Early mail from Sandgroper 9 Dec 2017

Punters following SandGroper's early mail last Saturday were rewarded with a win in the Winterbottom Stakes when Viddora saluted in the Group 1 to pay $5.50 best tote.

Sandgroper's greyhound picks have been the standout over the past 7 days making his followers 103% profit on turnover from 47 bets.

Get Sandgroper's early mail below, and for all his selections across three codes, go to his page here.

Remember Berlin - Ascot R5 No.7

The claim from race caller Darren McAullay that he was 'luckless' at his last start was perhaps a stretch, but the gelding clearly should have finished closer. Travelling sweetly in the box seat to the turn, he raced in restricted room for most of the home straight before hitting the line hard late to finish fourth, only three-quarters of a length from the winner Get Over It.

That’s now four improving runs since resuming from a spell, suggesting he has the hoof placed firmly on the till.

Black Heart Bart - Ascot R8 No.1 

Any way you slice it, his recent effort was a superb Kingston Town Classic trial. Returning to his old stomping ground of Western Australia for the first time in two years since Darren Weir took over training duties, the multiple Group I winner was beaten a proverbial pixel in the Railway Stakes at his first start in eight weeks.

Travelling midfield with cover, Black Heart Bart was forced to circle wide to get around a struggling Supply And Demand on the turn, which probably cost him the race. Most ominous about Bart’s effort was that he will surely strip fitter for that outing and will meet his rivals in the Kingston Town Classic much better under the weight for age scale, after carrying much more than his rivals at his previous run under handicap conditions.

The Launcher - Pakenham R1 No.6

The son of Smart Missile wasn’t pushed hard from the gate by jockey Jamie Mott but he certainly accelerated well to whip around the field and challenge the leaders quickly on the home turn. The Launcher went on with it in the straight until Mott eased him down late.

There was a tip around for the third horse Alberts Lad in that race but The Launcher was most impressive to top the field on debut.

Brave Song - Rosehill R8 No.15 

This Peter and Paul Snowden-trained colt showed plenty of ability at the end of the two-year-old season, placing on debut behind the talented Calculated before winning his only other juvenile start at Canterbury.

He failed to figure in his only three-year-old start at the end of that preparation but after seeing his trials, he looks to have come back even better.