and ready to go for his second race. Last time he raced second-up, he won his maiden race, so that's a good sign. On May 4 at Caulfield in a 3yo Handicap over 1100m, he started slow and finished 5th out of 10, four lengths behind the winner, Title Fighter, while carrying 54kg at 21/1 odds.
Before that, his second-up race was a win at Kilmore in a Maiden-SW on November 3 over 1112m, beating Pisanello by 0.8 lengths, carrying 58kg at the same odds. He's got a strong chance to win this time, I think!
Best Roughie: Just Go Bang #1 Hawkesbury R8
In his last race on May 2 at Wagga, he started from midfield and surged to the front, winning by 1.4 lengths. He carried 60kg and managed to beat Fifi Blue, which was quite impressive, especially at 7/1 odds.
But that's not all. In the race before that, on April 19 at Canberra, he also took first place in a Class 3 event over 1600m. The track was rain-affected, which can be tough, but he still pulled off a win by 0.8 lengths, beating Rapid Outlaw. He carried 57.5kg in that race and did it at 9/1 odds.
So, he's definitely in top form right now. However, his next race is going to be a real test. It's a tough assignment and he'll have to bring his A-game to keep this winning streak alive. But given his recent performances, he's definitely one to watch!
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.
- 1400m - 1600m at Pakenham winners predominantly emerge from barriers 5-8 which suggests those horses who either fire straight onto the speed or those that sit just behind the speed have the greatest chances.
- Hawkesbury Racecourse is known to have a very real home track advantage and pro punters have affirmed that there are certain runners that irrespective of their form at other tracks, if they perform historically at Hawkesbury then that form is likely genuine.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites
Best Racing Promotions
Promotions have historically been a great way for bettors to gain an advantage over betting sites by providing an edge to your bet. For racing specifically these promotions can be extensive in providing you some form of ‘outs’ to your bet that you wouldn’t normally receive.
Palmerbet, in recent weeks, has stood out to me across the Aussie betting sites that offer racing promotions and is one that I would take a look at, especially for big race days that feature Group 1 races and Saturday’s in general.
On our site we have a Palmerbet Review that goes in depth into the bookmaker as well as a Vicbet and Punterspal Review amongst some of the other top bookmakers that frequently have promotions.
Promotions tend to change regularly, so it is important to sign up to these betting sites to stay updated on the latest applicable promotions.
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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