Caption: Postman Pat’s domination of betting markets has waned somewhat in recent weeks after his four defeats as a short-priced favourite. (Photo: Box 1 Photography)

Betting analyst MATT McCANN offers advice on successfully navigating Puntersland

RACING markets can turn on their head within a week let alone a month and since my last column there certainly has been a shift regarding the aspirations of both the Adelaide Cup and MDC contestants.

Certain dogs like Alpha Zulu and Transponder have really stepped up of late with the former returning from a solid Brisbane campaign to post four consecutive victories around the horseshoe tracks of provincial Victoria.

He now boasts an imposing strike rate of 11 wins from 15 starts thanks largely to an adaptable racing style.

A reliable beginner who does not have to lead to win, he is proving adept at putting himself into a striking position.

His kennelmate, Transponder, is the more seasoned of the two and stamped himself as a feature race contender with a tenacious Speed Star Heat win followed by a dazzling display at The Meadows early last month.

The one quirk of this Jason Thompson-trained sprinter is his want to shift right at box rise. He will need favourable draws to show his best in elite company. 

On the flipside, the market domination of Postman Pat has waned of late with four recent defeats at an average price of around $1.50.

He did somehow manage to fend of the very strong Hector Fawley at Sandown Park two starts back but the reality is that he is no longer quite the formidable force that arrived from New Zealand and reeled off seven wins in a row.

He remains a deserved favourite but the pre-post price gap between Pat and his rivals has narrowed.

The stocks of Baby Jaycee have also taken a nosedive with the ultra-consistent Group-race performer suffering an injury in a Temora MDC Heat.

Ironically, the Temora Heats and Final have unearthed three extremely promising greyhounds that I expect to make great inroads into the upcoming key feature races.

Mackenna has exhibited blinding acceleration at Temora and is also undefeated around The Meadows, winning his first four starts at that circuit.

His has ticked a lot of boxes already in his 10-start career and his time in the Temora Final was only marginally outside the track record set by She’s A Pearl.

Despite being beaten twice by MacKenna at Temora, Mr Yellowstone stamped himself as another hot prospect by overcoming adversity to flash home late.

His barnstorming finish in the Final to run third was simply outstanding and he is already a Wentworth Park winner.

Don’t forget to mark down the name Heidi McGraw. She missed the kick and then found trouble in the Temora Final, but I went back and watched each of her previous eight starts and I was visually impressed with several of her runs.

There are also two Victorian littermates, now in the capable hands of Mark Gatt, who I will be saving on in MDC betting as they have the talent to go deep into the series. 

Magic Muffin has the edge in terms of early pace and will improve rapidly given that she went into her Richmond Heat first-up off a three-month break after falling at The Meadows.

Make No Promise lacks the early sectionals of his sister, but he is probably the faster of the two and if he finds the fence in running then he can make his presence felt.