Wide-open Hawkesbury race to provide sound future form

It might only be a provincial sprint at Benchmark 68 level, but the penultimate battle at Thursday’s feature Hawkesbury meeting threatens to be a race full of future form.

And it also promises to be the toughest and most open on the program with nearly 70 per cent of the field opening under $10.

Among a string of good value chances, the most scrutinised horse in the yard will be Godolphin three-year-old Selous who resumes for a second prep as a gelding off a 23-week break.

A powerful son of Caulfield Guineas winner Shooting To Win and out of an Octagonal mare, Selous was thrown into group 2 company last spring at only his third start after a dominant first-up maiden win at Goulburn.

But he failed to handle a very heavy track in the Roman Consul Stakes over 1200m, and finished tailed off.

The stable freshened him up and switched states to Flemington a month later, but again he failed to flatter from well back in the field.

Given time, and gelded before two steady open class metro trials, Selous can come back a much stronger galloper. But there’ll be little or no room for error over the short course at Hawkesbury on a likely Soft 6.

Heading a stack of rivals is tough Canberra six-year-old Washington Towers who is out to break a drought that stretches back nearly a year.