Eight races feature on Friday's Geelong card, where a tough meeting awaits punters.
While the forecast is not too bad, conditions will still be testing, with the track currently rated a Heavy 10.
For wider angles, our
Daily Racing Multi brings together leading combinations from multiple programs.
Geelong Tips August 14
D-Day Pest Control BM62 Handicap Tips (Race 6)
Geelong Roughie - Race 6 No. 10 Amawasha
Being proven over even further, a testing 2435m could play right into the hands of Amawasha.
The gelding should be nearing peak fitness with three winter runs under the belt, including a pair of 2200m efforts, the latest of those a two-length defeat at Bairnsdale.
He then stepped up to this grade at Moe on July 21 on an eight-day turnaround and was respected in the betting on a Heavy 9, where the son of Dundeel settled off the speed, raced keenly through the middle stages and was left flat-footed before warming up late for a third-of-eight finish.
Amawasha has been a handy pickup for the Mitchell Leek stable with two wins recorded last year, including a 3040m success in a higher benchmark than he faces on Friday, while his latest Geelong appearance also produced a strong finish in BM70 company on the January 3 Saturday metropolitan card.
This is an open race, but given he was much shorter in the betting for a similar assignment last time and produced an effort that was more than a pass mark, Amawasha appears overlooked in the early markets.
Prestige Jayco BM62 Handicap Tips (Race 7)
Geelong Value Bets - Race 7 No. 1 Fly By Light & No. 13 Sugar Schnapps
Two runners who can be supported on an each-way basis in Friday's penultimate at Geelong are Fly By Light and Sugar Schnapps.
Prepared by Clinton McDonald, Fly By Light has been freshened since disappointing first-up in a June 27 three-year-old handicap at Caulfield and, while he has not progressed since an impressive Cranbourne debut win earlier in the year, he has only had two subsequent starts.
He may simply have this field covered for talent if he handles the conditions, while Ben Melham takes the reins with a career strike rate of 22% for McDonald that rises to almost 24% over the past 12 months, and he was also aboard Fly By Light in his first two starts.
Sugar Schnapps looks well prepared by the Hayes yard for this first-up assignment after three encouraging winter jump-outs, the latest when working every bit as well as talented stablemate Portinari, while the lightly raced five-year-old has not finished outside the top two in four starts.
After arriving in Australia following a brave New Zealand breakthrough on wet ground and recording two placings across February and March before a spell, Sugar Schnapps is likely to push forward under Michael Dee and can give a sight.
Heads To Tails Horsewear BM62 Handicap Tips (Race 8)
Geelong Best Bet - Race 8 No. 10 Hotei Senshi
A wide alley late in the program may not be a major disadvantage on what shapes as a very testing track, with Billy Egan having options aboard Hotei Senshi.
The gelding was an impressive debut winner on February 8 when landing good bets before being spelled after a well-held second to Blistering, who franked the form with a metropolitan Sandown victory at her next appearance.
He almost got the job done when resuming at Bendigo on July 5, narrowly going down to Magnetic Chess, before contesting an end-of-season three-year-old handicap at Caulfield on July 25 where he was one of the few making any real inroads along the inferior inside going.
This is a much easier assignment and the rise in trip could be ideal now, with breeding also supporting that view as Hotei Senshi is by Maurice and out of Group 2 2000m winner Jessy Belle, who comes from the same family as dual Group 1 winner Flitter.
He is one of the few runners in the field with genuine upside and, if the track pattern proves suitable, don't be surprised if Hotei Senshi starts favourite come the jump.