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By Gary Harley

Kim Waugh’s promising three-year-old filly Oxford Angel - desperately unlucky in her only two starts in December and January - is set to breakthrough when she resumes in the HMA Materials Handling Metro & Provincial Maiden Handicap (1100m) at the Wyong race meeting on Thursday (3rd May).

Oxford Angel was a good thing beaten on debut after a tardy start at Scone on December 27. Two weeks later she was hampered in the closing stages when beaten a length at Gosford. She won a recent Newcastle barrier trial and Tim Clark rides the filly on Thursday.

Late in the day, Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott will saddle up the speedy mare Alassio in the HMA Wear Solutions Benchmark 70 (1100m). An easy winner on debut at Kembla last June, Alassio has won a recent Randwick trial.

RACE 1 (HMA GROUP 3YO MAIDEN, 1600m): Tunero battled it out with his promising stablemate Youngstar when narrowly beaten at Hawkesbury first-up. This is a much inferior field and the 1600m is ideal. Cormac is a stablemate of Tunero and he will be fitter after a close fourth on this track first-up. Whitney’s Star was run down late at Gosford last start and has a chance.
SELECTIONS: 1 TUNERO, 3 CORMAC, 7 WHITNEY’S STAR

RACE 2 (HMA INSTRUMENTATION MAIDEN PLATE, 1350m): Desert Lord was held up in the straight when an unlucky second at Hawkesbury on debut on April 17. He has drawn well and with a couple of front-runners in the race, he should sit off the pace. Smiling Manolito wasn’t far away when fourth in a stronger race at Hawkesbury last start and he will be running on. Spin Bowles has been placed in his last three starts and he likes to lead.
SELECTIONS: 1 DESERT LORD, 3 SMILING MANOLITO, 4 SPIN BOWLES

RACE 3 (HMA POWER GENERATION CLASS 1, 1600m): King Hewitt was slowly away when a solid finishing second here three weeks ago. He was eight lengths off the lead at the 1300 and he had to come very wide on the turn. He should be a lot closer this time around. Banner Season was narrowly beaten first-up at Newcastle and his only win was over this trip. Bodhi Blue has been narrowly beaten in her past two starts on this track and she is well weighted.
SELECTIONS: 2 KING HEWITT, 1 BANNER SEASON, 5 BODHI BLUE

RACE 4 (HMA MATERIAL HANDLING METRO & PROVINCIAL MAIDEN, 1100m): Oxford Angel is a promising filly resuming on the back of two impressive trials. She was unlucky in her only two starts at Scone and Gosford last prep. The filly cruised home to win a recent barrier trial at Newcastle. Impurity made up good ground when a close second on this track on April 12 and she has a soft draw. Gambeson resumes here after a solid recent Randwick trial.
SELECTIONS: 4 OXFORD ANGEL, 9 IMPURITY, 1 GAMBESON

RACE 5 (HMA FLOW & INDUSTRIAL MAIDEN PLATE, 2100m): Britannicus dashed clear in the straight only to be run down by Victorian filly Play That Song at Newcastle last start. He is bred on stout staying lines and the 2100 metre trip shouldn’t be a problem. Nothing Too Hard has been placed in four of his past five starts and he will be hard to beat. The Warlord is an on pacer on trial at the trip and his last run was good.
SELECTIONS: 3 BRITANNICUS, 5 NOTHING TOO HARD, 8 THE WARLORD

RACE 6 (HMA GEOTECHNICAL BENCHMARK 65, 1100m): Sedition is in great form and the 61kg may not be enough to stop him from winning. He is a speedster and after bolting in at Gosford two starts back, the gelding was narrowly beaten on the Kensington track last start. Wander was successful in his only start at Wyong in August. He was never off the bit in a recent Randwick trial win. Prime Candidate led all the way to win first-up at Hawkesbury two weeks ago.
SELECTIONS: 1 SEDITION, 3 WANDER, 5 PRIME CANDIDATE

RACE 7 (HMA WEAR SOLUTIONS BENCHMARK 70, 1100m): Alassio is a smart mare with good speed. She was an easy winner in her only start at Kembla in June. In a recent trial the mare sat three-deep and bolted in. Dreamy Belle is a fast filly which has led in her past three starts for a win and two thirds. Avdulla rides her for the first time. Progression is better than her first-up run suggests.
SELECTIONS: 5 ALASSIO, 3 DREAMY BELLE, 4 PROGRESSION

RACE 8 (HMA GTECH CYCLONES CLASS 2, 1350m): Seine Net’s first-up run at Newcastle was an eye-catcher on April 14. The filly has a good record and hopefully, she is not looking for further. Conquest did it tough when a close second at Newcastle last start and he is an on-pacer. Thy Kingdom Come is the class runner.
SELECTIONS: 8 SEINE NET, 3 CONQUEST, 1 THY KINGDOM COME

GARY HARLEY'S LATE MAIL
RACE 1
1 TUNERO - JUST BEATEN BY SMART ONE LAST TIME
3 CORMAC - FITTER THIS TIME
7 WHITNEY’S STAR – TOUGH RUN LAST START
6 SHIITAKE – PLACE

RACE 2
1 DESERT LORD – STIFF ONLY START
3 SMILING MANOLITO – A WIN NOT FAR OFF
4 SPIN BOWLES – FRONT RUNNER GOING WELL
7 BETTER THAN ELLE – DOWN IN CLASS

RACE 3
2 KING HEWITT – EXCUSES LAST START
1 BANNER SEASON – WAS GOOD 1ST UP
5 BODHI BLUE – LIKES THIS TRACK
4 BEAUTY KANAS – NEVER FAR AWAY

RACE 4
4 OXFORD ANGEL – SMART & THIS IS HER PLACE
9 IMPURITY – LAST RUN HER BEST
1 GAMBESON – 1ST UP. NICE TRIAL
7 DAYDREAM EXPLORER – KNOCKING ON THE DOOR

RACE 5
3 BRITANNICUS – LAST RUN GOOD ENOUGH FOR THIS
5 NOTHING TOO HARD – NEVER FAR AWAY
8 THE WARLORD – WAS TOUGH LAST START
10 FANNY CHENAL – NOT OUT OF IT

RACE 6
1 SEDITION – SPEEDY & HAS OUTSTANDING CREDENTIALS
3 WANDER – WON ONLY START & TRIALLING WELL
5 PRIME CANDIDATE – LOOKED GOOD LAST START
6 TEODOSIO – FORM HARD TO FAULT

RACE 7
5 ALASSIO – SMART TRIAL WIN & WON ONLY START
3 DREAMY BELLE – FAST BUT LAST BIT A WORRY
4 PROGRESSION – CAN IMPROVE ON FIRST UP RUN
6 CLASSIFY – PLACE

RACE 8
8 SEINE NET – EYE CATCHER 1ST UP
3 CONQUEST – TOUGH RUN LAST START
1 THY KINGDOM COME – DOWN IN CLASS
4 EXCELLING – IS BETTER THAN LAST RUN

View the final fields with full form & race replays for Wyong here