Horses To Follow — Day 2 of The Championships

Written By Blake Johnston

Randwick, April 11th

REGAL AWARD (Race 2 – South Pacific Classic) — Terrific effort after a slow start. Began slow and ended up worse than midfield (I expected him to lead), held up at a key stage, but liked his work through the line. Back to Melbourne now?

AUTUMN KING (Race 2 – South Pacific Classic) — Very good late from too far back. Bit slowly away before ripping through the line behind a tearaway leader. A mile suits now?

BUFFALO (Race 4 – Provincial Midway Championship) — Given no hope. Drew the outside and was restrained to last — loved the way he hit the line. Back in good order and can peak third-up from a better draw.

CAFFE FLORIAN (Race 6 – Arrowfield 3yo Sprint) — Bit slow out of the gates and got severely hampered. Hit the line strong despite pulling up 3/5 lame. Not much went right — she still managed to run well.

SHE’S A HUSTLER (Race 8 – Queen Of The Turf Stakes) — Terrific first-up run. Began well and found a nice trail, but her work through the line was the best in the race. A terrific platform to bounce from over further next time.

If there is one horse to follow from the meeting, it’s She’s A Hustler - will be targeted at Doomben Cup and Q22.

SIR DELIUS (Race 9 – Queen Elizabeth Stakes) — Huge performance. Sat behind a fast tempo and extended strongly — his last 200m was the best of the race. An elite middle distance horse and the camp had him spot on for his grand final.

A note on Autumn Glow. I don’t think she didn’t stay — she just didn’t stay as well as Sir Delius on the back of a brutal tempo. She should be afforded another opportunity over 2,000m. That was her first attempt at the trip and it was a baptism of fire.

FLYING FOR FUN (Race 10 – Sapphire Stakes) — Forget it. Began well before being restrained, couldn’t find cover and had to endure a tough run — four wide without cover the entire way. Loomed to win but couldn’t go on. She can hit back next time.

SPLASH BACK (Race 10 – Sapphire Stakes) — Good return. Touch slow to begin before finding the line in limited room against the race shape. Can only improve on that effort over further.

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Bring on All Aged Stakes day,

BJ

Blake Johnston

Blake Johnston is an Australian horse racing analyst, professional punter, and founder of The Leg Up Australia, a leading platform providing horse racing tips, betting strategy, and market analysis for Australian racing.

Before working full-time for punters, Blake spent years inside the betting industry, working with major bookmakers including bet365, UBet (Tabcorp), Unibet, and TopBetta (now BetMakers). His role involved compiling markets, assessing winning probabilities, and understanding how bookmakers frame prices — experience that now shapes his analytical approach to betting.

This industry background gives Blake a rare perspective on how betting markets are created, where prices can be wrong, and how disciplined punters can identify long-term value in horse racing markets.

Blake is also the 2024 Tipster of the Year (TheGreatTipOff) and hosts one of Australia’s most popular horse racing podcasts, where he breaks down races, discusses betting strategy, and helps punters understand the thinking behind professional wagering decisions.

Through The Leg Up, Blake provides:

• Daily horse racing tips across major Australian meetings

• Saturday feature race previews and Group 1 analysis

• Black Book horses and replay analysis

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• Access to a fast-growing Discord community of serious punters

Blake’s philosophy is simple: successful punting isn’t about chasing winners — it’s about finding value, managing risk, and beating the market over time.

His work focuses on structured form analysis, speed maps, race shape, and market intelligence, helping everyday punters approach betting with the discipline and framework used by professionals.

Today, The Leg Up Australia has built a community of thousands of punters who follow Blake’s insights to bet smarter and understand the game behind the game.

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G1 Tips — Day 2 of The Championships