News Article

Feelgood Favourite Again

29 January 2010

Mr Feelgood has opened favourite for the Ballarat Cup

Mr Feelgood has opened favourite for the Ballarat Cup

Mr Feelgood is yet to win as favourite in Australia, but the American import again heads the market for tomorrow night's PETstock Ballarat Cup (2710m).

TAB Sportsbet installed the defending Inter Dominion champion the $3.80 favourite for the $125,000 Group 1 event that is the feature of night two of the Sky Racing Nights Of Glory.
Not only does the Tim Butt-trained entire need to overcome a tricky back-row draw of 12, he also has to overcome a hoodoo that has seen him beaten the four times he's started favourite in 11 Australian outings.
He ran second at $2.60 in last year's Ballarat Cup, was unplaced at $2.40 in a heat of last year's Inter Dominion and was first past the post in the Popular Alm FFA only to lose the race on protest when the $3 punters' elect.
He went around the $3.30 favourite in the Bendigo Cup at his most recent outing but had to settle for second behind Sammy Maguire.
Ironically, most times Mr Feelgood has won Down Under he has also been the bane of punters.
He was a $42 outsider when he won the Shepparton Cup, returned $19 after winning the Inter Dominion Final and denied raging favourite Sammy Maguire when successful in the New Year Sprint earlier this month.
His best-received win was last year's open BIG6 Hunter Cup, when he started the $7.60 third favourite.
Like at Bendigo, Sammy Maguire shapes as the hardest to beat for Mr Feelgood in tomorrow's 10pm event with the rising star the $4.60 second favourite from his good draw of three.
An outside-back-row draw of 13 has condemned Karloo Mick to the third line at $5 with Cincinnati Kid ($6, barrier nine), SA Cup winner Mister Zion ($7.50, one) and $10 chances Our Awesome Armbro (six) and Mister Swinger (11) next in line.
TAB Sportsbet is also betting on the two SEW-Eurodrive Inter Dominion semi finals at Ballarat with Chris Lang's two stable stars long odds on in their respective qualifiers.
The dashing Skyvalley is a $1.22 favourite in the first semi, at 8.03pm, while defending champion Sundons Gift is only marginally longer at $1.30 in the 9.30pm second semi.
The other race TAB Sportsbet is offering fixed-odds on is the $20,000 Sky Racing Pure Steel in which Kiwi raider Bondy is the $1.80 favourite courtesy of a stunning standing-start record that has yielded 13 wins from 15 starts.