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What Ballarat Races Where Ballarat Turf Club – 72 Midas Rd, Miners Rest VIC 3352 When Monday, August 11, 2025 First Race 1pm AEST Visit Dabble Ballarat’s poly returns with the rail true and the weather set fair, so punters can expect a typical “on-speed and lanes-even” profile early before tempo sorts them out late. The first event is scheduled to jump at 1pm AEST. Best Bet at Ballarat: Spirited Defence Spirited Defence has been a model of consistency since switching to the synthetic and he strikes a very winnable BM64 to close the program. He’s 4:2-2-0 on the all-weather, returns to his pet trip (1200m), and draws barrier one to park in the box seat for John Allen. His recent form stacks up — dominant Class 1 winner here two back, then brave on heavy at Swan Hill — and a return to Ballarat’s poly looks ideal. If he jumps cleanly and holds the box seat, Spirited Defence will prove too hard to hold out. Best Bet Race 8 – #2 Spirited Defence (1) 5yo Gelding | T: Andrew Noblet | J: John Allen (61kg) Next Best at Ballarat: Southby Southby was terrific winning the BM70 2200m here on July 22, edging away late over Shadeelaa, and he returns to the Ballarat poly with the right set-up again. From barrier one, Luke Currie should land leaders’ back or control if they hand up, and the drop to 2100m looks perfect for his fifth run this prep. Provided he holds a spot early, Southby gets every chance to stamp authority again. Next Best Race 2 – #2 Southby (1) 4yo Gelding | T: Peter Moody & Katherine Coleman | J: Luke Currie (58.5kg) Next Best Agaub at Ballarat: Mr Tickles Mr Tickles finds a very suitable BM58 1000m and looks hard to roll in the penultimate. He’s 2:1-1-0 at the track/trip, with a last-start BM64 win to his name, and gets in nicely with Sarah Field’s 1.5kg claim. From barrier eight he can slide across to stalk a genuine tempo and use his proven short-course dash to good effect. With Cosmic Rhapsody and The Bont ensuring pressure, the race sets up for Mr Tickles to overpower her rivals late on. Next Best Again Race 7 – #2 Mr Tickles (8) 6yo Gelding | T: Mitchell Leek | J: Sarah Field (a1.5/53kg) Monday quaddie tips for Ballarat Synthetic Ballarat quadrella selections Monday, August 11, 2025 1-4-11 1-2-4 1-2 2-3 Horse racing tips View the full article

Not everyone is a serious punter, Trifectas, First 4s, Quaddies Doubles are all tote, naturally for win and place, top3, 4 you would want fixed but when there is plenty of depth in field totes still well supported, always will be, many don't worry. Harness will get better turnovers when they get better fields, will that ever happen, that's the big question.

Tote pools are just not worth the effort for any serious punter that wants to win! Industry is in serious trouble with the risk averse policy that the TAB Bookies have adopted. Just not going to work but then again it is all about toiled to them rather than turnover and profit. Unfortunately their policy has a bigger negative flow on for attracting any new owners and punters to harness racing. Gammalite keeps saying that it is wealthy men subsidising harness racing in several states in Oz. There is no one in NZ that is stupid enough to fund TAB shortfall so if they don’t change their policy then things will be dire.

Versatile galloper Gigi (NZ) (Ghibellines) took a step up in grade in his stride at Te Rapa on Saturday, while delivering a special milestone for his trainer Jim Pender. The son of Ghibellines had posted victories on better tracks through the summer, but struck a bottomless surface first-up this preparation at New Plymouth, a performance he was expected to bounce back from. Starting among the better-backed runners in the Fulton Hogan Mile (1600m), Gigi was eased back into midfield by Joe Doyle to find cover early. The top pick in Diomedes went straight to the lead and controlled the tempo throughout, which slowed and the field compressed near the 600m. Doyle got off the back of the leaders turning for home and had a task on his hands to chase down Diomedes, but Gigi didn’t give up, digging in for the final 50m to run down the favourite right on the line. Pacheco was just a neck away in third, while a notable run came from staying specialist Canheroc, who closed strongly into fifth. Pender indicated that Gigi had overcome a hoof issue through the latter part of the autumn, so Saturday’s effort was a particularly pleasing result. “I thought it was huge,” he said. “He had a stone bruise problem back at the end of April, so we’ve been trying to get that right, then I took him down to New Plymouth and I don’t think many horses would’ve been on a track that deep. “I was aiming to get him up over ground, but I thought rather than trialling I’d run him in the Open 1600m on Saturday, and his work has steadily gotten better and better. “I was not confident of winning, being his first time in open company, but I thought he would run quite a good race. “Joe Doyle gets along very well with him and I leave it over to him, he’s got enough pace to be up near the lead, which is an advantage when they’re running home a bit quicker, he doesn’t have to make up all that ground. “He just tries so hard and he doesn’t like getting beat.” Pender is planning on returning to the Waikato venue in a fortnight, but is looking forward to seeing Gigi back on a Good surface when possible. “I think the better the track, the better he’ll go,” he said. “He’s better on top of the ground, and for a little horse, he’s got quite a big stride. “He’ll go back to Te Rapa again in two weeks, there’s an Open 2100m, then we’ll try and map out a programme from there.” The Tauranga horseman was pleasantly surprised to find out that he’d recorded the 300th winner of training career, with 10 of those coming at Group or Listed level. “I didn’t actually know that at the time, but it was a bit of milestone I suppose,” he said. “It was really enjoyable.” View the full article

Untapped galloper Im Bartholomew (NZ) (Contributer) delivered a maiden victory four years in the making for Tony Dravitzki at Hawera on Sunday. Initially purchased by Dravitzki as a weanling, Im Bartholomew trialled impressively at Waverley in September 2023 and was subsequently sold to Australia. In the care of Victorian trainer Henry Dwyer, he produced a fourth from four starts, the last of those coming in December last year. Dravitzki had remained in the ownership of the gelding, and following his most recent effort, the opportunity presented to purchase Im Bartholomew back outright. He didn’t hesitate to do so, and after a long build-up, his charge was ready to make an awaited Kiwi debut in the Miss Lizzie (1200m). In the hands of Mereana Hudson, Im Bartholomew went back from a wide draw, while Our Time Keeper sped up to take the lead in the trying conditions at Hawera. A number of his rivals were already under pressure nearing the 600m, but Im Bartholomew was cruising into contention and hit the lead at the top of the straight. Coming down the outside, Im Bartholomew was off and gone, taking a comfortable 2 – ¼ length victory over Nightowl who was game on debut. Dravitzki took great satisfaction out of the result, having had such a long journey with the son of Complacent. “It wasn’t my biggest win, but it was the win that has given me the most satisfaction so far in my training career,” he said. “I’ve always known the horse had ability, for whatever reason he didn’t show that in Australia. “I bought him off Gavelhouse as a weanling when I was in hospital, then took him through to trialling as a three-year-old. I sold him to Australia while keeping a small share in him myself, but he didn’t really come up over there, so I bought him back off Inglis Digital. “I’ve had him back for about nine months, so going into his first start, I was expecting a good run, while being a little worried about the track. “I’ve always known the horse had ability and he raced very professionally today, he had the four starts in Australia while a few of these were first-starters. “The future looks quite bright for him and I think he’ll be better on top of the ground, based on what he shows in the training track. “He’s not the biggest of eaters, but he has improved all the way through and is finally eating up, which he didn’t as a young horse and would lose condition very easily. It’s been a long, slow build-up, which seemed to have worked.” Based at Stratford, Dravitzki had seen plenty of his mother, Dream Dancer, during her racing career, and leapt at the chance to purchase one of her progeny. “His mother, Dream Dancer, was a very good mare trained at Stratford,” he said. “I had a horse at the same time that was often racing against her, so I knew her ability. “I like the Complacent horses as well, I have about five of them in my stable.” View the full article