It’s an early start to the day at Ballarat as the rich Pink Diamond Maiden series continues featuring a number of impeccably bred youngsters.

Feature racing then moves to Cranbourne this evening with four high quality heats of the Winter Cup (520m) highlighted by Kuro Kismet’s clash with Immunity. The first two placegetters in each heat will qualify for next Saturday’s $20,000 to-the-winner final.  READ MORE

At The Meadows, superstar Christo Bale will be aiming for five straight in tonight’s $21,000 Gr8 Eight (525m), but he’ll need to overcome a field including Geelong Gold Cup winner Weblec Jet. READ MORE

Below are some of the key highlights to look forward to, and be sure to scroll further down the page for ? The Watchdog’s $10 spend…

? 8.42am ? Ballarat Pink Diamond Short Course Heat 1 ? R1: Mickey Blue Eyes (half-brother to Black Opium, Equalizer & Immunity) ? fellow first starter Mepunga Legend (full younger brother to multiple group winner Circle Of Dreams).

? 8.57am ? Ballarat Pink Diamond Short Course Heat 2 ? R2:
Weblec Mist, a full younger brother to Weblec Ace and half-brother to Geelong Gold Cup winner Weblec Jet, makes his debut ? fellow first starter Adele’s Entity, a litter sister of the electrifying She’s Got Wheels (3 from 3).

? 9.12am ? Ballarat Pink Diamond Sprinter Heat 1 ? R3: Weblec Flame, a full younger brother to Weblec Ace and half-brother to Geelong Gold Cup winner Weblec Jet ? fellow first starter Swift Ability, whose dam produced Seal The Deal.

? 9.27am ? Ballarat Pink Diamond Sprinter Heat 2 ? R4: First starters Weblec Raider ? Mepunga Gem ? Persuasive are all out of dams who have produced group winners.

? 6.06pm ? Cranbourne Winter Cup ⛄ Heat 1 ? R5: Xavien Bale (2 of past 3) ? Always Ho Ho (29.20sec Sandown PB) ? Rockabye Bear (5 from 8) ? Hill Top Jack (10 from 22) ? Weblec Whirl (multiple city winner).

? 6.21pm ? Cranbourne Winter Cup ⛄ Heat 2 ? R6: Mepunga Reject (9 from 19) ? Aston Lavinia (29.31sec Sandown PB) ? Destruction (3 of past 4) ? Usman Bale (3 of past 6).

? 6.45pm ? Cranbourne Winter Cup ⛄ Heat 3 ? R7: Chatterbox Tilly (won past 4) ? Invictus Rising (7 from 13) ? Kinson Bale (29.31sec Sandown last start) v Persian Goddess (G1 Sapphire Crown finalist) ? Ripplebrook Glen (30.31sec Best Trk/Dis last start)

? 6.59pm ? The Meadows ? R2: Handsome Rhino (4 from 9), who boasts a 29.75sec PB at the track, is the one to beat in the Shepparton to Meadows Final.

? 7.10pm ? Cranbourne Winter Cup ⛄ Heat 4 ? R8: Nikoli Bale (star potential) ? Whatever I Say (5 from 10) ? Tinker Ray (3 of past 6) ? Kuro Kismet (G3 Launching Pad) ? Immunity (13 from 18).

? 8.20pm ? The Meadows ? R6: Providence Bale is looking to extend his winning streak to six.

? 8.38pm ? The Meadows ? R7: The talented Mepunga Felix (5 from 8 Box 1) gets the chance to make a statement.

? 8.57pm ? The Meadows ? R8: 6-time G1 finalist Christo Bale (won past 4) ? Weblec Jet (G2 Geelong Gold Cup) in a $21K Gr8 Eight.

? MUST-WATCH RACE: TAB.COM.AU Mixed 4/5

MEPUNGA FELIX ? FERNANDO FRANK ? NOT HAPPENING ? SHADOW MIST

? The Meadows ? Race 7 ? 600m ⏱ 8:38pm

 Form ? https://watchdog.grv.org.au/meeting/565960183/race/7

The Watchdog says ? : MEPUNGA FELIX (1) has probably been a little disappointing since qualifying for the Group 1 Silver Chief Final here in December with a scorching 29.69sec win over 525m, however he has turned in some big performances in defeat of late and from the inside draw he gets his chance tonight. There is not a whole lot of pace drawn on his outside, so with an even getaway he should be able to punch through and hold the early lead. He is a different chaser when out in front. FERNANDO FRANK (3) and NOT HAPPENING (5) both love this track/distance and appear to be the main dangers. However, on the bend start both runners will need to do everything right in the initial stages. SHADOW MIST (6) is a star SA speedster who has a tremendous strike rate, but he may find bother at the first turn. BRADY’S SHOUT (8) may represent some place value. He likes to scout wide in his races and is never too far away at The Meadows.

Selections:  1 – 3 – 5 – 8

? THE WATCHDOG’S $10 INVESTMENT ?
? Saturday 5 June

? $4 Multi

First ?: Bundle Bet – 4,5,6,7
? The Meadows ? Race 1 ? 525m ⏱ 6:39pm
TAB fixed odds: $1.31 Win (any one of the four selections to win)
Form ?  https://watchdog.grv.org.au/meeting/565960183/race/1 

Second ?: Place – WEBLEC SCOUT
? The Meadows ? Race 3 ? 1 ? 525m ⏱ 7:18pm
TAB fixed odds: $1.20 Place
Form ? https://watchdog.grv.org.au/meeting/565960183/race/3

Third ?: Bundle Bet – 1,2,3
? The Meadows ? Race 5 ? 600m ⏱ 8:00pm
TAB fixed odds: $1.48 Win (any one of the three selections to win)
Form ? https://watchdog.grv.org.au/meeting/565960183/race/5

Fourth ?: Bundle Bet – 1,2,3,5
? The Meadows ? Race 6 ? 525m ⏱ 8:20pm
TAB fixed odds: $1.48 Win (any one of the four selections to win)
Form ? https://watchdog.grv.org.au/meeting/565960183/race/6

The Watchdog says ? : Race 1 should be dominated by the middle division, so we have included two on-speed chasers and two run-on types in our first Bundle Bet. WEBLEC SCOUT (1) looks a good bet in Race 3, but with the speed drawn in the middle he may get crowded at the bend, so the place option is the safer investment. Very keen on DRAKO BALE (1) in Race 5, however CURFEW (2) and MY FATHER’S SON (3) appear to be value, so have included them as a saver. Race 6 is an open affair – PROVIDENCE BALE (5) is airborne at present but there is plenty of early speed drawn inside, so the three inside runners have to be included in our final Bundle Bet.

Multi price: $2.97

? $2.50 Place – THINK BIG HARRY 
? The Meadows ? Race 2 ? Box 3 ? 525m ⏱ 6:59pm
TAB fixed odds: $2.90 Place
Form ?  https://watchdog.grv.org.au/meeting/565960183/race/2

The Watchdog says ? : He runs into a jetliner in HANDSOME RHINO (1), however with the ‘Rhino’ expected to lead and NELLA RUSLIE (2) also expected to show early speed, ‘Harry’ should be able to drive through at the first bend and head to the back straight in a stalking position. His box manners are not great, but he has blistering pace once balanced and he will scrape the paint throughout. If he can head to the back in the top four or five, he will really hit the line hard and he appears to be great value.

? $3.50 Win – MEPUNGA FELIX       
? The Meadows ? Race 7 ? Box 1 ? 600m ⏱ 8:38pm              ***Must Watch Race***
TAB fixed odds: $2.80 Win
Form ?  https://watchdog.grv.org.au/meeting/565960183/race/7

The Watchdog says ? : He has not won in a while, but he has turned in some great performances in defeat of late and from the inside draw he gets his chance to return to the winner’s list. There is not a stack of early speed in this event, so with an even getaway he should go past the post the first time in the top two and he is extremely hard to get past when in the clear. He is a genuine star when at his best and he appears to be great value at this price.

? RECENT $10 INVESTMENTS ?

Friday 4 June: $15.26 (+52%)
Thursday 3 June: $0 return (-100%)
Wednesday 2 June: $2 return (-80%)
Tuesday 1 June: $0 return (-100%)
Monday 31 May: $0 return (-100%)
Sunday 30 May: $5.85 return (-42%)
Saturday 29 May: $16.50 return (+65%)

Past 7 days: $39.61 for $70 invested (-43%)

Past 14 days: $132.15 for $140 invested (-6%)

*Please gamble responsibly