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By Brad Gray

The further the meeting went on at Randwick two weeks ago, the better the run of 5. Treize looked. The fence proved far inferior ground. The lightly-raced five-year-old mare punched up from the inside gate to find the front. She never got a breather, with pressure applied in the middle stages. The John Sargent-trained galloper never left the fence, beaten three lengths at the finish by Well Timed who has since placed in a BM78 to frank the form. Herb and Cheerful Legend both ran well in another Midway last Saturday too. Treize was only first up there. She stays at 1200m but is three weeks between runs and she shouldn’t have too much trouble working across to settle handy once more. The price appeals.

Dangers: 10. Monte Kate had to chase a tearaway leader at Warwick Farm first up. Bonita Queen ran her rivals ragged. After looming half way down the straight Monte Kate peaked on her run. Like the set up here having drawn the inside. Can only come on from that and she did a great job in her first racing preparation, fronting up nine times. 3. Lovero is an explosive mare on her day. There was nothing between her and Monte Kate three weeks ago. Little query over her second up form and whether she flattens off. 15. Alabama State has had his early price slashed to be race favourite on the back of a dominant Hawkesbury win first up. 4. Lancaster Bomber is a proven Midway performer.

How To Play It: Treize EACH WAY

1. Intervarsity should be too classy for these. The four-year-old ran fourth in the Listed Mona Lisa Stakes last start beaten less than a length by Terra Mater having found herself in front, making the most of a fast getaway. Prior to that she was far too good for her Class 3 rivals in Highway Handicap company over 1300m at Rosehill. On that occasion she accounted for a subsequent Highway winner in Super Norwest, while there was another two lengths back to third. The trade off for her recent run of good form is a hike in the weights. She was allocated 62kg but that’s offset by the claim of Zac Wadick. Looking at the make up of this field, only bad luck gets her beat.

Dangers: If 18. Everido sneaks into the field as the fourth emergency, he looks the most likely to upset the favourite. The Keith Dryden-trained gelding was heavily backed in Canberra first up to jump even money but had too much to do over 1080m. He steps straight out to 1400m here. Wasn’t beaten far in some handy races last campaign. 14. Spirits Burn Deep overachieved at a big price behind Super Norwest in Highway company last start. Maps to get the same soft run throughout with Molly Bourke sticking. 12. Agirlsbestfriend has been freshened since last start, tackling this six weeks between runs. Has proven competitive in Highways in the past. 2. Wiggles for the exotics.

How To Play It: Intervarsity WIN

It’s easy to forget that 7. Unusual Legacy has only had seven career starts. He is a stayer very much on the up. He found the line at Rosehill first up over 1500m behind 5. Too Much Caviar which sets up his spring. The lightly-raced five-year-old can only improve off that. He may have been flattered by the pressure being applied in the middle stages, so all honours went to the winner, but he gets the chance to turn the tables over a touch further. It’s only a small field but there looks to be genuine speed on paper again. That’s significant given where he has drawn and where that’ll see him settle in the run. Out the back. He has won two from two second up in the past, albeit in easier grade, but a win here might see him earn a crack at a Metrop.

Dangers: 2. Raf Attack resumed a gelding this time in and looks to be back on track having raced below his best over the autumn. He endured some torrid runs from wide draws, in his defence. The four-year-old should have finished closer first up over 1300m before boxing on well in the Rowley Mile behind Cepheus. Ther runner up Lion’s Roar has since won the Wyong Cup, beating Luncies, who ran eighth at Hawkesbury behind Raf Attack. No knock on the chance of Too Much Caviar given the pressure he absorbed two weeks ago. He’ll be a tough nut to crack again. 3. Roma Avenue will ride the speed from barrier 1 and strikes this on the seven day back up. Has returned well.

How To Play It: Unusual Legacy WIN

7. Matusalem comes into this off a career best win. He camped midfield in a moderately run race yet overcame that to put a hole in his rivals late. It was a gap job late. The way the four-year-old ran through the line suggests that 2400m won’t be an issue. It’s his first start beyond 2000m. That’s now two wins from his past three starts. Not sure what happened in between those two efforts, having raced flat. Getting back onto a genuine good track was given as the explanation for his sharp improvement last start. He’ll get his preferred going again on Saturday. All four career wins have come on good tracks. Kerrin McEvoy has ridden him in his past three starts and draws to settle in a similar spot to two weeks ago.

Dangers: The blinkers look to be a key gear change for 11. Campaldino. He hit a noticeable flat spot when running second at Warwick Farm last start. Yet he came through that to only be beaten narrowly. Third up out to 2400m suits. In his four New Zealand runs, where he won twice, he had the shades on. 4. First Light looks to be trending the right way this time back. He was 1400m to 2000m second up when boxing on to run fourth behind Matusalem. He can close the gap now at full fitness and with a 3kg weight swing. 5. Kapakiri and 9. Kureder seems to take turns beating each other home. It’s advantage Kureder this week given the draws.

How To Play It: Matusalem WIN

1. I’ve Bean Tryin’ is the class runner. The three kilogram claim of Coriah Keatings offsets his 62.5kg. Barrier 1 perhaps isn’t ideal given his typical pattern but it can see him race closer. The six-year-old resumed in the Goulburn Cup a couple of weeks ago and the run was better than the three length margin suggests. He didn’t get much room in the straight and was 39 weeks between runs. He can only improve off that. The Canberra-based gelding has won three from four second up, including last campaign where he beat Cavalier Charles and Bandi’s Boy in the ‘Barn Dance’ an open handicap for country sprinters. The last time he raced in BM78 company he was beaten half a length, and that was despite being posted three deep.

Dangers: 8. Chica Mojito ran in three Group races in her first Australian campaign for Chris Waller. In two of those she ran fourth. That sees her well placed first up over 1500m in benchmark company. She impressed in a recent Rosehill trial win holding off Tom Kitten. 3. Cadetship has a fitness edge over the two aforementioned rivals. He has come back particularly well having won first up. He had genuine excuses second up before only going down half a length in an identical race to this two weeks ago. 13. Vivy Air wasn’t suited by a lack of pressure last start behind It’s A Knockout and was 1200m to 1500m a month between runs. Time for her to stand up. 17. High Dandy is hard to beat if he is here.

How To Play It: I’ve Bean Tryin’ WIN

3. Joliestar was a devastating winner of the Show County Stakes first up. What a way to announce your return. Such was the arrogance of the win, she was catapulted to the second line of betting for the TAB Everest. The visual brilliance of the victory was backed up in the clock. Her last 600m split was the quickest across the Randwick meeting and she achieved that throttled down. Despite the lead speed in the race being by far the slowest over the four 1200m races on the day, she ran the fastest overall time. That stamps the quality of her finishing speed. The challenge for the four-year-old is replicating that big peak second up but she has been given three weeks between runs and has to be marked a short-priced favourite.

Dangers: If 2. Sunshine In Paris can repeat what she did in this race 12 months ago, she gives Joliestar a race. It was a brilliant win. Over the autumn she missed winning the Galaxy by a photo, was less than a length away in the TJ Smith on a heavy track before the bottomless conditions found her out in the All Aged out to 1400m. She jumped $5, or thereabouts, in all three of those starts. 8. Makarena returns from throat surgery. Untapped mare that has trialled exceptionally well. There’s a good race in her over the carnival but bumps into two very sharp mares here over 1200m. 9. Commemorative went down narrowly first up in the Toy Show. More depth here and he form has tapered off second up in the past.

How To Play It: Joliestar WIN

11. Lady Shenandoah is a two start maiden racing in a Group Three first up against the boys. That tells you everything you need to know regarding how highly Chris Waller rates this filly. The daughter of Snitzel will be glad to see the back of Clean Energy for the time being. She ran third to her on debut on a Heavy 10 at Warwick Farm over 1000m before cutting the margin down to less than a length at Doomben in Listed company over 1200m. Lady Shenandoah kept chasing but couldn’t turn the tables. There was five lengths back to third. Has only had the one trial ahead of her return but racing over 1400m first up suggests she’s done plenty of work. Maps well. Follow her over the spring.

Dangers: 2. Clear Proof couldn’t match the acceleration of Gatsby’s in the Rosebud last start but he was as strong as anything on the line. He sprung a surprise on debut winning at $101 at the midweeks, in what turned out to be a hot form race, but he proved that was no fluke. Should relish 1400m. 1. Mayfair has to lump 59kg but like how he stuck on behind Storm Boy in the San Domenico Stakes. Was coming again through the line at the end of 1100m. How the race is run early will dictate his chances. 6. Iron Hawk rattled home behind Autumn Glow in the Up And Coming despite being strung up in the straight. Has a good grounding for this with two recent runs over 1300m. 3. Just Party pulled up with cardiac arrythmia after failing first up. Has trialled well since.

How To Play It: Lady Shenandoah WIN

With 1. Traffic Warden at the price. Can’t resist. The Street Boss colt has looked particularly sharp in his two trials, trucking through the line at Warwick Farm and then Hawkesbury. Fresh off a bleeding attack after missing narrowly in the G1 Sires Produce Stakes, he’s here to make a statement ahead of the Golden Rose in a fortnight. Godolphin don’t muck around when it comes to targeting this race. James Cummings has won four of the past five runnings with Cylinder, In Secret, Anamoe and Bivouac. Add in Astern and Exosphere from when John O’Shea was the head trainer. It’s an imposing record. In the Golden Slipper and Sires there wasn’t a lot between Traffic Warden and Storm Boy, albeit the latter was below his best.

Dangers: 2. Storm Boy silenced any doubters with a dominant display in the San Domenico Stakes first up. He went straight to the front and bullied his rivals into submission. Sustained speed. That’ll be the plan again here but he’ll want to get the start right. He has laid down the three-year-old marker for the season but this is too deep a race to be tempted to take even money. It’s hard to get a line on 4. Bustling but he was brilliant in WA in his first campaign and ran comparable time to the Quokka when winning the Karrakatta Plate. Maps well, has trialled well. 6. Fearless can sneak home into the finish having drawn barrier 1. Powered clear to win a recent Randwick trial. Then there’s 3. Switzerland and 9. Tropicus who savaged the line behind Storm Boy first up.

How To Play It: Traffic Warden WIN

15. Whinchat needs a couple of scratchings to make the field but he’ll take catching if he gains a start. The speedy five-year-old put it all together last campaign winning three from four as he zipped through the grades. He finally learnt to harness his raw pace. Jay Ford has ridden Whinchat in his last 11 starts and knows how to coax the best out of the son of Russian Revolution - achieving the fine balancing act of using his natural speed but not overdoing it. He drops to 53kg resuming in Group Two company. He has trialled well but you expect that given his racing pattern. Whinchat races well fresh and looks well placed tackling 1300m first up against a field of rivals with bigger targets in the coming months over further.

Dangers: 6. New Energy ran right through the line first up last campaign when second over 1300m behind Phearson. He then jumped a $16 chance in the G1 George Ryder Stakes at weight for age second up. The barrier ruined his chances. Looks a genuine Epsom contender if he is heading that way. 1. Celestial Legend gets his Golden Eagle campaign up and running. Respect his class being a Randwick Guineas and Doncaster winner but with improvement to come, he is vulnerable first up over a trip short of his best with 59kg. 7. Coastwatch might be the one the market has missed. Ended last campaign in career best form. 9. Bases Loaded and 2. Rediener rate mentions.

How To Play It: Whinchat WIN

10. Infancy’s first up run in the G3 Toy Show was better than it reads on paper. She was only beaten just over two lengths but wasn’t suited by the lack of pressure up front. The four-year-old ran home in some of the fastest closing splits of the meeting behind Kimochi and Commemorative. Second up she is back to benchmark 88 level which see her well placed. It all started to click for the daughter of Wandjina at the backend of last campaign. She beat Corniche in the Fireball over 1100m before making up a stack of ground to run a narrow second in the PJ Bell over The Championships. A repeat of either of those runs sees her hard to hold out here at big odds. The market has overlooked her.

Dangers: 14. Blanc De Blanc chased home unbeaten grey Briasa here two weeks ago over the same track and trip. Up in grade sees her drop 5kg. She hasn’t don’t a lot of racing recently but that return gets her career back on track. Doesn’t make a habit of drawing low so expect Tommy Berry to use the barrier to settle closer. 11. The Black Cloud pulled up slow to recover after failing in the Toy Show. Respect how firm she was in betting. Has been back to the trials since. 4. Ostraka ended last campaign with a dominant win in Queensland. Talented galloper but he tends to improve with the run. He also draws wide and 1100m is on the sharp side.

How To Play It: Infancy EACH WAY

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's Rosehill meeting