Horse Racing Tips and Best Bets 30/01/25

Best Tip: Naughty Bennie #8 Pakenham R6

Naughty Bennie looks like a strong contender and will be my best of the day. His form over the 1200m distance is solid, with a win and a second from two starts at the trip. His last run at Cranbourne saw him finish second, showing he’s still in good touch. He also won first-up at Moe, proving he can perform fresh. So he hasn’t let down punters yet and I expect another strong showing.

Ben Melham taking the ride is a positive, and Naughty Bennie has shown he likes good tracks (1 win, 1 second from 2 starts). Barrier 7 is reasonable if he jumps well. Good odds at PlayUp or other sites.

Bookmaker	Odds
	$2.60
	$2.60
	$2.60

Best Roughie: Sir Grace #3 Rockhampton R7

Sir Grace looks like a solid roughie in Rockhampton R7, especially if the track stays soft. His 3 wins, 1 second, and 1 third from 7 starts at Rockhampton suggest he handles the track well. Although his last run over 1500m wasn’t great (7th of 14), he drops back to 1300m, which could suit him better.

Two starts ago, he won at Mackay over 1560m, carrying 60.5kg—showing he can handle weight. In this race, I think Barrier 2 is a big plus. With jockey Warwick Satherley sticking with him, he should get a good run. Given his 50% win rate and strong record at this track, he looks a value play if conditions suit.

Bookmaker	Odds
	$8.50
	$8.50
	$8.50

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.

R6 Pakenham - Naughty Bennie has finished 1st and 2nd in his first 2 career starts. He’s racing at the 1200m distance both times and will again on Thursday.

R7 Rockhampton - Sir Grace has won 50% of his career starts. In his career, Sir Grace has placed in 75% of races.

Betting Sites Bonuses and Promotions

Australian Betting Sites are gearing up for another fun week of racing around the country. Last weekend, there were some interesting results at the track. Point and Shoot won the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale Bm72 for Bjorn Baker. At Sandown on Saturday afternoon, Damian Lane rode Coastwatch to victory in the Evergreen Turf John Dillon Stakes.

Horse racing promotions are a great way to add extra excitement to your betting and make even more profit if you get it right. This week, I like a new site in Australia, Sugarcastle. I think they have you covered for racing betting. One of the things that I like about them is the odds. They have pretty decent fixed racing odds and also show you fluctuations. Along with blended odds, best tote and same race multi, I think you’ll enjoy betting with them.

As far as horse racing apps go, Sugarcastle has designed a simple but user-friendly app. It’s widely available on Apple and Android devices. It doesn’t come with the most advanced features that you’ll ever see. But what it does have makes things quick and easy. You’ll never miss the jump with a speedy app that isn’t bogged down by innovation

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!

All Articles by Matt Abrahams