Australian racing tips for August 29, 2026
Australian racing kicked off Group 1 racing for its season in Sydney last weekend, and it continues this week in Melbourne with the Memsie Stakes over 1400m at Caulfield.
While it is unlikely to match the excitement around last week’s Winx Stakes in which rising superstars Autumn Glow and Sheza Alibi squared off, the Memsie features a slew of established top performers as well as several promising types hoping to make a mark at the top level.
Regular readers will have noted we jumped on the bandwagon of former West Australian star Cosmic Crusader early in his Melbourne switch and he delivered for us twice; now the lightly raced six-year-old arrives at his biggest test yet.
The Maurice gelding, with 10 wins and five placings from only 19 starts, still has upside but will need luck from barrier 11; the good news for those sticking solid is that the WA Wizard William Pike is back in Melbourne to ride him again.
Cosmic Crusader meets a smart field and there will also be great interest in how the marvel Mr Brightside can come up as a nine-year-old. He is not fancied in early betting but you should never write off a champion.
There is also a strong support card of Group and Listed races at Caulfield, as well as Group racing in Sydney and strong metro meetings at Eagle Farm, Morphettville and Belmont.
Read on for our best bets of the day for Saturday, August 29, 2026.
Rosehill Race 7
Group 3 Canterbury-Hurlstone Park RSL Up And Coming Stakes (1300m)
(3) Southend is a classy type of colt who tackled the best two-year-olds in the Champagne Stakes before a spell and he was by no means disgraced. The likes of Southend and (1) Diameter are giving away massive weight advantages to the early favourite (10) Genesis Runner, which was the first Australian winner for boom US stallion Gun Runner. Genesis Runner was a $575,000 purchase at the yearling sales in Sydney and has drawn perfectly in barrier one. (9) Savagram was well backed before winning his only start in a Sydney midweek race and will have improved from that solid effort.
Rupert McIntosh tips: 9,10,3,7. Best bet: Savagram should get the perfect run.
Rosehill Race 8
Group 3 Smithfield RSL San Domenico Stakes (1100m)
This is a race in which many of the top juveniles of the previous season traditionally return to action as three-year-olds. (1) Guest House won the Golden Slipper at his most recent start and talent will carry the Home Affairs colt a long way, even if not ready to strike first-up. He will be conceding a decent start to the likes of the favourite (6) Blue Door, a flying filly which ran into an even quicker one in Chilly Girl in her first race back from a spell a fortnight ago. She will be fitter here and from the ace draw will take some catching. There has been a bit of buzz around (8) Wild Atlantic and he has been well backed but he is tackling an extremely strong field here. The Exceedance colt would want to be special to round up all these in his first start. (3) Music Time was a good third in the Slipper and should return in good order for Canberra trainer Gratz Vella..
Rupert McIntosh tips: 6,3,1,8. Best bet: Blue Door should be too quick.
Caulfield Race 5
Group 3 HKJC World Pool Courtza Stakes (1200m)
(1) Belle Cheval looks great value here as she has a distinct class edge on nearly all of the other runners in this race for mares. Last start she won the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes at Rosehill. She won’t be fully wound up and this may be short of her best distance but she has sprinted well in the past and there is no reason she won’t do so again. (6) Shadhavar is in career-best form and a deserved favourite. With Damian Lane up and from gate one she sure to get a great run ane be there when the whips are cracking. (3) Wrote To Arataki is eight now but she sprints well fresh and always seems to bob up in this type of race. (11) Custom is from the Ciaron Maher stable and should be hitting the line hard.
Rupert McIntosh tips: 1,11,6,3. Best bet: Belle Cheval each-way.
Caulfield Race 6
Group 3 The Quayclean Heath (1200m)
(3) Oliveanotherday is a progressive gelding and has won five of only seven starts. He han superbly placed early in his career and this looks a suitable assignment. Underrated mare (9) Bridal Waltz just missed in the Group 1 Sangster last start before a spell and she has drawn ideally in gate three and looms as the biggest danger to Oliveanotherday. It’s a pretty open contest though, with (8) Inkaruna boasting a good fresh record and (1) War Machine a proven sprinter. I want to be on War Machine but just worry he might be slightly too far back in the run.
Rupert McIntosh tips: 9,1,3,8. Best bet: Bridal Waltz to upstage the favourite.
Caulfield Race 7
Group 3 Ive > McNeil Stakes (1400m)
This contest for three-year-olds is packed with talent and there is value if you can work out which of the runners is headed for even bigger things than this Group 3. (1) Seize The Day has already won a Group 1 in New Zealand and lines up for his first Australian start with big plans ahead. He deservedly concedes weight to all his rivals but you must always be wary of the Mark Walker stable. If there is money for the colt in the hours before the race you can back him with confidence. (2) Unit Five heads the market and his form good enough for him to start $5 in a Blue Diamond, though he finished onky 10th. The field is packed with other promising types such as (9)
American Eagle, (7) Phillip Island and the filly (10) Aethera.
Rupert McIntosh tips: 1,10,7,2. Best bet: Seize The Day each-way but a good race for multiples.
Caulfield Race 8
Group 1 Stow Storage Memsie Stakes (1000m)
This Group 1 is clearly the highlight of the day’s racing and (2) Jimmysstar seems likely to start favourite. The seven-year-old flies first-up, relishes this track, and this is probably his best distance. He ticks plenty of boxes and will be savaging the line. He will, however, be likely spotting a decent start to the likes of (10) Beiwacht and (12) Treasurethe Moment, a mare with an outstanding record. Beiwacht is a rising stallion from the mighty Chris Waller stable and has been well supported in early betting. Waller has five runners in the race and it’s difficult to work out which one to be on. James McDonald rides (9) Autumn Boy for Waller and that could be a good lead. Our old mate (7) Cosmic Crusader has earned a crack at the top level but would have to find another gear to match some of these. (1) Mr Brightside is at double-figure odds for a rare time in his career and time will tell if the market has that right but he is a star.
Rupert McIntosh tips: 9,7,1,2. Best bet: Autumn Boy to step up.
