Punt like a Pro, without the know!
Queensland · Saturday 5 September 2026
Our top pick won 1 of 7 races at Birdsville. Every pick, our analysis and the full results are below.
top pick wonanother tip wonno tip won
Her Betoota failure came with interference at the start and stewards noting she travelled poorly, so it can be forgiven. Won at Louth two starts back under today's jockey. Top weight is the risk, but class and speed are superior at this level.
Hardened six-year-old mare who competes at this level week-in week-out on Queensland outback tracks. Led at Roma last start and held second in a BM55, and she has won under 62kg-plus before. With no genuine leader engaged she could roll forward and control a slow tempo. The widest barrier is the significant negative at a track where wide runs are punished, capping her at a place assessment.
The last-start winner is the clear danger. Won at Aramac BM60 while wide throughout, drops slightly in class, and is the only runner with a win at 800m. The unconfirmed jockey booking and barrier 5 on this tight circuit keep him just below the top pick, but he maps forward and has the toughness this track demands.
Classic Birdsville value profile: the horse doesn't need to be the best in the race, just the one positioned to exploit the track. Barrier 1 at a venue where low draws and on-pace runners dominate, ridden by one of the few jockeys with a winning record here (2 from 10). Small each-way play.
| Finish | No. | Horse | Barrier | Jockey | Trainer | Weight | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1 | Won For Vicki | 2 | J Pracey-Holmes | G L Bignell | 62.5kg | $1.90 |
| 2nd | 5 | Oakland Raider | 1 | R Faehr | Philip Cole | 58.5kg | $4.00 |
| 3rd | 7 | Milk Maid | 3 | Jemma Gutte | Maree Pitman | 54kg | $4.80 |
| 4th | 2 | Lunessa | 5 | P Hamblin | Rebecca Kerwin | 62kg | $5.50 |
| 5th | 3 | Cripps Tonite | 4 | Jade Doyle | Philip Cole | 61kg | $31.00 |
| Scr | 4 | Imminent Boom | 4 | C T Austin | 60kg | ||
| Scr | 6 | Queen Arni | 2 | Alistair Webb | 57.5kg |
Proven outback dirt performer dropping from BM70/Open grade, drawn barrier 2 with genuine early speed at a track where leaders and low draws dominate. Clear most likely winner.
The obvious improver. Broke through at Betoota last Saturday under 65kg and now gets barrier 1, 59kg and the same winning jockey at a track where the rails draw is decisive. Class rise from BM50 is the query, but his earlier Fannie Bay Restricted 64-70 placings read competitively at this level. Slow-start habit is the risk, mitigated by the short run to the first turn from gate 1.
The class horse of the race on raw grade, dropping from Open company where he has been competitive (Charleville 1400m winner in July, Blackall third). His 7:3-1-1 record at 1400m is the best in the field and he is hardened to the outback circuit.
Drawn barrier 3 as one of only two genuine leaders, he gets first crack at controlling a moderate tempo. If he crosses and rolls along, he will be very hard to run down here. Each-way overlay.
| Finish | No. | Horse | Barrier | Jockey | Trainer | Weight | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 7 | Rhesus | 1 | R Faehr | Philip Cole | 59kg | $4.00 |
| 2nd | 6 | Ioane | 3 | J Keating | Kym Healy | 61.5kg | $3.40 |
| 3rd | 3 | Lucky Fortuna | 2 | Angel Brennan | Kym Healy | 59kg | $3.80 |
| 4th | 2 | Deferential | 6 | Kody Nestor | Toni Schofield | 62kg | $4.60 |
| 5th | 9 | Discreet Miss | 4 | Leslie Tilley | R W Connolly | 56kg | $26.00 |
| 6th | 1 | Invincible Red | 5 | J Pracey-Holmes | G L Bignell | 63kg | $9.50 |
| 7th | 8 | Starlite Rebel | 7 | Jade Doyle | Kym Healy | 56.5kg | $20.00 |
| Scr | 4 | Quello Dorato | 8 | C T Austin | 62kg | ||
| Scr | 5 | Equal Balance | 6 | Kym Healy | 61.5kg |
Maravillas won this exact grade (Restricted 55) two starts back despite covering ground, then ran a luckless 3rd in stronger BM65 company when held up. The 1560m failure last start reads as a distance/interference excuse rather than a form collapse. The jockey's cold streak is the main knock, but the horse's map, class edge and speed profile make him the most likely winner.
The local-knowledge play. Private Tender ran a genuine 3rd in a stronger BM70 at Betoota last week, confirming he handles these outback dirt circuits, and now drops sharply in grade with the meeting's most proven Birdsville jockey aboard from the inside alley. His overall win strike rate is modest and the NT form before Betoota was plain, but the combination of barrier 2, early speed, class relief and a rider who knows this tight track earns him the final top-three slot.
The speed map identifies Hi Frank as the race's only genuine leader, and at this tiny dirt track with a 200m straight and slow projected tempo, a lone leader on 55.5kg is exceptionally hard to run down. His string of close-up fourths came while repeatedly racing wide; controlling an uncontested lead is a very different task.
| Finish | No. | Horse | Barrier | Jockey | Trainer | Weight | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 3 | Harlequin Field | 6 | Leslie Tilley | P J Richardson | 61.5kg | $9.00 |
| 2nd | 6 | Boulevard Boy | 8 | P Hamblin | Ben Waldron | 60kg | $8.00 |
| 3rd | 7 | Private Tender | 2 | R Faehr | Philip Cole | 59kg | $6.00 |
| 4th | 4 | Able Seaman | 5 | Jade Doyle | Philip Cole | 60.5kg | $20.00 |
| 5th | 8 | Frothsay | 7 | Samantha Pointon | Toni Schofield | 56.5kg | $13.00 |
| 6th | 5 | Bondi Prophet | 4 | N Yadi | Emma Morton | 60kg | $9.50 |
| 7th | 2 | Aussie Adaptor | 1 | Kody Nestor | John Ferguson | 61.5kg | $2.60 |
| 8th | 1 | Maravillas | 3 | Julie Busuttin | Lachie Manzelmann | 60kg | $5.00 |
| Scr | 9 | Hi Frank | 6 | Jon Taylor | 59kg |
Kijivu is the form top pick because he is the only genuine leader at a tiny dirt track where controlling front-runners are near impossible to run down in a 200m straight. He beat this exact grade at Louth last start in similar remote country conditions and the winning jockey stays on. The wide gate is mitigated by his lone-speed status and a moderate tempo projection.
Imminent Boom maps perfectly for Birdsville: on-pace runner from barrier 3 with a featherweight 56kg, coming off an Aramac win where he overcame a wide trip. The class rise is minor in real terms and his outback dirt exposure is a major asset.
Her case rests on the plum barrier 2 draw, proven outback dirt form and weight relief, and she should get every chance on-speed.
Anders Kiss is the value runner. Each-way appeals given her 29% place rate and class edge.
| Finish | No. | Horse | Barrier | Jockey | Trainer | Weight | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 5 | Forever A Diamond | 2 | J Keating | Kym Healy | 61.5kg | $2.80 |
| 2nd | 9 | Anders Kiss | 6 | Leslie Tilley | Lachie Manzelmann | 56kg | $4.80 |
| 3rd | 3 | Solar Surfer | 1 | P Hamblin | Ben Waldron | 61.5kg | $20.00 |
| 4th | 7 | Bestov | 5 | Julie Busuttin | Lachie Manzelmann | 56kg | $21.00 |
| 5th | 2 | Kijivu | 7 | J Pracey-Holmes | G L Bignell | 62.5kg | $4.00 |
| 6th | 1 | Ozzie Invader | 4 | Kody Nestor | Toni Schofield | 63.5kg | $8.00 |
| 7th | 6 | Imminent Boom | 3 | Jemma Gutte | C T Austin | 56kg | $7.50 |
| 8th | 4 | Magic Anderson | 8 | N Yadi | Emma Morton | 60kg | $15.00 |
| Scr | 8 | Mlinzi | 8 | Philip Cole | 56.5kg | ||
| Scr | 10 | Invader's Girl | 10 | Maree Pitman | 56kg |
She is the only runner to have won at Birdsville over 1000m, holds the field's best win rate, and drops in class off a fitness-boosting 2nd at Betoota BM70 just five days ago. Her on-pace style and proven ability under big weights (won a BM65 with 63.5kg) fit this brutal leader-biased dirt track perfectly.
The class rise and his win-shy record (5 from 35) temper confidence, so he is best treated as a place proposition behind Yukan Rose.
However, he is deliberately not the top selection: he settles off the pace, and Birdsville's tight turns and 200m straight are close to fatal for closers, especially in a slowly-run 1000m race. First look at this unique dirt circuit from a middle gate adds risk.
With no genuine leader in the speed map and a predicted slow tempo, his on-pace style from barrier 2 gives him first crack at controlling a race where the fence and the front are everything.
| Finish | No. | Horse | Barrier | Jockey | Trainer | Weight | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2 | Terambi | 2 | P Hamblin | Rebecca Kerwin | 60.5kg | $9.50 |
| 2nd | 6 | Mr Evans | 6 | Angel Brennan | K J Sims | 55kg | $5.50 |
| 3rd | 5 | Noble Intent | 1 | Kody Nestor | Toni Schofield | 58.5kg | $4.60 |
| 4th | 1 | Yukan Rose | 4 | Caine Stuart | Toni Schofield | 62.5kg | $5.50 |
| 5th | 4 | Miami Vice | 3 | R Faehr | Philip Cole | 58.5kg | $4.80 |
| 6th | 3 | Dusan | 5 | Leslie Tilley | Jon Taylor | 59.5kg | $3.20 |
Acedrod is the form leader on a track that is a leader's paradise. He has won his last two Open-class starts leading throughout, including over 1630m, and faces minimal pressure for the front with only Raetihi mapping to contest early. Hamblin, who won on him last start, sticks. Clear top pick on form and map.
Shisuta Bo maps beautifully from barrier 2 to track the speed and gets first crack at the leaders in the short straight. She arrives a last-start winner with two wins from her past four, all on dry ground, and has winning form around 1550m. The 33-day gap between runs and the class rise temper confidence slightly, but the draw and racing pattern are ideal for this circuit. Solid second pick.
That is why he is third pick rather than on top despite the strongest resume.
He is the only runner already proven at Birdsville over 1600m, having won here at the trip, and he draws the coveted rail with just 53kg. If he jumps cleanly and holds the fence run, he gets every favour on a track where local dirt experience counts heavily.
| Finish | No. | Horse | Barrier | Jockey | Trainer | Weight | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 8 | Raetihi | 3 | Samantha Pointon | Lachie Manzelmann | 54kg | $21.00 |
| 2nd | 5 | Hello World | 4 | R Faehr | Kym Healy | 59kg | $4.60 |
| 3rd | 1 | Testator Silens | 5 | Jemma Gutte | C T Austin | 62.5kg | $20.00 |
| 4th | 9 | Acedrod | 8 | P Hamblin | Rebecca Kerwin | 56.5kg | $8.00 |
| 5th | 4 | Shisuta Bo | 2 | J Keating | Kym Healy | 59kg | $9.00 |
| 6th | 12 | Barocco Bar | 10 | Jade Doyle | Patrick Johnston | 56kg | $31.00 |
| 7th | 7 | Little Cointreau | 6 | Caine Stuart | C T Austin | 54kg | $14.00 |
| 8th | 6 | Our Missile | 12 | Julie Busuttin | Lachie Manzelmann | 55kg | $4.40 |
| 9th | 10 | Grinzinger Bishop | 1 | Angel Brennan | Kym Healy | 53kg | $15.00 |
| 10th | 2 | Green Shadows | 7 | Kody Nestor | Toni Schofield | 61kg | $5.50 |
| 11th | 3 | Liberty Steps | 11 | Leslie Tilley | A & D Simpson | 60.5kg | $13.00 |
| 12th | 11 | Equal Balance | 9 | J Pracey-Holmes | Kym Healy | 56kg | $81.00 |
Saltclay is the form-based top pick because the race shape hands her the race: she is the only genuine leader on a tiny dirt circuit with a 200m straight where front-runners are near unbeatable.
Super Exceptional is the only runner who has actually performed at this unique track, with a win and a second from two Birdsville starts including a win over this exact trip. Barrier 1 and an on-pace map profile are exactly what wins here, and she drops to Restricted 50, a grade she has won at.
However, she is not selected on top because her profile is a midfield placer rather than an on-speed winner, and at this track the map strongly favours Saltclay and Super Exceptional.
If he jumps level and uses that gate speed to cross, he is the class runner. Each-way value.
| Finish | No. | Horse | Barrier | Jockey | Trainer | Weight | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 6 | Super Exceptional | 1 | Kody Nestor | K J Sims | 59.5kg | $3.00 |
| 2nd | 5 | Dancer For Money | 3 | R Faehr | Philip Cole | 60kg | $6.00 |
| 3rd | 3 | Quarter Red | 2 | P Hamblin | Ben Waldron | 61.5kg | $15.00 |
| 4th | 7 | Karakaroo | 6 | Caine Stuart | Vivian Jones | 55kg | $8.50 |
| 5th | 2 | Penrod | 7 | Samantha Pointon | Toni Schofield | 59.5kg | $4.80 |
| 6th | 1 | Forgetaboutit | 4 | Jade Doyle | Philip Cole | 61.5kg | $5.50 |
| 7th | 4 | Saltclay | 5 | Jemma Gutte | Maree Pitman | 57.5kg | $6.50 |
Before the races, not after
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