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By Brad Gray

6. Texas Fireball raced his way through to a G2 Tulloch Stakes as a three-year-old, where he 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 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. It’d have been a target knowing how this stable operate.

Dangers: A slow getaway ended 20. Lambay’s chances in Highway company two starts ago. He found himself in awkward spot wide and working. He also raced fiercely which saw him well beaten. Either side of that the four-year-old has won impressively. He bolted in at Gundagai last start. Needs more scratchings to make the field. 17. Sunchyme fought out the finish in Highway company two weeks ago. Stepping out to 1400m looks to suit now. Should get the same run from another soft gate. 4. Gentileschi didn’t let down first up through that same Highway. She is better than that. Can improve out in trip. 13. Ulysses Blue made up late ground behind Villasaurus three weeks ago. Won well at Moruya first up prior. 10. Fiorsum Fred is a place chance.

How To Play It: Texas Fireball WIN

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. She wasn’t alone in that regard but she should have just about won. 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. Want to see her use the middle draw to settle closer.

Dangers: 9. Los Padres didn’t 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. He lumped 61kg. Mitch Beer also has 16. Fumiko and her last start run alongside 6. Direct Fire ties in well for this. Like the month between runs, third up and out to 1400m. 8. Byron should have finished a touch closer to Direct Fire last start having been held up momentarily. He’s a very genuine horse at this level and gets his chance to turn the tables, particularly given where Direct Fire has drawn. 2. Miss Hades had no excuses at Rosehill last start controlling the pace from outside the leader. She was outsprinted but came again late.

How To Play It: Monte Supreme WIN

4. Pisanello came from last to win down the Flemington straight last start. The margin was only half a length but that doesn’t account for the four-year-old having to duck back towards in 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. Pisanello won impressively at Warwick Farm prior to that, proving a class above his midweek rivals. Dropping back from 1100m to 1000m perhaps isn’t ideal but this is another winnable race. He should get another dry track, with fine weather forecast for the remainder of the week, which is key to him producing his best. Entitled to be a well found favourite.

Dangers: 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 back to 1000m in a race with several noted speedsters. 11. Duke Of Bronte is one of those fast horses. He’ll need to be early to offset a tricky draw. It was a Highway Handicap he won first up but it was dominant, leading from start to finish. 12. Angara has knockout claims. Not a lot went right for him behind Briasa in one run last campaign. Capable sprinter on his day. 7. Hi Dubai maps to get the right run. She’s a tough mare to get past.

How To Play It: Pisanello WIN

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 Harry’s Bar on the line. She meets a better credentialed field of mares here in Saturday company but that’s now three wins in a row for the talented daughter of Capitalist. She isn’t one dimensional either. Far from it. 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 Kembla Grange. She already has an impressive win to her name over this track and trip. Looks a mare going places.

Dangers: 8. Harry’s Bar gets a 2kg weight swing on Wooloowin and had improvement to come as well. She was nine weeks between runs without an official trial. Should settle in the first couple again given where she has drawn. 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. The barrier doesn’t help her here. It ensures she’ll be spotting all of her main dangers a big head start. Can win but she’s a low percentage play. Have learnt that the hard way a number of times. 3. Infatuation was entitled to do more first up at Rosehill through the same race as Left Field when in the market. She is better than that. 1. Ningaloo Star could improve sharply herself without surprising.

When To Bet: Wooloowin WIN

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 1800m 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 back in May over 2011 at Chepstow. He put 7.5 lengths on his rivals. That saw him start $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. He looked sharp in one Warwick Farm trial and Maher knows the family, being a half-brother to Circle Of Fire. He was heavily backed two weeks ago before being scratched.

Dangers: 4. Alalcance prevailed in 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. 7. Modesty was jumping 1300m to 1800m at Rosehill last start yet wore down the leader. It was a better win than the narrow margin suggests. An improving import that should come on again third up out to 2000m. Keen to see 9. Kenyada race beyond the mile for just the second time in her career. 8. Concello has a similar profile but the barrier doesn’t help her cause.

How To Play It: Gilded Water WIN

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 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 ever start he was luckless behind Steparty as a 2YO. He had excuses in his first and second up runs this time back, having resumed from a 65 week break but there’s still so much more to come from this son of Harry Angel. Follow him through the grades.

Dangers: 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 out to 1400m now and gets the blinkers for the first time. He returned a gelding this campaign. 4. Silent Impact pulled up slow to recover after disappointing last campaign. He was excellent first up giving a sight at Rosehill despite being 84 weeks on the sidelines prior. Tim Clark has been aboard in two of Silent Impact’s three wins. 14. Allapercanto ran as well as she could first up in a race that turned into a sprint home. That was against the mares but it sets up her preparation perfectly. 1. I’mintowin’s best two runs in Australia have been first up. 3. Saltcoats is capable.

How To Play It: Blazing Harry WIN

3. Tavi Time didn’t have any excuses in the Big Dance. He stalked the speed as a well backed $3.50 chance but didn’t 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. Prior to that he beat up a field at Warwick Farm as an odds on favourite. The provided the necessary evidence that he was somewhere near back to his best. 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. The only previous time he has races at Kembla Grange was on debut. The track should suit.

Dangers: 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. 2. Estadio Mestalla will run to his mark. He doesn’t win often but her rarely runs poorly. 16. Unique Ambition perhaps didn’t run out a strong 1800m last start. Like the switch back to the mile and the drop to 53kg. 11. Elettrica took advantage of a lack of speed in mares company last start but don’t undersell her chances. 14. Chica Mojito is thereabouts too.

How To Play It: Tavi Time WIN

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. It was as plain as day that he should have won the Five Diamonds last start when strung up in traffic. Prior to that he again had a hard luck story to tell when flashing home behind Iknowastar, narrowly missing in a tight finish. Just needs clear running to shake the life out of this race. He is only fourth up on Saturday.

Dangers: 16. Vivy Air has been great at her past two starts. She’ll 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, 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 mightn’t be a lot of early resistance. Should get a similar run. 9. Lekvarte is a mare with a brilliant turn of foot. The drier the better. She chased home a deep field in the Empire Rose won by Atishu, who subsequently ran second to Via Sistina. The barriers do 2. Mighty Ulyesses and 6. Encap no favours but both have knockout hopes.

How To Play It: Territory Express WIN

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 stand alone meeting suggests this is somewhat of a target race. The four-year-old has looked sharp in two trials. In the latest of those heats he was 900m back to 740m. He does have a dominant 1000m win to his name but that was in his second campaign some thirteen 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 New South Wales he made up a stack of late ground behind Joliestar in the Arrowfield Sprint over The Championships. There is an easy argument to be made that he is the best horse here. The niggle is that 1000m races tend to be won by 1000m horses.

Dangers: Early initiative won the race for 1. Dragonstone last start. Once he positioned himself outside of 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. 9. Headwall produced a big finish to put a gap on his rivals over 1000m at Randwick. A repeat of that and he’s in the finish, even in better company. Blake Spriggs rode the sprinter in six of his first seven starts, winning three of them. He’ll be ridden cold and come with a rush. 7. Iowna Merc trialled sweetly recently at Warwick Farm to win his heat. Hasn’t exactly been the punters pal in his past two campaigns but he has form around all the right horses. The same can be said for 2. Brudenell. The map is the knock on 10. Fleetwood.

How To Play It: Hedged WIN

9. Starman hasn’t 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’ll need to turn the tables on 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 could prove an astute move. It’s risk vs reward and there’s enough in the price to take the punt that he can break a long run out outs.

Dangers: 11. Lord Of Biscay returns a gelding. His best form overseas was over the mile but he ran well over 1200m at his Australian debut, behind Iron Man before he went too fast in front out to 1400m second up when in the market. Has trialled well and maps to be cuddled up on the fence. 4. 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. 2. The Novelist looks to be trending the right way. He boxed on well at the end of 1100m second up. The 1200m looks perfect now. 3. Bojangles didn’t get much luck at Randwick over 1000m first up. The barrier doesn’t help. 12. Disneck will be flashing home. Liked his return and he tends to improve with a run under his belt.

How To Play It: Starman EACH WAY

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s Kembla Grange meeting