By Brad Gray
Race 1 – 12.05PM MIDWAY HANDICAP (1800 METRES)
Trusting Canberra class 1 form inthis week’s Midway with 17. Hooligan Tommy. It was the best performance of this four-year-old’s career to date, running a much faster time than the BM75 later at the meeting. The query is whether he can repeat that performance, but John Sargent steps the son of Ocean Park out to 1800m now fifth up and he drops 6.5kg after the claim of Molly Bourke. The stable thought enough of him to run him in the ATC Derby despite still being a maiden at the time. 11. Flying Bandit comes through the ElCastello Midway from two weeks ago. It’s a hard race to unpack with confidence as you can make cases for most runners. Flying Bandit still has upside. That was only his fifth career start and he strikes this third up. He can’t draw a gate though.
How to play it: Hooligan Tommy to win.
Bella Nipotina (right) sizzles home in the Concorde Stakes behind I Am Me, and looks hard to beat in the Premiere Stakes.Credit: Getty
Race 2 – 12.40PM ARROWFIELD BREEDERS’ PLATE (1000 METRES)
7. Raging Force ran home in fast time to win his Kensington trial. The overall time was middle of the road for the morning but his late strength was the takeaway. The son of Cosmic Force did have the benefit of finding the rail, which always helps with inexperienced two-year-olds, but he flattened out well through the line. Going back through recent history of the Breeders’ Plate, it’s not often the fast-jump-and-run type that prevails. 10. Tuscany looked to push the button when winning his trial. It was the fastest overall time for the colts. The son of Zoustar showed good early speed but once a few of his rivals kicked up, James McDonald restrained him to camp midfield. Tuscany didn’t fight that. He relaxed and let down with a turn of foot. McDonald stays aboard. Waterhouse and Bott have five runners with stablemate 5. North England another standout from the trials.
How to play it: Raging Force to win.
Race 3 – 1.15PM KEENELAND GIMCRACK STAKES (1000 METRES)
15. Tupakara ran in the slowest heat of the morning at the Kensington trials, but there is more to it than that. The daughter of Trapeze Artist was allowed to drift back through the field to settle last. She had shown enough speed to settle closer but after finding her feet she balanced up to work to the line impressively. The Neasham-Archibald trained youngster looked comfortable racing in between horses and gave the impression she had more to give had she been asked. That race sense could prove handy given the Gimcrack is a capacity field of fillies. 8. Memo maps to be giving away a big head start, but she too showed great acceleration and late strength in her trial. Had some trouble keeping up early but once she got herself organised she came with a rush to win her heat well. 3. Bel Merci did everything right in her trial and comes through the fastest heat of the morning.
How to play it: Tupakara to win.
Race 4 – 1.50PM DRINKWISE DULCIFY STAKES (1600 METRES)
3. Swiftfalcon was impressive first up at Flemington. He shouldered 61.5kg over 1420m and had to overcome a slow lead speed, but he powered to the line to win decisively. He clocked the second quickest last 600m split of the meeting. The three-year-old gelding has more to offer, too. Each time he has stepped out – he has only had four starts – he has run a new career best. The knock is the barrier. It will likely see him settle last. 4. Media World didn’t get a lot of luck in the Ming Dynasty last start. He wasn’t beaten far by Lady Shenandoah and Mayfair despite running out of room up the fence on slightly inferior ground. Like the improvement he made from first to second up. Just has to run out a strong mile. 2. Just Party was also nipping at the heels of the placegetters in the Ming Dynasty.
How to play it: Swiftfalcon to win.
Race 5 – 2.25PM ALINTA ENERGY HANDICAP (1600 METRES)
12. Chica Mojito darted up the inside to just miss first up. The winner, Firestorm, has since won again and goes around in the Epsom later at the meeting. Chica Mojito finds herself in a BM94 second up so she is racing out of her grade, but she carries just 52kg because of that. The former Kiwi is still stuck on one synthetic maiden win in New Zealand, but the majority of her racing has been in black-type company. 4. Floating improved sharply third up to win well at this track over this trip two weeks ago. Zac Lloyd had the grey in a perfect stalking position on that occasion and he sticks. Only has to hold that form to prove hard to beat. 2. Cafe Millenium had excuses first up, and he jumped out of the ground second up over the Randwick mile to give Celestial Legend and Militarize a fright in the Guineas.
How to play it: Chica Mojito to win.
Race 6 – 3PM DARLEY FLIGHT STAKES (1600 METRES)
1. Autumn Glow is the dominant filly this spring. Her place in the market tells you that. The tactical versatility she showed to settle outside the leader in the Tea Rose Stakes adds another, and significant, string to her bow. Not dissimilar to that race, there again isn’t an obvious leader. It doesn’t shape to be a truly run race and James McDonald can put the daughter of The Autumn Sun just about wherever he wants. At her first two starts she beat up on Dawn Service and Wanaruah, which have franked the form in Melbourne since. Then she made light work of the fillies. In the Tea Rose, 2. Snow In May was saddlecloth No.10. Such was the spike in her ratings that she is now carrying No.2. The wildcard element to Snow In May does make her a genuine threat. She clocked the fastest last 200m split of the meeting two weeks ago.
How to play it: Autumn Glow to win.
Race 7 – 3.35PM PRECISE AIR PREMIERE STAKES (1200 METRES)
7. Bella Nipotina sizzled home in the Concorde Stakes. It was a brilliant run in defeat, clocking a lightning fast 31.81s last 600m split. She made a late dive to just miss to her stablemate I Am Me. There was two lengths back to third. I Am Me has since franked that form line by subsequently winning The Shorts. Bella Nipotina has been freshened since, tackling this four weeks between runs. That won’t bother her. She has been remarkably consistent in her past five starts. Maps to be in the second half but should be rushing home again. You’re putting a lot of faith in Giga Kick to bounce back to somewhere near his best on Saturday. His peak performance would win this race, and comfortably. He got a pass mark first up over 1000m and was always going to improve off that being a year on the sidelines prior.
How to play it: Bella Nipotina to win.
Race 8 – 4.10PM JAMES SQUIRE METROPOLITAN (2400 METRES)
14. Land Legend comes through a high rating Kingston Town Classic behind Eliyass and Ceolwulf. Happy to trust that form reference as the strongest here. It is also a race that has provided five of the past six Metrop winners. That run will top off Land Legend nicely. He found 1500m too sharp first up, never getting warm before improving out to 2000m. Confident that he will step forward again off that. He needs to but the lightly raced five-year old was so impressive when winning the St Leger around this time a year ago. He broke the track record that day. Drops to 51kg. 21. Unusual Legacy is yet to produce a performance that would win a Metrop, but he gets out to 2400m for the first time in his career and carries just 50kg. His upside is his biggest appeal. 4. Que Tempesta scored a pass mark for his effort in the Naturalism a fortnight ago, but he will come into his own out to 2400m now.
How to play it: Land Legend to win.
Race 9 – 4.45PM TAB EPSOM (1600 METRES)
7. Ceolwulf has to come back to the mile after contesting the Kingston Town Stakes two weeks ago where he fought out the finish with Eliyass. The turn of foot he showed over 1500m at Rosehill the start prior was unlike anything he had shown in the past. He ground home to run second in the ATC Derby in autumn behind Riff Rocket on a heavy track. He has returned a sharper horse this time in, his first campaign as a gelding. 10. Berkshire Shadow is the knockout. He hasn’t had much go his way in his Australian career to date. He had no luck at all behind Ceolwulf first up at Rosehill, savaging the line once he saw daylight. Then he was posted three deep the trip in the Cameron at Newcastle. 4. Kovalica is testing the patience of punters being 70 weeks between wins, but he turned in an eye-catching Epsom trial in the Tramway.
How to play it: Ceolwulf to win.
Race 10 – 5.25PM TAB HANDICAP (1200 METRES)
4. Ostraka produced a brilliant finish to round up his rivals at Rosehill three weeks ago. It was emphatic. And that was despite the race not being run to suit given where he settled. It was even more impressive on the clock. His last 600m split was the quickest across the meeting, and comfortably so. The best two performances of his career have come at his past two starts. The four-year-old has a history of improving with a run under his belt, too. And he maps to settle closer in this one. 5. Moravia was equally dominant two weeks ago. James McDonald parked him in the perfect trailing position, but he ripped clear late to win well. Should take confidence from that. He rattled home in the Concorde Stakes first up. Has come back in career-best form himself. The same can be said for the unbeaten 21. Briasa, which carries just 52.5kg and is up in grade as well.
How to play it: Ostraka to win.
Supplied by Racing NSW
Full form and race replays available at racingnsw.com.au
