Scone Best Bets
20 MAR 2026| Race | Dist | Top Pick | Rating | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | 1400m | 6. FAMAHAN | 48 | LOW |
| R2 | 1400m | 2. HAMMOON SENSATION | 67 | HIGH |
| R3 | 1100m | 1. INAZUMA BOY | 79 | HIGH |
| R4 | 1200m | 12. TUPAKARA | 50 | LOW |
| R5 | 1000m | 5. FARNCIFUL | 44 | LOW |
| R6 | 1100m | 4. HONEY PERFUME | 80 | HIGH |
| R7 | 1600m | 8. FAVOUR THE BOLD | 65 | HIGH |
| R8 | 1400m | 1. TAVROS | 75 | HIGH |
Good 4 at Scone with the rail only +1m from the 800m to the 400m and true the rest is usually a fairly honest surface: you can win from anywhere, but you don’t get gifted lanes. It’s the sort of set-up where clean runs and holding a spot matter, especially when a few of these races profile as stop-start affairs. If you’re giving away ground and tempo, you’re asking for trouble on a circuit that rewards decisiveness.
Race 1 Tips — ARROWFIELD COUNTRY BOOSTED SHOWCASE MAIDEN HANDICAP (1400m)
6 FAMAHAN
There’s not a lot of talent here — but there doesn’t need to be, because it’s the race shape that decides it and not a stack of upside. Gate matters here. With no obvious leader and 1. Dunquin likely to find himself in front by default, you want a horse that can hold a midfield spot and still sprint when they lift mid-race, and 6. Famahan gets exactly that from barrier three for Holly Williams.
He comes through the right kind of country form without having to pretend it’s stronger than it is: at Gunnedah two weeks ago he was only beaten a lip over 1600m in a Class 1 set weights race, sitting fourth at the 800m and fighting right out to the line. That’s a better effort than most of these have shown, even if the prizemoney drop back to this $40k maiden is more “nominal” than dramatic. He wasn’t disgraced in the $50k Super Maiden at Tamworth before that either, kept in touch midfield and hit the line for third. The 1400m is his wheelhouse. This is the set-up.
Dangers & Value
1. Dunquin is the obvious control horse in a race with no map clarity; if Ashley Morgan pinches cheap sectionals like he did when leading at Port Macquarie, he can take catching. 5. Envisioned draws to get the smother from gate one and won’t be bustled early, which matters if they stack them up. 4. Speedy Pete is the other one who maps to park just off the paint and be in the first four turning, which is often half the job here. The query runner is the deep closer profile; if you’re spotting them a start in a muddling maiden, you’re relying on luck more than substance.
Race 2 Tips — COOLMORE COUNTRY BOOSTED BENCHMARK 58 SHOWCASE HANDICAP (1400m)
2 HAMMOON SENSATION
Settling position will sort out half the field before the turn, because there’s no natural tearaway and they can easily turn this into a sit-and-sprint. That brings 2. Hammoon Sensation right into focus from barrier two: he can hold a spot without doing any work, and he’s already proven he can punch late off a controlled tempo. No nonsense. Win race.
Rodney Northam has him coming off a break, but the profile is hard to knock on Good ground: he won his Dubbo Super Maiden over this trip by a nose after stalking in second at the 800m, then went straight to Coonamble in a Class 1 set weights mile and did it again, sitting right on the hammer and out-toughing them late. That’s the kind of form that translates to a Benchmark 58 where plenty are still learning how to win. The “rise” in grade is nominal and the money is similar; what matters is he’s a winner in the right part of the track and at the right time of the run. If they dawdle early, he’s the one who can peel at the 500m and make his own momentum. Keep it simple.
Dangers & Value
4. Olympian has upside off two starts and the Mornington win was sharp, but he’s now on the road again and this is a different rhythm to a Victorian straightening-up run. 7. Be Guided is the map horse from the outside: if he crosses and controls, he can steal it, but barrier twelve means there’s petrol to burn early. 3. Set To Prophet is the other likely to be prominent and the claim helps, yet in a race that could turn tactical, being the default leader isn’t always the same as being the best leader. If Hammoon Sensation gets the trail, it’s trouble for them.
Race 3 Tips — KIA ORA BENCHMARK 82 SHOWCASE HANDICAP (1100m)
1 INAZUMA BOY
When they walk, it becomes about who kicks first — not who runs fastest, and that’s exactly why I’m happy to trust the stable momentum horse who can take a spot and then put them away. 1. Inazuma Boy is flying for Rodney Northam, and from barrier two with Ms Leeshelle Small claiming he doesn’t have to give away the map to anything. He maps perfectly. Hard to beat.
He’s coming here off a Dubbo BM82 win where he sat midfield and put them to the sword by more than two lengths, and it didn’t look like a horse fluking it off a hot speed either — he was sixth at the 800m and simply had more punch when the pressure went on. Go back one run and he won the Tamworth Lightning BM86 from the inside draw, again not leading, just travelling and producing at the right time. Then it was a Dubbo BM74 win before that. Three straight wins, all on Good 4, and all telling you the same story: he’s versatile in-run and he keeps responding when asked.
The big weight doesn’t worry me because the claim turns it into a very winnable impost, and in a race where 4. Cool Storm might end up in front by default, Inazuma Boy is the one who can sit close enough to strike first when they try to pinch it. Don’t overcomplicate your Scone racing tips in races like this.
Dangers & Value
4. Cool Storm is the clear danger on class and track record: he’s a dual Scone winner and he drops sharply in prizemoney terms into this $30k after mixing it in stronger races. The knock is the recent pattern — he led at Canterbury and folded, then was out the back at Mornington over 900m and never got into it. 9. Onyspeed draws to get a lovely run just behind the speed and can be the one peeling off backs if they overdo the “walk”. 3. Zouprince is honest enough but needs the leaders to bring him into it. If Inazuma Boy lands one off the fence, he controls the race from there.
Race 4 Tips — MAGIC MILLIONS SHOWCASE MAIDEN PLATE (1200m)
12 TUPAKARA
When a runner drops this sharply in grade, the form line towers over the rest, and you don’t need to dress it up beyond that. 12. Tupakara has been living in the deep end — Group 1 Flight Stakes, Group 2 Tea Rose, Group 3 at Caulfield — and now she finds a $40k maiden at Scone. That’s not a drop. It’s a freefall. Class edge is real.
Her Tea Rose third at Randwick is the run that wins this: she was right up on the pace (third at the 800m), kept finding, and only went down 2.1 lengths behind Apocalyptic in a genuinely strong fillies’ race. The Flight Stakes was a bridge too far at the mile and she was never in the hunt, and the Caulfield Group 3 over 1200m had her beaten eight lengths in a hot field, but those are the kinds of “forgive” runs you can take when today’s opposition has been chasing placings in provincial maidens. Barrier eight means she’ll need Mitchell Bell to be positive early so she’s not posted deep in a race that could be dawdling, but she’s got tactical speed on her day. Two runs under six words? Here you go. Big drop. Big chance.
Dangers & Value
2. Fortheo is the blowout horse after running third behind Olympian at Mornington, but that was a $50k Super Maiden and he was $101; he’ll need to reproduce it and find more. 10. Crystal Conspiracy draws gate one and if this turns into a leaders’ day pattern, that’s the type who can pinch cheap ground and be annoying to run down, even with a backmarker profile. 3. My Nicconi Boy is the grinder who can land midfield and keep rolling, but he doesn’t have a turn of foot that scares a filly who’s seen Randwick Group races. In your Scone form guide, this is the sort of class plunge you either bet or you watch.
Race 5 Tips — DARLEY SUPER MAIDEN SHOWCASE HANDICAP (1000m)
5 FARNCIFUL
This is the race on the card where value punters should be sharpening their pencils, because there’s not much between a stack of these and the map will decide who even gets a crack. 5. Farnciful has only had the two runs, and the first-up effort at Taree reads like the right kind of lead-in for a $50k super maiden down the straight 1000m. He’s the bet. But you take the price.
At Taree on Soft 6 he landed third at the 800m and only went down a third of a length to Radio Ga Ga (NZ), and the key was he travelled like a horse who’d come back improved from the debut. That debut at Newcastle on a Heavy 10 was never going to flatter anything; he was beaten 3.35 lengths over 900m and you can put a line through it given the conditions and the short-course scramble. Today is different. Good 4. Bigger field. More room to build.
Barrier ten isn’t ideal in a race that may not be truly run early, so Ashley Morgan can’t afford to snag to last and hope. He needs to slide across, find cover, and be within striking distance at the 400m. Do that, and Farnciful has the right late split profile to be in the finish. Risky race. That’s why it pays.
Dangers & Value
4. Dingle Grey is the one with the “one-run upside” angle after flashing home from the back at Port Macquarie, but he’s stepping from a $27k maiden into this $50k and that jump in quality can sting. 7. Brazen Diva draws to get the soft run and looks the type who’ll be produced late if they overcook it up front. 6. Whittello Sun is the map query: gate two is perfect, but if he gets too far back in a race that turns into a mid-race dash, he’ll be needing favours. With maidens at this trip, you want to be betting horses who will actually see daylight.
Race 6 Tips — VINERY CLASS 2 SHOWCASE HANDICAP (1100m)
4 HONEY PERFUME
There’s a horse in this that’s been racing in much stronger company, and it’s the one you can anchor to with confidence even in a race that should finally be genuinely run with a few on-pacers rolling along. 4. Honey Perfume has been chasing wins in Hawkesbury Saturday-grade Class 1 and Benchmark 64 races worth $42k, and now she drops into a $30k Class 2 where most of these are still figuring out how to string efforts together. This is the setup. Barrier one seals it.
Her last start at Hawkesbury over 1000m was a proper piece of form: beaten 0.75 to Gambler after settling midfield and ripping home in 33.09 for the last 600m. That’s not a number you fluke when you’re off the bridle; it tells you she’s in the zone. Go back further and she was beaten a lip in a Hawkesbury BM64, again charging late from worse than midfield. She’s become the professional placegetter, but those runs are in stronger races than this and she keeps finding the line.
With Lightning Glory and Somerton Smart types ensuring pressure, Ashley Morgan can just hold the fence, let them overdo it, and angle off at the right time. No excuses. She wins. These are the best bets for Scone for a reason.
Dangers & Value
7. Shotgun Bella is the danger with Kerrin McEvoy: she’s been around the mile and back in Class 1 company and keeps landing close, but she’s drawn awkward and might be forced to make her run wide when the sprint goes on. 9. Ocean Chill (NZ) is the on-pace runner who can make Honey Perfume nervous if he gets cheap sectionals mid-race, but with a few wanting similar spots he may not get it his own way. 3. Ritzsun is honest and maps to be there, yet his rating profile says he needs things to fall into place rather than taking the race by the throat. Honey Perfume gets the run. That’s the difference.
Race 7 Tips — YARRAMAN PARK BENCHMARK 66 SHOWCASE HANDICAP (1600m)
8 FAVOUR THE BOLD
Tactical races like this come down to nerve and timing, and with most of the field wanting to settle in the first half you can’t afford to be making decisions late. 8. Favour The Bold is the one I want forgiving and following, because the class drop is meaningful and Scone is his paddock even if he’s drawn to need a touch of luck from eleven. Needs luck. Still the bet.
His Mornington run two weeks ago looks ugly on paper — beaten 4.56 — but he was buried back near last from barrier thirteen and never really got into the race pattern, then still hit the line with a 35.04 last 600m. That’s not a win-setup; it’s a “get him back to his own environment” run. Prior to that he was second at Scone in a Class 4 Preview behind Upwardly Mobile, and he made ground from seventh at the 800m when the race was already over on the leaders. He’s also been to Rosehill for a $120k Highway and wasn’t disgraced, beaten 3.44 in a race that didn’t suit his pattern.
Back to a $30k BM66 mile is a big prizemoney drop, and it’s the right trip for him to relax and build. If he can slot in with cover before the corner, he’s the one hitting the line hardest when others are peaking. I’m prepared to back the track horse.
Dangers & Value
9. Zucchero is the obvious danger on the same “Highway drop” logic and McEvoy sticks, but his recent Rosehill runs had him getting too far back and giving away an impossible start; from gate twelve he risks the same script. 6. Off The Scale is the map-friendly runner who can land much closer than the two main backmarkers and that alone can win these 1600m BM races at Scone. 10. Pinot Nero draws better and can be the one stalking the right back, but he’ll need the gaps at the right time. If they run it genuinely, I want Favour The Bold over the top.
Race 8 Tips — EVERGREEN TURF NORTHERN COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS WILD CARD (1400m)
1 TAVROS
In big fields with mixed pace, where you land matters more than what you are, and 1. Tavros has drawn the carpark but brings the one commodity you can’t fake in a Wild Card: genuine high-pressure form lines. Wide gate. Big engine.
Go to Rosehill on 29 November in the $160k Country Classic over 2000m: he was midfield at the 800m and attacked the line late to miss by half a length in an 18-horse field. That’s a proper staying finish, and it tells you he handles traffic and he sustains a run. Then he went to Randwick for the Little Dance worth $750k and was beaten 1.79 lengths over a mile behind Osipenko (NZ) after settling worse than midfield and running the fastest late sectionals of the race for many. That is not Class 5 form. That’s feature-race form dropping back into a $150k set weights country championship pathway race.
The 1400m is the sweet spot too: three wins from four at the trip says he can travel and sprint, not just grind. Ben Looker will have to make an early call from barrier sixteen — snag and hunt rails, or slide and risk being posted — but with four genuine on-pacers ensuring speed, I want the horse launching last. If he gets cover, he wins.
Dangers & Value
13. Scripted is the danger with Tommy Berry: she drops from Queensland black-type depth and her Doomben third was strong late, but she’s also a backmarker who can get dragged into the wrong lanes if the field splits. 4. Clear Thinking (GB) is the other one with Morgan aboard who can be launching when they’re gasping, and barrier ten gives him a more straightforward map than Tavros. 7. Great Point is drawn awful as well and needs everything to go right, but if the pace is fierce and they fan late, he can be the knockout. Still, for mine, Tavros brings the best 1400m credentials in the best race of the day.
Best Bets
Best bet on the card is HONEY PERFUME in Race 6: she’s been banging on the door in stronger Hawkesbury races and draws to finally get the cheap run. Best value runner is FARNCIFUL in Race 5: the Taree second reads well for this set-up and if he finds cover from the wide gate he can blow the exotics apart in the right Scone racing tips profile.
Odds, scratchings and conditions can change — check closer to jump.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time is Race 1 at Scone on Friday, 20 March 2026?
Race 1 at Scone on Friday, 20 March 2026 is scheduled for 1:35pm. It’s a 1400m maiden handicap, and with the rail only +1m (800m–400m) then true, early position and clean runs should matter more than big last-400m flashes.
What does a Good 4 track mean for betting at Scone?
A Good 4 at Scone is typically a fair racing surface where you can trust horses to run to their ratings, provided they get the right run. It’s not usually a day for extreme wet-track specialists, and it often rewards runners that can hold a spot and build momentum.
What is the best bet at Scone on Friday, 20 March 2026?
The best bet is Race 6, 4. Honey Perfume. She’s been racing in stronger Hawkesbury grade races and repeatedly running right up to them, then drops into a $30k Class 2. From barrier one she should get the soft run and finally convert those close seconds into a win.
Does the rail position favour leaders at Scone with +1m 800m–400m and true the rest?
With the rail only +1m for a short section and true elsewhere, Scone generally doesn’t become a hard-on-leaders-only track. Leaders can still win if they control tempo, but the bigger edge goes to horses that can land in the first half with cover and avoid getting dragged too far back.
How should I approach an 8-race card at Scone from a betting strategy angle?
Treat the maidens as pricing exercises and be prepared to play each-way where the map is messy and the talent thin, then get more aggressive when there’s a clear class edge. On this card, anchoring a stronger dropper like Honey Perfume and being selective in the big-field closer races is the sensible approach.