RTA Blackbookers, Horses to Follow & Forgive Runs

Chapter 8 Race Preview & Review Summary - RTA Blackbookers

A good review begins with a structured preview. Racing Times Australia builds on the methods outlined in Chapter 8 to bring you the RTA Blackbookers, Horses to Follow & Forgive Runs from South Australia's Provincial and Metropolitan racing.

24.10.26 Morphettville

Blackbook : ONE MORE SONG

Follow : Somewhere Soon

Fast times throughout the day at Morphettville with a changing breeze on an official Soft 5 rated track. Perhaps there was a patch of softer ground down the back there somewhere; however, on times, and on face of the changing wind conditions, I found little choice but to work on a Good 3 Surface Variance.

Lightly raced mare One More Song went out on a winning note in a good race at Oakbank last prep. She has returned in good form with a jumpout behind Conni Island. Backed it up on Raceday in a high-rating sprint over 1200m.

She got back in a race where the expected tempo eased before making noticeable ground between horses in the straight.

The winner Holy Racket registered fast time despite the comfortable early tempo. He kicked to ensure the race kept the fastest last-600m of the meeting. One More Song was the horse getting home without having a gut-buster first-up.

One More Song's Handicap rating of 69 ensures she is lightly rated enough to make the most of this prep.

Somewhere Soon Talisay also got back off an unsuitable slow tempo before running late. She has rebounded off her below-par performance where she seemingly turned it up after copping a squeeze at the start.

The combination of a 7-day back-up with the senior on seemed to do the trick. Some concern now that she has had three runs in three weeks, and we'll look for Somewhere Soon possibly over a mile with a gap between runs.

23.10.26 Gawler

BLACKBOOK: MAKE ME A MATCH

The track again raced superbly for Gawler Cup Day on a perfect Good 4 with the rail back in the true.

Indianna Weinert continues to make waves, this time with a training double. The old WA firm of Weinert and Austin Galati brought about the race-to-race double with Austin superb on Win To Retire and again on Racing Times Australia Horse to Follow Champagne Jenni.

Champagne Jenni became the RTA Horse To Follow from the Murray Bridge meeting on 26/9/26 with Weinert dropping the mare back to provincial grade on her home track two starts later.

We felt this was a good race, and we will keep following the form as Make Me A Match who puts herself into a good position early. She is a lightly raced filly out of the Michael Hickmott yard and is not long out of maiden grade.

The handicapper thought enough of her maiden win in Strathalbyn last start to allot her with a Benchmark Rating of 60 points. This is at the higher end of ratings for a provincial winner in South Australia.

Make Me A Match has held that rating while defeating the other horses comfortably. She can go into the Black book with plenty of scope to keep on improving.

17.10.26 Morphettville

Blackbook: SENSATIONAL SECRET

Follow: Shadow Eagle

Good card with even fields throughout the day. Track opened with an official rating of Good 4 as staff applied irrigation before the meeting. The times were fast all day; however, the earlier races were aided by a reasonable North-Easterly.

I’ve kept the Surface Variance as a Good 3 throughout while noting times remained similar following the official upgrade from race 6, and the wind turnaround to a good South-Westerly breeze.

Highlights of the day were Rochelle Milnes' treble, including her bold front-running ride on Suit Of Wands. It’s been some time since Adelaide has had a notable free-wheeling front-runner, and Suit Of Wands will add plenty of excitement to racing if he can maintain that style of racing.

Noel Callow took Ride of the Day honours aboard the Chris Bieg trained Mt Niseko, who settled back off a fast tempo. Callow had no need for the whistle as the heavens remained open; however, his smooth relaxed manner on the horse coupled with a strong drive to the finish ensured that Mt Niseko got home in a close go.

SENSATIONAL SECRET can go into the Blackbook following her third-up win in Mare's grade. She’s teased with ability in lower grades previously while taking some time to put it altogether. Put herself on top of a fast speed today before putting the race to bed. She came into the race with a low benchmark rating of 58. That’s a good base for her to work off, and she clearly prefers racing outside of horses rather than being cluttered inside them.

SHADOW EAGLE goes into the forgive. He’s not a prolific winner and is often caught at the top of the weights between benchmarks. Today’s 0-68 race carried plenty of depth to it, and while he received all of the favours in the run under Brooke King, the pair found themselves held up as the pressure came on. Shadow Eagle still lacks a knock-out punch in his races. He went close to run third in a three-way go with excuses at a vital time.

14.10.26 Balaklava

Follow: Fiorona

Follow: All Shot

Thin card which pushed a lot of underpriced favourites deep into the red. The betting was more indicative of the lack of depth on the card rather than the actual ability of those horses backed. Subsequently only one favourite saluted on the day (R4 Synthesise $1.70 - $1.90 SP).

SYNTHESISE does have the ability to go on with it. She was vulnerable today second-up with 61 kg and got the job done courtesy of the plumb ride from Todd Pannell.

Sarah Rutten continues to produce winners with COPPER BULLET winning first-up before the race-fit mare REOFFER capitalised on her recent improvement.

No hard Blackbookers come out of this meeting where the Surface Variance rated as a Good 3 rather than the official Good 4. This is due to favourable weather conditions while noting maiden winner FIORONA ran 4.4L outside the 1300m track record set by TOUR DE MOON in similar conditions the meeting prior.

FIORONA was a noted Horse to Follow last prep when trained by her owner Fenella Livesey. Livesey remains in the ownership while transferring Fiorona to the Richards/Moyle yard, and her horse does have the scope to win more races.

ALL SHOT fits jumped as the $4.80 favourite in and tentatively falls into the beaten less than 1.5L while hard in the market form reference (Chapter 2 Formguides & System Building). The $4.80 is a bit of a stretch and showed that punters were unsure of how to treat the race.

ALL SHOT was quick out of the gates and settled for closer than his usual pattern suggests. He traveled handy to the hot speed before hitting the front early. Bunched finish is not ideal; however, All Shot was vulnerable second-up and registered his first top three placing in four starts at the track. He can be competitive to BM58 grade this prep.

10.10.26 Morphettville

Blackbook: CONFUCIOUS FLYER

Blackbook: SHOWRUNNER

Follow: Olivia Marie

The expected weather was a no-show, leaving ground staff caught out as Morphettville raced as a Fast track. While stewards kept the official Good 4 rating, I found little evidence to deviate the Surface Variance from a Good 3 throughout the card.

Morphettville does tend to race best a few off the fence with the rail out, as it did again on Saturday. Most of the winners came from Off Pace to Back, while utilising the Middle-to-Inside part of the straight.

Ride of the Day came from an entertaining race where Jake Toeroek took the honours aboard last-start winner Golden Cloud. He nearly got himself one-off the fence with cover early before Lauren Stojakovic was forced to come off heels. This kept Jake out 3WNC early while racing outside the well-supported Olivia Marie.

Jake kept his cool on Golden Cloud as Olivia Marie clearly wanted to go faster towards his inside. He took the back (and all-important cover) of Olivia Marie as Stojakovic pushed into clear running on turning.

Had noted previously that Olivia Marie does not carry a lot of condition and only possesses a short, sharp sprint. Think the 1200m is right at her maximum distance range on a big track. She may also be happier ridden in an ON/OFF Pace position.

Jake was able to get Golden Cloud home with momentum as Oliva Marie perhaps peaked inside that last 50 metres. We’ll put her into the file as a Horse to Follow and look for an inside draw for anywhere up to 1250m on the smaller Parks track.

Confucious Flyer lost no admirers despite going down narrowly as the even-money favourite on debut. He traveled strongly near a fast speed before hitting the front early on straightening. It took the interstate raider Prestige Lucky to claim him on the line with Confucious Flyer leaving a gap back to the rest in sharp time.

Showrunner comes into a do-or-die prep with stable taking most of his gear off. Has shown glimmers of potential in the past when ridden close to the speed. Ben Price was caught deep on him early off an even tempo. The pair did have cover which proved to be fruitful towards the latter stages of the race.

Showrunner displayed a relaxed manner in running and while doing it tough out wide, did not receive a fast-tempo gut-buster to first-up. Came into today’s race with a 62 Handicap rating, we’ll see what the handicapper does after today, and Showrunner can be Blackbooked for anywhere between a 0-62 and 0-68 this prep.

05.10.26 Gawler

Blackbook: MR RIBTICKLER

Follow: Rich Melody

Perfect conditions for racing on the Monday Public holiday, and Gawler did not disappoint. Both meetings since the track upgrade have raced beautifully and we look forward to the upcoming Gawler Cup meeting.

Jason Holder again gave Taupo Tiger the run-of-the-race from an outside alley. The pair were no match for Shalhavmusik while putting a space on the rest of them. Taupo Tiger is not going to be easy to follow while carrying a kilo over the top weight. If the Stokes camp can find a thin BM58 somewhere, then he will be worth some thought.

Really liked how Mr Ribtickler jumped out going into last prep. Did note back then that he is a big burly type who may need a run or two. Punters backed him first up over 1516m today and would’ve been feeling shortchanged posted three-wide and no cover.

Rochelle Milnes was left copping her medicine after beginning smartly from an outside gate. The field kicked-up underneath her to set a fast tempo with Rochelle eventually letting her horse slide to the front a long way from home.

Mr Ribtickler did a good job to be beaten just over half-a-length after fighting his rider for much of the race. Hopefully we’ll see him draw an inside gate and he may be more inclined to relax with some cover.

Rich Melody showed improvement last start and again when attacked on speed in a fast-run maiden over 1719m. He was beaten around three quarters of a length and can be winning a maiden sometime soon.

03.10.26 Murray Bridge

Follow: Light The Night

Trying conditions with strong South-Westerly winds affecting the races on Murray Bridge Gold Cup Day. Track officially rated as a Soft 7, chose to move the Surface Variance out to a Heavy 10. While I believe the track itself to be heavier than the official, weather was the main driving factor in moving the Variance.

No real Blackbookers to come out of the meeting with Light The Night flagging himself as a Horse to Follow. The lightly raced 4yo has been working his way through the Benchmark Handicap Ratings.

Exposed to open company for the first time, Light The Night was beaten by the genuine speed up front.

He closed out late courtesy of a 3 kg claim for Rose Hammond, albeit beaten some distance from the winner. Light The Night has proven that he can carry weight when racing back in his own grade. Nice to see him finish off while going up in class and down in weight on Saturday.

He went into the race with a BM 74 Handicap Rating, and I would not be inclined to round him down despite the margin. Will be interesting to see what the handicapper does.

30.09.26 Balaklava

Follow: Via Niccolina

Follow: Pocket Pyro

Not much to report from the meeting except to say that the track raced evenly affording all horses their chance. Stewards did upgrade the track from a Good 4 to a Good 3 from Race 5; however, I found no evidence to adjust an early surface variance to a Good 3 from a Good 3.25.

Going on those early times including a 1300m track record in Race 1, I was happy not adjusting the Variance by a quarter of a rating and keep the Good 3 for the entire.

The Race 4 maiden won by 3yo debutante Fast Food recorded time like the older horses in the last with Fast Food, Via Niccolina and Pocket Pyro the only horse I would suggest following out of the meeting

26.09.26 Murray Bridge

Black Book – EXTIGUISH

Black Book – HEART OF THE MED

Follow – Boyd

Follow – Champagne Jenni

Rail back to the True on a Good 4 track at Murray Bridge with a Strong Southerly. Improving Track Variance from a Good 4.5 to Good 3.75 using the inbuilt variance on the GFTT Database. This is within the stewards' official Good 4 rating.

Did like seeing Extinguish settling back off a strong tempo. Followed the winner Final Countdown for much of the race. Shayleigh Ingelse very nearly took ride of the day honours aboard that horse. Not sure Jacob Opperman would agree after Ingelse shifted out sharply, forcing Zadows Landing to clash heavily with Extinguish. Both Jacob and Stacey Metcalfe did a good job hanging onto their horses with Extinguish picking his feet up and finishing again when the race was all over.

Heart Of The Med also went into the Black Book following a game all-the-way win. Only lightly raced, Heart Of The Med ran fast time while responding under Ingelse. The pair were attacked from a long way out. Under the Benchmark Program & Handicapping schedule in Adelaide, Heart Of The Med will still be eligible for the 0-68 races which should be within her keeping.

Both Boyd and Champagne Jenni are two on-pacer's who kept finding under pressure after setting fast tempo’s. These are often tease type horses for punters as they can often be attacked in their races. Boyd was only racing second-up however, and the Stephen Theodore runners often go deep into their preps.

Champagne Jenni was having her first start for Indianna Weinert, who has had an immediate impact on SA since setting up shop in Gawler. The ex-pat West Aussie trainer is building a strong team and her name is one to keep an eye on.

23.9.26 Gawler

Black Book: FARTOO FRISKY

Black Book: YOURWORSTNIGHTMARE

Follow: Immortal Spirit

Forgive: Unwind

Forgive: Rich Britt

Racing returned to Gawler Racecourse on Wednesday with the track playing superbly and giving all runners their chance. Times rated slightly faster than the official Good 4 rating, though I chose not to adjust the Surface Variance into a G3.75 on the GFTT, as this is still a new surface punters are adjusting to.

Conditions were ideal with little breeze to affect times and Consistent tempos across the card. The track pattern Even (E) was accompanied with Genuine last‑600m sectionals throughout the day. This should prove to be a strong meeting to follow.

The Stokes stable continued their good association of the Gawler and Barossa Jockey Club with a training double. Apprentice rider Sophie Potter nearly took Ride of the Day honours with her winning ride aboard Dampen in the fifth race. She was upstaged however, by Jason Holder’s contender for Ride of the Season from barrier 15 aboard Taupo Tiger in the last.

Fartoo Frisky improved out to a distance in the first and went into the Black Book after a wide run. She did not do it easy settling close to the speed in a strong tempo race. She boxed on okay for second in a race that boasted good recent form depth. Trainer Andrew Gluyas has taken his time getting the 3yo filly out in distance, and Fartoo Frisky appears set to win her maiden sometime soon.

Money came as expected for the Jake Stephens trained debutante Yourworstnightmare in the second race. The market often loves a Stephens debutante, and his 3yo colt cemented his place in betting with two jumpout wins leading into Wednesday. Wasn’t the cleanest away before being taken out by an inside runner at the start.

Yourworstnightmare showed good traits in running despite the slower early tempo before finishing powerfully with one of the fastest relative last-600 sectionals of the day.

Immortal Spirit set a fast tempo when leading the last race on the program. He gave a good kick into the straight before being claimed by Taupo Tiger. Immortal Spirit will strip fitter again after now having three runs back. His record of 3 wins from 38 starts makes it hard to commit him into the Black Book; however, he does maintain a low Benchmark Handicap Rating is worth following.

Two horses went into the Forgive – Rich Britt simply found traffic while seemingly traveling in Race 6. Stacey Metcalfe settled behind the field from the wide gate on Unwind in Race 4. The field only ran Even to Slow through the early part before finishing off with one of the fastest relative last-600's of the day. Unwind closed as the eyecatcher from the back, unfortunately her win record of 1 win and 3 placings from 22 starts makes her hard to follow.