SELECTIONS - 23 February 2008

POOMA selections (Location Race#-TAB# Horse [system/s])

Doomben 3-4 Grand Laddie [13, 16]
Doomben 4-6 She's In The Guide [10]
Gold Coast 4-6 Perilous Princess [10]
Gold Coast 5-2 Pattie's Mate [7]
Gold Coast 6-8 Tarlee Dancer [6,7]
Grafton 7-2 Grenades [10,11,13]
Kembla Grange 3-7 Rasberry Licorice [10]

Non-POOMA selections (and ruffies in red below):

Ascot 1-2, 1-7, 3-1, 4-2
Canterbury 1-2, 6-1, 6-6
Caulfield 4-12, 6-11
Doomben 2-3
Gold Coast 7-10
Grafton 3-1, 3-8
Toowoomba 2-2, 4-4, 5-6

(* Any updates at Ascot later on *)

Comments: We managed to poke into the black yesterday with a long overdue $10+ winner. Hopefully, this lot can keep us that way. Doomben 3-4 Grand Laddie is better suited back to a dry track and up in trip so in a pretty average field must be a great chance. Doomben 4-6 She's In The Guide has racked up two all the way 4L+ wins over 1000m and 1100m since a spell. Steps up to 1200m here and is up a tad in grade but if she repeats those performances will be making it a hat trick. Gold Coast 4-6 Perilous Princess was backed 10/1 into 4/1 at her first up run since coming from Victoria and duly saluted. She then ran really well when beaten narrowly 2nd up and I expect her to be running home hard again. Looks a nice e/w bet at the morning line odds. Gold Coast 5-2 Pattie's Mate ran her usual race out front last time and out-toughed them to win after being taken on most of the way. She's a consistent type without ever having put two in a row together so I'll avoid the $1.60 on the morning line like the plague. Gold Coast 6-8 Tarlee Dancer is one of those horses that you hate to see selected, as she only wins once every blue moon and that colour moon occurred last run. Still, winning form is good form and the rest are no champs so she must be a chance again. Grafton 7-2 Grenades won his Maiden nicely last time at his 2nd start since coming from Brisbane after being beaten first up as a threes-on shot. Is pretty well placed in a RB62 and I'll take him one-out in a quaddie there. Kembla Grange 3-7 Rasberry Licorice scooted around this course six weeks ago to win in quick time, just over half a second outside the record. Her form looks in and out but that's because she hasn't run well in town. She has two wins and two 2nds from her last four non-metro runs so looks a fair chance in this.

Black Book: Canterbury 9-9 Hairy has won 3/5 for us and is a fair chance of making it 4/6 in this race on a suitably wet track. Caulfield 3-12 Moreton Bay is having his third go as a black booker and we're still looking for a return. He is a very talented horse so a big run at big odds won't surprise me. Caulfield 5-1 Fiumicino needed to run well first up and he made nice ground to be beaten 2.6L. I'm not going to back him today, as I think that Princess Coup is the go in that race after her flashing first up run. Don't leave Duoro Valley out of your multiples, either. He has a really good record at the track, trip and 2nd up. Doomben 6-1 Slim Pickings has been fantastic for us and I've managed to recommend against him when he's not a chance (such as in the Weetwood). He needs pace on, which doesn't seem to be the case here so I think he's an e/w bet though he is very well in at the weights.