Punt like a Pro, without the know!
South Australia · Wednesday 1 April 2026
Our top pick won 4 of 7 races at Balaklava. Every pick, our analysis and the full results are below.
top pick wonanother tip wonno tip won
Undefeated in 2 starts with Balaklava win from barrier 4 last prep. Prime gate 1 suits leader-biased track perfectly with likely fast tempo favouring forward speed. Trainer M J Seyers excels first-up, Kayla Crowther 33% with horse. Soft track query but class rise from maiden win manageable.
Strong each-way contender with perfect Balaklava suitability. Soft track proven performer (17:1-3-6), barrier 2 ideal for on-pace bias. Recent 2nd at Strathalbyn Class 1 shows fitness, dropping in grade helps. Leader-biased track and inside draw major positives outweigh low strike rate.
Live danger with class drop and distance suitability. Barrier 6 workable, maps midfield on fast tempo track that demands forward positioning. Significant drop from BM72 eases pressure despite recent poor run. Value in top 3.
Soft track specialist (5:1-2-0), fresh off Strathalbyn maiden win carrying 58kg. Barrier 5 ideal, gear changes (tongue tie off) positive first-up signals. Balaklava leader bias helps if maps forward.
| Finish | No. | Horse | Barrier | Jockey | Trainer | Weight | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 4 | Our Little Star | 2 | Connor Murtagh | Garret Lynch | 58kg | $5.00 |
| 2nd | 2 | Good Expectations | 1 | Kayla Crowther | M J Seyers | 58kg | $2.15 |
| 3rd | 1 | It's Only Magic | 5 | Jackson Murphy | J Hickmott & C Riggs | 60kg | $17.00 |
| 4th | 3 | Make Me A Star | 7 | Alysha Warren | M J Seyers | 56kg | $5.00 |
| 5th | 5 | Dazelles | 6 | Rochelle Milnes | R W Huxtable | 57.5kg | $3.90 |
| 6th | 6 | Lightly Sparkled | 4 | Sairyn Fawke | Garret Lynch | 55kg | $41.00 |
| 7th | 7 | Lachlan Castle | 3 | Shuichi Terachi | T H Jolly | 54kg | $151.00 |
Light weight and forward map suit moderate-fast tempo.
Ideal barrier 2 maximises Balaklava on-pace bias; Stokes/Opperman combo strong (18%). Youth and fitness suit step to 1600m in maiden; value vs Thundara despite similar profiles. Excellent place claims.
Recent 7th forgivable after long break; maps midfield-forward in likely leaders race. Soft track query (no places) but form merits inclusion ahead of roughed-up veterans.
Barrier 6 suits midfield map on leader-biased track; lightest weight big help in compressed scale.
| Finish | No. | Horse | Barrier | Jockey | Trainer | Weight | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 11 | Thundara | 1 | Rochelle Milnes | Aaron Bain & Ned Taylor | 55kg | $1.60 |
| 2nd | 2 | Let It Ride | 3 | Connor Murtagh | M J Seyers | 58kg | $12.00 |
| 3rd | 4 | Jumbo Jet | 2 | Jacob Opperman | P Stokes | 57kg | $3.20 |
| 4th | 5 | Little One | 10 | Andrew Stead | Jon O'Connor | 57kg | $41.00 |
| 5th | 9 | Prancing Lily | 6 | Brooke King | Peter Nolan | 53.5kg | $21.00 |
| 6th | 8 | Majestic Glow | 11 | Stacey Metcalfe | S & J Jaensch | 55kg | $10.00 |
| 7th | 1 | Harlem Godfather | 9 | Tala Hutchinson | J Dunn & K Bishop | 56kg | $101.00 |
| 8th | 3 | Wrath | 4 | Ashvin Goindasamy | J Dunn & K Bishop | 58kg | $101.00 |
| 9th | 6 | Steel Saviour | 5 | Jason Holder | A J Gluyas | 57kg | $91.00 |
| 10th | 10 | Queen's Counsel | 8 | Will Price | Byron Cozamanis | 55kg | $101.00 |
| Scr | 7 | Bouzy's Babe | 7 | Caitlyn Munro | Wayne Brown | 54kg |
Barrier 5 ideal for leader bias, midfield settling suits fast tempo.
Barrier 4 perfect for Balaklava's inside bias and leader advantage. Recent 3rd shows fitness, distance proven with 2 wins from 11. Midfield map viable despite fast tempo.
Best soft record suits Soft 5, with 2 wins from 4 soft starts including recent 1200m success. Likely leader fits Balaklava bias perfectly despite fast tempo. Recent form poor but wet history and speed key positives.
Soft limited but positional edge makes solid value roughy in volatile sprint.
| Finish | No. | Horse | Barrier | Jockey | Trainer | Weight | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 6 | Testa Dexta | 6 | Jade Doyle | J Hickmott & C Riggs | 58kg | $21.00 |
| 2nd | 2 | Takeover Lad | 7 | Jason Holder | Wayne Brown | 59.5kg | $4.60 |
| 3rd | 4 | Royal Trapeze | 5 | Jackson Murphy | Stephen Theodore | 59kg | $5.00 |
| 4th | 7 | Sacred Chord | 2 | Connor Murtagh | Garret Lynch | 56.5kg | $3.80 |
| 5th | 3 | Rob The Bank | 4 | Alysha Warren | Jyi Lukey | 57kg | $3.10 |
| 6th | 1 | Sea Roads | 1 | Tala Hutchinson | Christopher Harrison | 58kg | $31.00 |
| 7th | 5 | All Shot | 8 | Will Price | Jon O'Connor | 58.5kg | $8.00 |
| 8th | 8 | The Ineos | 3 | Ashvin Goindasamy | J Dunn & K Bishop | 55kg | $61.00 |
Leliyn tops form assessment with perfect Balaklava record (2:0-2-0), recent close seconds including on soft ground matching today's Soft 5. Listed as likely leader suiting track's strong on-pace bias where front three at 400m dominate. Best winning chance in high-volatility maiden.
Likely leader in fast tempo suits track pattern. Soft track unproven but inside draw and forward map outweigh negatives in maiden volatility. Strong place chance.
Gluyas yard reliable provincials; recent Morphettville 1200m 5th on soft suits conditions. Speed map midfield but track's long straight aids closers slightly. Limited form not penalised per maiden rule; stable/jockey combo solid. Viable threat in open race.
Gluyas/Holder strong; first up but stable readies well. Barrier 11 tests but fast tempo may suit late charge in 450m straight.
| Finish | No. | Horse | Barrier | Jockey | Trainer | Weight | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2 | Leliyn | 10 | Kayla Crowther | Luke O'Connor | 58kg | $3.60 |
| 2nd | 5 | Arcturus Star | 3 | Dominic Tourneur | G Richards & D Moyle | 57kg | $51.00 |
| 3rd | 12 | Mystrix | 6 | Jackson Murphy | Stephen Theodore | 55kg | $8.50 |
| 4th | 1 | Hakeba | 1 | Andrew Stead | Kylie Schulz | 58kg | $2.60 |
| 5th | 6 | Elite Gathering | 9 | Brooke King | A B Beswick | 54.5kg | $31.00 |
| 6th | 3 | Paganini | 8 | Will Price | Jon O'Connor | 58kg | $14.00 |
| 7th | 10 | Alpine Lee | 11 | Jason Holder | A J Gluyas | 55kg | $15.00 |
| 8th | 13 | Tikkamos | 7 | Jacob Opperman | A J Gluyas | 55kg | $4.80 |
| 9th | 8 | Our Audio | 2 | Dylan Caboche | John Hyam | 56kg | $151.00 |
| 10th | 11 | Madam Madja | 4 | Stacey Metcalfe | S & J Jaensch | 55kg | $41.00 |
| 11th | 9 | Social Dancer | 12 | Jade Doyle | Christopher Harrison | 56kg | $91.00 |
| 12th | 15 | Funny Feeling | 5 | Shuichi Terachi | T H Jolly | 56kg | $201.00 |
| Scr | 4 | Starcho Libre | 15 | Connor Murtagh | Justin Pickering | 58kg | |
| Scr | 7 | Magna Torino | 13 | Rochelle Milnes | S G Padman | 56kg | |
| Scr | 14 | Silverleaves | 14 | Teagan Voorham | Ms Jessica Tzaferis | 53kg |
Likely forward from speed map in fast tempo race.
Light weight and forward map suit leader-biased track/fast tempo.
Improving trend and forward style suits track bias, though barrier 7 tests inside preference. Reliable place chance in fast tempo suits strong finishers.
| Finish | No. | Horse | Barrier | Jockey | Trainer | Weight | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2 | Nadege | 4 | Kayla Crowther | M J Seyers | 60kg | $2.50 |
| 2nd | 7 | Opal Beach | 1 | Caitlyn Munro | Ms S Williams | 55kg | $13.00 |
| 3rd | 4 | Lady Memphis | 8 | Tala Hutchinson | Garret Lynch | 57.5kg | $4.20 |
| 4th | 9 | Royalz | 6 | Jemma Gutte | T R Montgomerie | 50kg | $101.00 |
| 5th | 3 | Born To Shine | 2 | Rochelle Milnes | A B Beswick | 59.5kg | $4.20 |
| 6th | 1 | Minato | 9 | Jason Holder | J Dunn & K Bishop | 60kg | $26.00 |
| 7th | 6 | Samanth | 7 | Emily Finnegan | T R Montgomerie | 57.5kg | $6.50 |
| 8th | 8 | Crown Moshe | 3 | Margaret Collett | J Hickmott & C Riggs | 54kg | $21.00 |
| 9th | 5 | Omaha Princess | 5 | Shuichi Terachi | Ms Jan Taylor | 58.5kg | $61.00 |
Perfect for moderate-fast tempo on Soft 5.
Soft unproven but progressive 3-6-1 form cycle ignores exposure limitations per rules. Solid each-way chance.
Value roughy with barrier 1 (strong Balaklava inside bias), extensive track exposure (12 starts, multiple placings), recent 2nd Streaky Bay, light 54kg perfect for Soft 5 leader bias.
| Finish | No. | Horse | Barrier | Jockey | Trainer | Weight | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1 | Stokomo | 4 | Connor Murtagh | Aaron Bain & Ned Taylor | 61.5kg | $2.25 |
| 2nd | 3 | Holder Maid | 2 | Tala Hutchinson | Garret Lynch | 54.5kg | $31.00 |
| 3rd | 6 | Tofino | 7 | Jacob Opperman | R Daniel & T Stanbury | 56kg | $4.60 |
| 4th | 7 | In That Mode | 5 | Jackson Murphy | Luke O'Connor | 55.5kg | $5.00 |
| 5th | 5 | Geetee Forty | 3 | Jason Holder | G Richards & D Moyle | 56kg | $19.00 |
| 6th | 9 | Danoro Prince | 9 | Caitlyn Munro | Ms S Williams | 52kg | $101.00 |
| 7th | 2 | Boom Bang | 8 | Sairyn Fawke | Garret Lynch | 57kg | $31.00 |
| 8th | 8 | My Crackling | 1 | Lauren Stojakovic | B J Jones | 54kg | $26.00 |
| 9th | 4 | Causeweluvadelaide | 6 | Margaret Collett | Sarah Rutten | 56kg | $5.00 |
Barrier 3 perfect for strong leader bias at this on-pace track. Recent Balaklava 1600m win off light weight but handles 60kg. Soft 5 suits marginally (7:1-0-2).
Blue Isles strong second pick with barrier 1 exploiting inside bias (1-6 win rate 18%). Recent form second up, track record 4:1-0-2 including T&D place. Light weight suits moderate-fast tempo.
Improving, distance specialist. Complements leader bias with speed.
Midfield map suits moderate-fast tempo. Overlaid vs form; place/exotic value on bias track.
| Finish | No. | Horse | Barrier | Jockey | Trainer | Weight | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 3 | Rousing Refrain | 7 | Will Price | Jon O'Connor | 59.5kg | $5.50 |
| 2nd | 10 | Rikki Rikkardo | 11 | Ashvin Goindasamy | A J Clarken | 57.5kg | $15.00 |
| 3rd | 11 | Blue Isles | 1 | Rochelle Milnes | W J Smart | 56.5kg | $3.00 |
| 4th | 1 | Bolted In | 3 | Connor Murtagh | M J Seyers | 60kg | $6.00 |
| 5th | 12 | Last War | 8 | Stacey Metcalfe | P Huserot | 54.5kg | $21.00 |
| 6th | 4 | United Legend | 5 | Kayla Crowther | M J Seyers | 59kg | $7.00 |
| 7th | 7 | Harsh | 4 | Caitlyn Munro | R & C Jolly | 56kg | $8.00 |
| 8th | 5 | Didwewin | 9 | Caitlin Tootell | Garret Lynch | 58.5kg | $18.00 |
| 9th | 6 | Rubini | 2 | Dominic Tourneur | G Richards & D Moyle | 58.5kg | $11.00 |
| 10th | 8 | Grand Maxim | 6 | Sairyn Fawke | Peter Nolan | 57.5kg | $61.00 |
| Scr | 2 | Explicable | 10 | Tala Hutchinson | Garret Lynch | 57.5kg | |
| Scr | 9 | Morlaix | 12 | Jacob Opperman | S G Padman | 57.5kg |
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