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By Brad Gray

1. Rush Hour had no excuses last start at Rosehill having settled outside of the leader in a slow run 1200m Midway Handicap. However, he was only beaten three lengths by Shohisha, a filly with upside, and he did jump $5. The four-year-old raced in three previous Midways for two placings and a fifth. All if those were over 1200m but four weeks between runs back to 1000m could be suitable for the Nathan Doyle-trained sprinter. The 1000m trip is very much a specialist distance but this race lacks depth and he did win over 900m on debut, albeit on a heavy track at the Gold Coast. He hasn’t raced over a trip shorter than 1100m since then. In well after the claim and he should run to his level. Thereabouts at an each way price. Tough start to the meeting.

Dangers: 11. Catch The Glory has the most upside of any runner here being just four starts into her career but that’s been factored into her early price. The Jason Coyle-trained filly came with a rush to win at Warwick Farm first up. It was a midweek race and at $16. However, Saturday’s assignment doesn’t look a great deal harder. 2. Everyone’s A Star comes through that same race and although she is a touch out of form, she’s proven more than capable at this level in the past. Draws well and she’s a proven 1000m horse. 3. Winning Proposal hit the line locked together with Everyone’s A Star. She draws wide and might need further but any rain would help her. 4. Shall Be brings 900m form but is a winner of three from five.

How To Play It: Rush Hour EACH WAY

2. Adolphus charged through the line at the end of 1500m at Rosehill last start. It was the run of a coming winner. The strength of his last 200m points to him relishing 1800m now fourth up. Another couple of strides and he wins that Highway, grabbing the leader and eventual winner. That sets up the four-year-old perfectly for Saturday’s assignment. This looks a target race for trainer Matt Dale who has maintained all the way through that this Rubick gelding won’t be at his best until he gets out beyond the mile this campaign. He has drawn a touch wide but there are six emergencies so he’ll come in a few after scratchings and he will go forward with Tim Clark staying aboard after riding him two weeks ago. Not surprised that the punters snapped up the early price.

Dangers: There wasn’t a lot between the closing splits of 3. Tapa Kick and Adolphus last start with Adolphus just edging it late. The Scissor Kick gelding was only second up there. Maps well and should improve again off that. 14. Ghost Walker drifted back to an impossible position over the mile at the Sapphire Coast first up yet ate into the margin late to be beaten three lengths. Gets out quickly to 1800m but already has a Highway third to his name from back in October behind his talented stablemate Cable Bay. 11. Dale is bred to relish 1800 being by Castelvecchio out of a NZ mare that won out to 2400m. It’s all starting to click for the three-year-old improving off his maiden win at Tamworth to bolt in at Muswellbrook. 1. Associate needs to improve but he is capable of better. 8. Castel Trosino the best knockout for exotics.

How To Play It: Adolphus WIN

2. Pallaton put his name in the Golden Slipper picture on debut with an authoritative win at Randwick back in December. The Wootton Bassett colt did everything right. He used the draw to stalk the speed, angled into the clear and charged through the line. The runner up Chergui has since failed but Quietly Arrogant won his subsequent start while The Magic Man went on to run seconds to Rivellino and Wodeton. Astute juvenile trainer Michael Freedman gave the colt a let up with eight weeks between runs. He draws perfectly again and has trialled well since in what looked a hot Rosehill heat. It was run in the fastest time of the morning and he lengthened nicely when asked. Expecting him to improve off his debut. Tipping he’ll be outright second favourite for the Slipper after Saturday.

Dangers: 3. Shaggy brings an intriguing profile for Wyong trainer Allan Kehoe, who has already declared that the Sandbar gelding is the best horse he has trained. There is a query over a number to the Sydney two-year-old races this season so perhaps it comes down to the youngster with Coffs Harbour and Sunshine Coast wins to his name to topple Pallaton. He has put gaps on his rivals and brings an SP profile, having jumped $1.14 and $1.65. 10. Skyhook gives away race experience, and has trialled once, but like what he did at Rosehill in that heat. His last 200m was strong on the clock, as was the overall time over 900m. Second only North England’s slick trial time, a heat which featured Pallaton. There looks to be too big of a price discrepancy between 6. Nordic Viking and 5. United States.

How To Play It: Pallaton WIN

1. Yorkshire keeps raising his rating and justifying the confident market support each time he steps out. The four-year-old has been expertly placed throughout his career by co-trainers John O’Shea and Tom Charlton and again they find a suitable race for the Snitzel gelding. He creeps out to the mile for the first time but strikes it fourth up and the 61kg impost, having jumped seven benchmark points after his win last start, is offset by the 3kg claim of Anna Roper. He camped in behind a truly run 1500m race at Rosehill last start before asserting his dominance late. Yorkshire can slide forward to offset the draw and he’ll handle whatever track rating Randwick throws up. Likeable profile.

Dangers: 10. Medatsu clocked the fastest closing splits of the meeting when winning first up last preparation. It was a sprint home but he backed that up with an equally impressive second up win. The four-year-old won three of his six starts over the campaign. Will get back but look for him and Nash Rawiller late. 7. Sandpaper set a good pace at Rosehill two weeks ago before being picked off late by Yorkshire. He lost little in defeat. There was a margin back to third. Has hit the ground running for his new trainer Bjorn Baker. 16. Zondee comes through easier races but is a last start winner and should hold that form now. Want to keep an eye on 9. Matusalem second up after catching the eye behind Yorkshire with a view to 2000m third and fourth up.

How To Play It: Yorkshire WIN

It was a spring of ‘what could have been’ for 5. Joliestar. The Zoustar mare would be returning an Everest winner had the breaks fallen her way in the rich sprint feature before the barrier beat her in the Golden Eagle. She kicked off her campaign with an annihilation of her rivals in the Show County Stakes which announced her as a sprinting star of the future. A repeat of that and it’s game over in Saturday’s Expressway Stakes. She has trialled just as well ahead of her autumn return. Although Joliestar maps to be last, it’s only a field of six. There’s a distinct lack of speed in the race with no obvious leader yet a sprint home also plays to her strengths given the devastating turn of foot she possesses. The only possible knock is the unknown of a potential wet track having not raced on anything worse than a Soft 5.

Dangers: A wet track would be the leveller and bring 2. Magic Time right into play. The track condition is significant there. The five-year-old mare has had a jumpout and a trial ahead of her return and trainer Grahame Begg is bullish about how well she has come back. Her best recent form has been out to 1400m and after a run or two, however. 1. Airman races well fresh and has tuned up with two jumpouts in Melbourne. He was beaten five lengths by Joliestar in the spring first up before building into his campaign. 6. Olentia beat the mares fresh up last time in. This is harder but she should be unbeaten first up (5:4-1-0). The defeat was a luckless second.

How To Play It: Joliestar WIN

Don’t love the inside draw for 2. Commemorative given that she is a mare that prefers galloping room given her size. We’ll leave that up to Adam Hyeronimus to navigate. He has been aboard the hulking four-year-old in both trials but is yet to ride her on race day. She always trials well and it’s been no different ahead of her autumn return. In her favour is that she should be able to get a cart into the race from the leader Bonita Queen. If she breaks the field up at any point, there should be the chance to angle away from the inside. Was beaten by the race shape first up last campaign when a $2.50 favourite, splitting Kimochi and Mumbai Muse. Two mares that went right on with it thereafter. Strong SP profile and she’s explosive fresh.

Dangers: 7. Bonita Queen came through her 1200m test last start with more than a pass mark. The speedster led at a good clip yet was beaten less than a length and wasn’t giving it away on the line. She drops 8.5kg from that run in a BM78. The trade off is this being harder grade but she has a fitness edge on her rivals and looks to own the race from in front. Catch me if you can. 10. Clear Thinking is unbeaten in four starts. She overcame trouble last start to keep the picket fence intact. That was in Highway company though. We’ll really get a line on where she sits after Saturday but she too gets weight relief, plummeting 7kg. 1. Tashi got too far back first up in a sprint home. The run was better than it reads on paper. Respect the placement of 4. Kundalini here.

How To Play It: Commemorative WIN

It took until the Flight Stakes but 3. Lady Shenandoah produced the best three-year-old filly performance of the season. It was worth the wait. She was brilliant when putting three lengths on her rivals. That was after having beaten Mayfair first up in the Ming Dynasty despite still being a maiden. The obvious query on Saturday is whether she’ll be sharp enough to win over 1200m but she was competitive over 1000m and 1200m in her first campaign as a two-year-old behind Clean Energy. The daughter of Snitzel has been one of the standout trailers of recent weeks. She bounced out to settle outside of the leader in the most recent of those before holding off the Lightning Stakes favourite Switzerland. The best fillies dominate their own age and sex regardless of the distance and suspect Lady Shenandoah fits that category.

Dangers: 1. Lady Of Camelot failed to muster early at the Gold Coast last start which proved costly when second to Private Harry in the Sunlight slot race. Freshened since then. The blinkers go on for the first time. Wasn’t beaten far in an Everest the last time she raced over this track and trip. Serious form lines. 9. Lilac has the run under her belt. She was posted wide the trip and stuck on well. Respect how heavily backed she was late. She beat home 8. Declichy Boulevard in their two clashes over the spring. Will roll forward to settle in the first couple. 2. Manaal is likely to be at the opposite end of the field from her draw but she too has trialled up particularly well. Won the Furious Stakes last campaign over the Randwick 1200m, albeit in a busy finish.

How To Play It: Lady Shenandoah WIN

Despite is being a starting point for the autumn stars, this race hasn’t thrown up too many upsets over the years. Fangirl won it 12 months ago as an even money favourite. Anamoe at $1.60 the year prior. Winx won it three times at prohibitive odds. Enter 5. Via Sistina. The new star of Australian racing having won the Cox Plate by eight lengths. The seven-year-old import won the Winx Stakes first up last preparation over the Randwick 1400m. Despite the 2000m being her best distance she has the class, and turn of foot, to win over shorter trips. Looks to have trialled even better heading into the autumn than she did prior the spring. She won’t want it too wet given her one bad Australian run was when exposed to a heavy track for the first time in her career.

Dangers: 6. Fangirl was the star of the show this time last year. If she is ever going to beat her stablemate this campaign, you’d think it’d have to be first up over 1400m. Respect that she jumped $2.40 compared to Via Sistina’s $11 in that Winx Stakes back in August and swap the runs and perhaps you swap the result. That was before Via Sistina went to another level again. Fangirl needs a dry track. 1. Ceolwulf might have something to say about Via Sistina being the best horse in the land given how he won the Epsom and King Charles before spelling. He is a different horse to the one we’ve assessed first up in the past but note that he hasn’t performed fresh previously. 3. Lindermann could be the overachiever. Maps to lead unopposed if he wants it and finds Nash Rawiller.

How To Play It: Via Sistina WIN

15. Cool Jakey was a hidden return first up. It was a slow run 1200m where he settled out the back on a dry track. He ran home in the fourth fastest last 200m split if the meeting despite finishing seventh. The clincher is that Cool Jakey is three from three second up and he gets the significant gear change of the blinkers going back on. The shades have gone on second up in his last two preparations. A wet track would be a bonus. Second up last campaign he lumped 62.5kg to win at Warwick Farm, fending off Kerguelen and Need Some Luck. Looks big odds given his past pattern.

Dangers: On the subject of closing speed, 1. Disneck clocked the fastest splits of the meeting when dashing home at Rosehill last start. He couldn’t have done much more given the shape of the race. He’ll be camped out the back before rattling home. Had won three straight prior, all at Randwick. 11. Yiska has two lengths to turnaround on Disneck from two starts ago but he led there and was a sitting shot late. Chased hard to mow down Hezdarnhottoo more recently. Third and fourth from that race subsequently ran one-two in a similar race last Saturday. 9. Eye Of The Fire continues to race well deep into his preparation. He’ll appreciate the prospect of a more truly run race. 3. Lavish Empire goes into exotics.

How To Play It: Cool Jakey EACH WAY

7. Perfumist went to another level again when leading all the way at Rosehill last start. That’s now four straight wins for the Bjorn Baker-trained filly. It was a Mudgee Class 1 followed by Canterbury and Randwick. Last time out she assumed control from the start and always travelled like the winner. That was on soft ground so if there is rain around ahead of Saturday, it shouldn’t stop her. Four weeks ago she put two lengths on a subsequent winner in Oh Diamond Lil and five lengths on another winner in Dark Glitter. It’s been a rapid rise for the three-year-old. The temptation must be there for the stable to run in something harder but she sticks to BM78 company for now which should see her too good again. Gets in with 55kg after the claim.

Dangers: 8. Starman is always thereabouts.

How To Play It: Perfumist WIN

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