Eric Castle To Send Off 2010 In Style At The Betchoice Gardens
Group One winning trainer Eric Castle can see off 2010 on a winning note when he lines up two very good winning chances at today's New Years Eve Betchoice Gardens meeting.
The much travelled Castle has made the Hunter Valley home over the last half a dozen years and had a steady stream of winners emanating from his Sawyers Gully kennels.
Castle's best chance looks to be Fully Sick, who will line up in from the coveted rails ally in race six, the Multicam Systems Stake over 515 meters. The son of Suave Fella and Wild Chant has only won the one race from five starts, but it was over the Betchoice Gardens 515 metre circuit in a slick 29.99.
From the inside trap, Fully Sick should be given every opportunity to win his second race and he is rated a pronounced favourite as a $2.50 chance.
Castle's second chance comes up in race eight, The Greyhound Recorder Stake, in the lightly raced Main Drag, who is owned in the same interest as Fully Sick by Stephen Connor.
Main Drag, a well related son of champion sire Where's Pedro, out top producer She's Adams, has had three starts for a win and a second, with the win in a fast 29.78 over today's course and distance, by far the fastest of any in field.
Main Drag does have to contend with an awkward draw, jumping from box five, with his main danger Bobby Buzzard, who has a best time of 30.04 of Betchoice Gardens, carrying the red rug.
The form analyst thinks that punters can get there new year's spending money early on in the program, making Pristine Gain the best bet on the program in race one, the New Years Eve Stake over 400 metres.
“PRISTINE GAIN (1), an excellent beginner with blistering early speed that has led throughout in similar company at her past couple of runs, boxed to do it again, clearly the one to beat.”
Pristine Gain, trained by Neal Gray who guided the early career of Group winner Nova Surf, has won four of her last five starts all at Betchoice Gardens, including a slick 22.87 run two starts ago.
Today's bumper program at The Gardens will be seen live on Skyracing1 and you can bet live at Sportsbet or Iasbet, with the first race of the card scheduled to kick off at 3.46pm AEDT.