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By Neil Evans

Track Good 4 and rail out 5m from 1200m to 380m into a cutaway & true the remainder:

The maidens kick off a deep and wide nine race card. Honest five-year-old 4. French Comet hasn't been overly convincing well into this prep, but has generally kept improving, and couldn't be fitter. Gets his chance staying at the distance only 12 days after a tough placing here when carrying 1.5kg more.

Dangers: Plenty of them headed by 1. Hallowed Son who hasn't raced since last spring, but has more than enough ability in this company fresh. Consistently in the placings across his last full prep, but still faces a task from a wide draw under 60kg. Palentino filly 8. Apparently can run into the placings on debut.

How to play it: French Comet to win

A middle distance maiden now. Randwick-based 2. Golden Passport returns behind two 1200m trials. Hasn't raced for nearly a year, but should get a cosy run on-speed, and first-up fitness won't be any concern from the Waterhouse-Bott stable.

Dangers: Must keep safe another metro raider in progressive 6. Highland Cathedral suited up a furlong in trip after hitting the line hard fresh at Kembla. From the inside draw, 7. Margaret's Missile can improve further at her third start; while 8. Sunset Panorama fifth-up goes in exotic plays.

How to play it: Golden Passport to win

Improving mare 3. Fusaichi Family is screaming out for the bigger track fourth-up off a six week freshen. Like the way she's finished off in her last two, having been forced to work back from wide barriers, and gets a much softer run here where she can settle closer. The best weighted runner in the race after the jockey's 2kg claim.

Dangers: Tough mare 2. Charlotting rarely runs a bad one, and has held her ground okay in two recent handy country CL2 affairs. Over the odds is talented albeit unreliable mare 4. Suva May who is rock hard fit, and has so much more to offer than her ordinary strike rate suggests. Both home tracker 5. Cupid's Kiss well into the prep; and 8. L'esperance Rock who drops back from a slightly deeper race and draws to get cover, go into trifecta and first four plays.

How to play it: Fusaichi Family to win

Another fairly even and testing battle. Emerging four-year-old 4. Koga Ninja was dominant first-up as a heavily backed favorite when parking right behind the speed. This is naturally tougher, but has plenty of upward scope, and again gets a charmed run camped right on the speed.

Dangers: Lightly raced metro raider 5. Shuttle Run made short work of a moderate country maiden field at his second start, and blinkers have been added. Provincial-based 1. Touch Of Navy ran home well when resuming in a handy race at Newcastle, and blinkers are off here. Was scratched from a deeper race at Hawkesbury on Tuesday to be saved for this. At bigger odds 6. Mystic Isle third-up; both going in wider exotic bets.

How to play it: Koga Ninja to win

Not much between the leading contenders here, although tough and capable mare 3. Cannoli rates on top from a soft trailing draw. Charged home to win a provincial CL1 seven weeks back before again making up plenty of late ground in a Highway at Randwick 34 days between runs. Goes best when her races are spaced, and this shapes ideally settling back with cover.

Dangers: The betting will tell a key story with 1. What A Peach who returns off a 14-week break via a smart trial win, and big weight has been off-set with the booking of a 4kg claimer. Metro mare 2. Golden Gate has only missed by a whisker in two of her last three, and is close to another win; while progressive mare 4. Powderfinger stepping up from a strong-finishing country CL2 win; are the clear best of the rest.

How to play it: Cannoli to win

Open sprint with plenty of chances. There's a sense of timing around provincial mare 2. Invest In Love who can peak here fourth-up at good odds. Finished hard from well back here in a similar race two starts wgo before again working home in a handy maiden. Given an ideal 22 days between runs to off-set the drip back to a distance over which she's never missed a place from four starts.

Dangers: Metro-based colt 10. Navy Blood starts his career off a narrow trial win, and is supremely bred by Group 1 winner Merchant Navy out of fellow Group 1-winning Strategic mare Platelet. There was plenty to like about the debut run of 11. Team America at the provincials, sticking on strong into a place despite being unwanted in betting. Carries the same weight here with blinkers going on. At much bigger odds 12. Felicity's Fault, resuming behind two progressive trials with blinkers coming off, is capable of running into the minor money.

How to play it: Invest In Love each way

Same trip for an even wider maiden dash, with a stack of metro visitors well in the market. One of those on debut for the Freedman stable at Rosehill, three-year-old gelding 11. Showboat should find a nice stalking spot in the race. Fitted with two easy trials, and can be very strong late being by Showtime and out of a Foxwedge mare.

Dangers: Watch the betting also on 12. Torre Egger who can progress off a solid country debut, with blinkers being added. Was scratched from Newcastle on Thursday to be saved for this. Resuming for just his second start, 10. Dylan's Lad has been working well via two steady trials, and draws to get a soft run. Ex Victorian mare 7. Siteki resumes for the new Brett Cavanough yard at Scone for only her second start. Has trialled okay and blinkers go on. 3. A Tender Lady is hard fit with the regular rider back on.

How to play it: Showboat to win

Off a dominant front-running debut win here, provincial colt 5. Stensom Wallman is the clear one to beat staying at the trip. Looks way above average clocking a slick 32.88 secs for his final 600m that day, with something in hand on the line, and again draws to roll forward with ease carrying 1kg less.

Dangers: Gap to the rest, although ex-metro four-year-old 1. Spirit Of Venom is over the odds resuming from a nice trailing draw. Progressed quickly in a brief Victorian prep through autumn bolting in a Pakenham maiden before spelling, and will come to hand quickly. Another first-up runner 4. Sparkingly was in and around the money as a two-year-old last prep, and tuned up for this with a forward provincial trial. Improving 2. Sightseer second-up; and 9. Naked Eye off a fourth-up maiden win; head the rest.

How to play it: Stenson Wallman to win

Lightly raced mare 3. Pliskova is a talented short-courser and suited here dropping back to the five furlongs third-up. Was dominant over this trip resuming at Dubbo before not getting the best of luck late in a similar grade over 1100m. Leading hoop returns to the saddle.

Dangers: Progressive 4. Play My Song is a threat second-up from a soft trailing draw after chasing home a smart win in tougher grade who has since scored again. Keep safe 7. Rebel Dreamer resuming off a long break behind a smart trial at the track; while speedy 1. I'm Not Slew back in grade third-up with the big weight significantly off-set by a 4kg claim; is well in the hunt, although shapes under the odds from a tough barrier.

How to play it: Pliskova to win

BEST BETS:
R3 3. FUSAICHI FAMILY
R8 5. STENSON WALLMAN

BEST VALUE:
R6 2. INVEST IN LOVE

All the fields, form and replays for Friday's Muswellbrook meeting