By Brad Gray
Race 1 – 12.35PM TAB HIGHWAY CLASS 3 HANDICAP (1400 METRES)
6. Texas Fireball raced his way through to a group 2 Tulloch Stakes as a three-year-old, and was luckless in defeat. He ran in the Packer Plate thereafter, but failed to handle the shifty heavy ground. Trainer Matt Dunn has always held the grey in high regard, but was also aware that he was a work in progress. The son of Zoustar resumed at Eagle Farm over 1200m and kept finding the line to finish fifth behind Epic Proportions. Transatlantic ran third, beaten by a length, and subsequently won at the Sunshine Coast by five lengths. The lack of early pressure made it hard for Texas Fireball to finish any closer than he did. Well placed out to 1400m second up in this company. A slow getaway ended 20. Lambay’s chances in Highway company two starts ago. He found himself in awkward spot wide. He also raced fiercely and was well beaten. Either side of that the four-year-old has won impressively.
How to play it: Texas Fireball to win.
Territory Express can find trouble in the run, but should be in the mix in The Gong at Kembla Grange.Credit: Getty Images
Race 2 – 1.10PM MIDWAY HANDICAP (1400 METRES)
12. Monte Supreme hasn’t had much go her way in her past two starts, both in Midway company. She never saw daylight behind Mad Darcey two back. French Ruler ran second there. He has franked that form line since. The Kembla Grange-based mare then did herself no favours when flopping out the back in another Midway. She had to circle the field from back and wide, and did a great job to get that close. It was no easy task sustaining a run from that position all meeting. Yet to win beyond 1000m, but that last-start performance suggests the 1400m shouldn’t be an excuse. 9. Los Padres did not have any luck himself in that same Midway two starts ago. He has subsequently lined up in a handy race for the three and four-year-olds at Randwick where he held his own with 61kg. Mitch Beer also has 16. Fumiko and her last-start run with 6. Direct Fire ties in well. A month between runs, third up and out to 1400m.
How to play it: Monte Supreme to win.
Race 3 – 1.45PM TRAFFIC LOGISTICS BENCHMARK 78 HANDICAP (1000 METRES)
4. Pisanello came from last to win down the Flemington straight last start. The margin was only half a length, but that does not account for the four-year-old having to duck back towards the inside. He was still well away from the fence but the other three races down the straight at that meeting were won by horses closer to the outside fence than the inside. Dropping back from 1100m to 1000m perhaps isn’t ideal, but this is another winnable race. He should get another dry track, which is keyto him producing his best. 1. Tristate has found his form again. He ran out a dominant winner at Rosehill over 1100m last start having stalked the speed. Uzziah has already won through that race. Not overly concerned by the extra 2kg. It’s just whether he’ll be allowed to find his rhythm in a race with noted speedsters.
How to play it: Pisanello to win.
Race 4 – 2.20PM CARLTON DRY 3.5 F&M BENCHMARK 78 HANDICAP (1200 METRES)
6. Wooloowin resumed a winner at the midweeks first up despite being 58 weeks between runs. She defied a late drift and awkward map to grab 8. Harry’s Bar on the line. She meets a better credentialled field of mares here in Saturday company, but that’s now three wins in a row for the talented daughter of Capitalist. She only got so far back first up because of the wide draw and trainer Nathan Doyle being mindful of the fact she had spent a year on the sidelines prior. Second up last campaign she won from in front at this track. 7. Left Field found it impossible to get into the race from back and wide at Rosehill first up. It was hard going from that position all meeting. Uzziah has franked that form line.
How to play it: Wooloowin to win.
Race 5 – 2.55PM PFD FOOD SERVICES BENCHMARK 78 HANDICAP (2000 METRES)
11. Gilded Water is an import having his first run in Australia for Ciaron Maher. The four-year-old is owned by the King and tipping Maher would love to hit the ground running for his newest, and most high-profile, owner. Resuming over 2000m will give the son of Fastnet Rock the chance to do exactly that. The gelding has only had four starts, winning his maiden in the UK in emphatic fashion in May over 2011 at Chepstow. He put seven lengths on his rivals. He then started $6 at Ascot, but he raced flat with excuses. He reportedly struck himself in the run. That has proved to be a deep race over time. 4. Alalcance prevailed in a test of stamina at Warwick Farm at her first Australian start. She gapped her rivals. Has been freshened since then with eight weeks between runs. She has trialled twice to bridge that gap. Looks every bit a mile and a half style of mare but has a touch of class to still be competitive over 2000m.
How to play it: Gilded Water to win.
Race 6 – 3.30PM EVERGREEN TURF BENCHMARK 78 HANDICAP (1400 METRES)
13. Blazing Harry won like a horse going places at Randwick last start. It was a perfectly executed ride from Chad Schofield to offset a wide gate, finding the one-one from barrier 13, but he had to do some work early to get that position. The four-year-old relaxed thereafter and won with a touch of arrogance. There is more depth stepping into a BM78, but he shouldered 61.5kg there and has always been held in high regard by Mick Price and Michael Kent jnr. At his second start he was luckless behind Steparty as a two-year-old. 10. Midnight Opal profiles to improve again third up. Has run well in two runs back, both behind Fire Star. First up he was luckless before he found the line second up at Rosehill. Gets the blinkers for the first time.
How to play it: Blazing Harry to win.
Race 7 – 4.05PM ABAX CIVIL BENCHMARK 88 HANDICAP (1600 METRES)
3. Tavi Time did not have any excuses in the Big Dance. He stalked the speed as a well-backed $3.50 chance, but couldn’t match it with the likes of Gringoots and Vivy Air. The five-year-old was solid in defeat but is capable of better. Before that, he beat up a field at Warwick Farm as an odds-on favourite. The Kris Lees-trained gelding drops back to benchmark company. The trade-off there is a hike in the weights, but that is offset after the claim of Ben Osmond. Tavi Time is a proven weight carrier. 15. Rock Empire’s last-start effort was better than the form guide suggests. The four-year-old was buried away on the inside in a slowly run race. He was left flatfooted, and had limited room, but was surging through the line late. He was five weeks between runs and coming back to 1400m. This is harder grade, but he gets back out to the mile and drops 5kg.
How to play it: Tavi Time to win.
Race 8 – 4.45PM THE ILLAWARRA MERCURY GONG (1600 METRES)
3. Territory Express has a habit of finding trouble in the run. That’s what happens when a horse has no early speed. The gamble has to be whether there is enough in the price to take that risk. There looks to be in The Gong, given the depth of the field. The five-year-old loses Zac Lloyd, but Jason Collett has ridden the gelding five times in the past. That’s significant as he isn’t a straightforward ride. 16. Vivy Air has been great at her past two starts. She will get her chance to turn the tables on 1. Gringotts from the Big Dance. She didn’t get the clearest of runs in the straight. Gets a 1.5kg weight swing, and stays on the minimum with 53kg. That’s no knock on Gringotts. He again draws wide, but a positive Tommy Berry ride overcame that last start. He’ll endeavour to apply the same tactics here and looking at the speed map, there might not be a lot of early resistance.
How to play it: Territory Express to win.
Race 9 – 5.20PM SNAP PRINT SOLUTIONS WOLLONGONG THE WARRA (1000 METRES)
The gamble with 3. Hedged is whether he is a genuine 1000m horse. The fact that he presents here first up for Mick Price and Mick Kent jnr in a $300,000 sprint race at a standalone meeting suggests this is somewhat of a target race. The four-year-old has looked sharp in two trials. He does have a dominant 1000m win to his name, but that was in his second campaign some 13 months ago. The last time we saw him at the races he was an all-the-way winner over 1350m at Ipswich. The last time he raced in NSW he made up a stack of late ground behind Joliestar in the Arrowfield. The niggle is that 1000m races tend to be won by 1000m horses. Early initiative won the race for 1. Dragonstone last start. Once he positioned himself outside the leader, he was always going to be in the finish, particularly given the way the race was run. That was with 61kg on his back. Adam Hyeronimus stays aboard. He ran fourth in this race last year, but that was on a heavy track.
How to play it: Hedged to win.
Race 10 – 5.55PM ELITE SAND & SOIL CG&E BENCHMARK 78 HANDICAP (1200 METRES)
9. Starman has not won for 149 weeks. Perhaps not the best way to begin a spiel about why a horse can win, but it’s buyer beware. That said, the six-year-old has placed in seven of his past 12 starts. Three of those were by less than a length. He resumed at Rosehill two weeks ago and caught the eye, flashing home into fifth behind the flying Fire Star. He will need to turn the tables on 4. Iron Man, but there wasn’t a lot between the pair late. Interesting that Chris Waller elects to claim with Ben Osmond taking the ride. That sees Starman carry 55kg. He hasn’t carried such a weight for years. It’s risk versus reward and there’s enough in the price to take the punt that he can break a long run out outs. Iron Man lines up for his ninth start of the preparation, but he keeps fronting up. Has form through all the right races for this. 11. Lord Of Biscay returns a gelding.
How to play it: Starman each way.
Supplied by Racing NSW
Full form and race replays available at racingnsw.com.au
