Ballarat Synthetic R4

14:10Whitford Liquid Waste (Bm66)
1500mBenchmark 66SyntheticRail: True
Races12345678
Model rankingsall runners · unfiltered
ConsensusOur key selections. A pick only appears when multiple models that we use agree on the same top selection — the highest-performing signal we publish. We only bet if we can get the Target price (20% above our Fair price) or better. Early prices shown here are a guide only. We reconcile our results only on those selections where the bookmaker SP is above the target price. You should make your own assessment if these selections fit your betting profile and never bet what you aren't prepared to lose. Our models aren't perfect, don't expect our selections to be.Entropy2.44top 3
Ranked 1st
1. Ultra Blue
Jade Smith (1)
Fair
$4.04
Target
$4.85
Mkt
$2.00
Ranked 2nd
4. Princeofnottingham
Patrick Moloney (2)
Fair
$4.04
Target
$4.85
Mkt
$4.40
Ranked 3rd
2. Comic Hero
Cian Macredmond (3)
Fair
$4.72
Target
$5.66
Mkt
$4.20
FairThis is our model's price for this horse, any odds above this are considered good value.
TargetThe minimum price to bet — 20% above Fair. Only back this runner at the Target price or longer.
MktMarket price as @ 08:35 AEST.
SP — Official Bookmaker Starting Price
EntropyA score that reflects how contested a race is based on the model's predicted results. Lower the better, ≤ 2.7 is considered a good clear indicator.
Predicted speed mapback → finish →
Backmarkers3
settle 11+
2 Comic Hero(3)
5 Bucks Night(4)
6 Grey Secret(6)
Midfield0
settle 7–10
On-pace1
settle 3–6
3 Lethal Thoughts(5)
Leaders2
pushing for the lead
1 Ultra Blue(1)
4 Princeofnottingham(2)

Speed map

1. Ultra Blue, 4. Princeofnottingham has the clearest early-speed profile, and that makes the tempo genuine but not reckless for a 6-runner 1500m race. The first pressure line is 3. Lethal Thoughts; they are the runners most likely to keep the leader honest without necessarily turning the race into a burn-up. Behind them, a thin midfield group look the main settling group, while 2. Comic Hero, 5. Bucks Night, 6. Grey Secret are the ones most dependent on the race being run truly enough to drag them into it. There is enough recent settling evidence to make the map reasonably clean.

The money point is how compressed the first half becomes. If 1. Ultra Blue, 4. Princeofnottingham gets across without being eyeballed, the handy runners can hold the race in their keeping; if the lead line is made to work, the best run is likely just behind them rather than right at the tail. The flagged runner position is dealt with below, but the broad map says the race should be won by something close enough to the speed to use the turn, not by a runner needing the whole field to fold.

Historical overview

The 1500m profile is usable across 26 races and gives the first guide before narrowing into today's conditions. Leaders (1–3) has produced 42.3% of winners at 15.3%, while Inside (1–4) has produced 38.5% of winners at 12.0%. That makes this less a race for generic swoopers and more one where early position, lane and the ability to hold a spot all matter.

The more specific 1500m · Synthetic · True layer has 26 races. Leaders (1–3) has produced 42.3% of winners at 15.3%. Inside (1–4) has produced 38.5% of winners at 12.0%. Pop ($2–5) has produced 34.6% of winners at 19.1%.

  • Trip shape — Leaders (1–3) has produced 42.3% of winners at 15.3% across 26 races, which frames where the first winning zone usually sits.
  • Draw pattern — Inside (1–4) has produced 38.5% of winners at 12.0% across 26 races, so gate position matters but does not override tempo.
  • Market read — Pop ($2–5) has produced 34.6% of winners at 19.1%, a guide to how much respect the shorter-priced runners deserve.

Overall assessment

From the gates, 1. Ultra Blue, 4. Princeofnottingham should define the race, with 3. Lethal Thoughts parked close enough to apply pressure before the bend. That scenario gives the on-speed and stalking group first use of the race, but it does not hand them a blank cheque: if the leaders are forced to spend from the jump, the midfield runners with cover become much more dangerous. Emily Pozman (Jockey) brings a 30.8% strike rate and A/E 1.73 here with 6. Grey Secret Cian Macredmond (Jockey) brings a 9.3% strike rate and A/E 1.3 here with 2. Comic Hero

Key chances

  • 1. Ultra Blue — Maps lead from gate 1, so it sits in the first-three band that the profile keeps rewarding. The case is strongest if the tempo lands as mapped rather than turning into a stop-start sprint.
  • 4. Princeofnottingham — Maps lead from gate 2, so it sits in the first-three band that the profile keeps rewarding. The case is strongest if the tempo lands as mapped rather than turning into a stop-start sprint.
  • 3. Lethal Thoughts — Maps on-pace from gate 5, so it gets a stalking run close enough to use the forward pattern. The case is strongest if the tempo lands as mapped rather than turning into a stop-start sprint.

No runner is flagged as a pre-race pick here, so the race read leans entirely on the map, the track profile and the listed stable/rider angles.

The cleanest way this read fails is a different early decision: one rider pressing harder than the settling pattern suggests would turn a controlled map into a pressure race and bring the second wave into play earlier than expected.

This write up was completed using AI. We prompt it with extensive real race data and actively manage parts of the output. We are actively reviewing and refining these prompts, if you have feedback about these commentaries, please send us a message to hello@hoofmetrics.com.Generated by StopWatch (gpt-5.5).

Distance stats

Distance
1500m · 26 races (26 winners)

Barrier draw

RunsWins% WinSRA/E
Inside (1–4)831038.5%12%0.91
Middle (5–9)109934.6%8.3%0.69
Wide (10+)62726.9%11.3%1.02

Settling position

RunsWins% WinSRA/E
Leaders (1–3)721142.3%15.3%0.92
On-pace (4–6)70830.8%11.4%0.85
Midfield (7–10)74519.2%6.8%0.81
Backmarkers (11+)1800%0%0.00
Unknown2027.7%10%0.75

Market (SP)

RunsWins% WinSRA/E
Odds-on (≤$2)9830.8%88.9%1.60
Pop ($2–5)47934.6%19.1%0.65
Mid ($5–10)50623.1%12%0.87
Roughie (>$10)148311.5%2%0.59