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By Brad Gray

It’s not hard to knock up a compelling case for 8. Opal Ridge proving too good for this Class 3 company. The filly gapped last Saturday’s Highway Handicap winner Rebel’s Edge first up at Scone which saw her jump $6.50 in a deep race at Rosehill, where was finished a luckless second to Troach. The winner went on to place in the Rosebud while back in the field was the subsequent San Domenico Stakes winner Sweet Ride. He isn’t the only winner to come out of the race either. Last start she was trapped four wide the trip in the G2 Silver Shadow Stakes, a race that was also dominated by those on speed. Her Kosciuszko claims go on the line here but as her early price suggests, expect her to pass with flying colours and put her name up on the lights for the $2m country feature.

Dangers: 2. Pure Fuego’s racing pattern makes him a frustrating horse to catch but he can run blistering closing splits and wasn’t beaten all that far by The Big Easy and Shades Of Rose last start. That was seven weeks ago now. He’s had a tickover trial since and really caught the eye winning his heat at Tamworth. 10. Xtra Approval has hit a purple patch of form, winning his past two by a space. He’ll roll forward and give a sight at odds. 1. Jalmari is likely to need this run too but wouldn’t be surprised to see him improve sharply second up. 4. Participator has obvious claims but a tricky draw to overcome. 7. Prince Nicconi rates a mention.

How To Play It: Opal Ridge WIN

6. Scorched Land only has to hold his form to be in the finish again. The five-year-old finds himself in terrific form at the moment, beating Bazooka in a Midway two weeks ago over the Randwick mile. The runner up had to give him 5kg but he put two lengths on him late to run out a dominant winner. Scorched Land is forced to carry an extra 2kg this time but it’s still a long way off the weights he was being forced to lump around the country circuit recently. Tom Sherry was on board last start and he sticks. The low draw could even seen Scorched Land park up a touch closer than last start. Randwick promises another soft track on Saturday which is perfect for the son of Sizzling.

Dangers: 7. Bacio Del Mist is tricky to line up with any confidence. She is a lightly raced staying mare still on the up coming off a big win at Canterbury despite being the rank outsider in the field of eight. She should only improve further out to 1800m third up. 9. Navajo Peak jumps from 1300m to 1800m but he is deep into his second preparation and the way he found the line last start suggests that he wants further now. 17. Remus comes through the same Midway as Scorched Land. He gets in very light after the claim. 3. Dick Whittington hasn’t won in two years but he hasn’t lined up in this grade for some time either. His Born A King form lines read well for this. 4. Our Bambino is capable on his day.

How To Play It: Scorched Land WIN

1. Rubinocchi had excuses last Saturday at Rosehill. The rails in run proved to be some disadvantage last week which didn’t suit the front-running mare, with Monet Ditto and Fire swinging widest on the turn before fighting out the finish. She was five weeks between runs there. The Joe Pride-trained daughter of Rubick looks beautifully placed on the back up coming back to her own sex and in a four-year-olds and up race. Dylan Gibbons takes off 3kg which offsets the 61kg. She’ll spear to the front with Gibbons knowing that he is on a hard fit horse that is most dynamic when let stride. In a race with plenty of different angles, Rubinocchi sets up to run up to her best which is good enough to knock this off.

Dangers: There will still be plenty of improvement in 13. Hoover Lucy given she has spent 43 weeks on the sidelines but her talent is still likely to see her in the finish somewhere first up over 1100m. Maps to get a perfect run in transit and she trialled well at Rosehill recently. 2. Shihonka wasn’t at her best on heavy tracks last preparation so forgive her that. Eyes on the sky regarding her chances. Is likely to find the 1100m a touch sharp but she’s a handy mare and looked sharp when winning a recent Randwick trial. The barrier doesn’t do 3. Party For One any favours but she possesses a wicked turn of foot. Many of her runs last preparation were much better than they read on paper. 4. Jal Lei warrants respect but is well found while 5. Never Second is racing well.

How To Play It: Rubinocchi WIN

It’s been an eventful start to 10. Chalk Stream’s Australian career. He’s only had four starts here but we’ve just about seen it all from him already. We can add missing the start by 10 lengths into the mix after his first up antics. He reared simultaneously as the gates opened and that was him out of play. The five-year-old is an out and out 2400m horse, as his record suggests so willing to gamble that he can jump out of the ground out to his right trip second up. There is enough in the price to find out. He produced an enormous run second up last preparation over this distance having covered ground throughout behind No Compromise and Surefire. Gets in with 53kg and Kerrin McEvoy jumps back on.

Dangers: 6. Raging Bull offers up a different form line to the Premier’s Cup. He was outstanding winning first up over 1800m with 61kg from well back in the field, defying the Rosehill rails in run bias at that meeting. Proved himself up to better races as a three-year-old when mixing it with the likes of Anamoe and Hitotsu, albeit he was well held both of those two. 1. Arapaho looks well placed back out to 2400m on the back of winning the Premiers Cup. Cops an extra 3kg for that win. 3. Realm Of Flowers is proven at the trip. 7. Cadre Du Noir profiles to measure up in better company.

How To Play It: Chalk Stream EACH WAY

Nature Strip is the best sprinter in the country but there is an argument to be made that 1. Eduardo is the best we’ve got over 1000m and 1100m. In his seven runs for Joe Pride over that distance range he has won five of them. One defeat was at the hands of Classique Legend, the other was down the Flemington straight. The evergreen nine-year-old turns up preparation after preparation, handles all conditions and puts himself on speed. The last time he tackled this track and trip he jumped $2.30 in a field that included Nature Strip. Now we’re getting a similar price without him here. Thereafter he ran second in the TJ Smith Stakes. The old bulldog has trialled as well as ever and if he returns in the same form as his past couple of preparations, he’ll be too good for these.

Dangers: 5. Athelric maps to tag Eduardo into the straight and although this is a jump in grade for him, he is chasing five straight wins and is a 1000m specialist. Wet or dry it doesn’t matter for him either. Don’t think there warrants the huge price discrepancy between him and his stablemate 8. Andermatt. His form tapered away at the backend of last preparation but he is a rocket fresh winning four from four first up. The more rain the better for him. 2. Masked Crusader isn’t really a 1000m horse these days but he towed Willie Pike to the line in his one barrier trial suggesting that he has returned well. Tends to save his best for Randwick too. 9. Rocketing By is a coming winner but faces a stiff test here while 7. Zapateo earns a crack in this company on the strength of her first up win.

How To Play It: Eduardo WIN

7. North Star Lass profiles to be dangerous without another obvious leaders. If her rivals don’t give her due respect, she’ll pinch it. The Waterhouse and Bott-trained filly camped outside of the leader in the Silver Shadow and was boxing away at the end to hold down third. That also gives her a fitness advantage over some of her key rivals. Going back to her first preparation, she was well beaten in the G2 Percy Sykes which is another key form reference for this but she was eyeballed in front on the Heavy 10 surface and was entitled to knock up late. On debut she easily beat Basquiat. There is still no telling which of these fillies will jump out of the ground at three but given the map favours North Star Lass is likely to get, combined with the merit in her last start effort, she gets an appealing set up.

Dangers: 3. Paris Dior is a sharp filly and won’t be far away in the run from the soft draw. Was the last start winner of the Percy Sykes when eight weeks between runs on a testing track. It was a brilliant win. Has caught the eye in her two trials this time back too. 1. She’s Extreme stood alongside Fireburn as one of the standout two-year-olds of the season. Where she gets to in the run is the only knock. She’ll head straight into the Golden Rose after Saturday, such is her quality. 6. In Secret shouldn’t have lost too many admirers first up having been held up in the straight and parading with improvement to come. She’s well found in early betting, however. Wouldn’t be surprised to see 12. Wingardium measure up.

How To Play It: North Star Lass WIN

1. Zaaki won this race brilliantly 12 months ago. Wouldn’t expect him to produce anything less this time back. Since then he has won another two Group Ones, placed in a further three and taken out the All Star Mile. He isn’t getting any younger, granted, but it’s easy to justify the eight-year-old being an odds on favourite in this field. The barrier is perfect too, allowing James McDonald to park in behind the speed, perhaps at worst in the third pair in running. His two trials suggest that he has returned just as well as last preparation which is all we needed to see from him. The other bonus with Zaaki is that it won’t really matter what the Randwick track throws up on Saturday. He’ll handle it. Should win again, as the early market implies.

Dangers: 3. Converge has been at his most explosive when ridden on the quiet side so the wide draw perhaps isn’t a huge disadvantage to that extent. His record suggests that he improves into his preparation but he has never resumed over 1400m. His form through Anamoe obviously ties in very well here. 4. Profondo covered ground first up and stuck on well to finish third behind Anamoe. Maps to get a softer run in this and can only build off that return, albeit staying at 1400m. The four-year-old mares have measured up already this season so wouldn’t be surprised to see 9. Yearning run a race at odds on the back of two excellent trials. 11. Icebath is so well weighted with 53kg and gets the blinkers back on.

How To Play It: Zaaki WIN

9. Surefire announced his spring return in brilliant fashion at Rosehill three weeks ago. The race worked out perfectly for him but he had to be sharp at the end of 1400m and that he was, clocking the second quickest last 200m split of the meeting. Is the sprint still going to be in his legs second up given he has long term goals over staying trips over the carnival? Where does he get to from the wide draw in a race lacking speed? It’s a race that throws up plenty of questions and it’s no forgone conclusion that Surefire repeats what he did first up but we’ll leave tactics in the hands of James McDonald. The import has now won five of his nine starts and is still very much on an upward spiral.

Dangers: 15. Montefilia has only ever won once first up and that was on debut as a two-year-old but she finds herself in such a winnable Chelmsford this year that she deserves a tonne of respect. The five-year-old ran third in this race last year in an on speed dominated event while first up last preparation she finished just 2.6L off Verry Elleegant in a bunched finish before turning the tables in the Ranvet second up. 1. Mo’unga did nothing first up in the Winx Stakes but he is the only genuine miler in the field. Forgive him that and judge him off his form last preparation and he becomes the horse to beat. Interesting that Tommy Berry jumps off to ride the stablemate 2. Numerian. 3. Knights Order and 8. Entente get on speed favours while 4. Stockman, 10. No Compromise and 14. Benaud were all outstanding first up.

How To Play It: Surefire WIN

If the track is genuinely wet, it brings 4. Geo right into the race. We’re potentially never going to see the best of the lightly raced six-year-old with a huge pedigree (Medaglia D’Oro x Samantha Miss) due to a number of setbacks throughout his career but we saw a glimpse of what he’s capable of last preparation. He easily accounted for Kiss Sum in a Newcastle Provincial Championships Qualifier on a heavy track. That was second up out to 1400m but he was 63 weeks between runs heading into that preparation so was always going to improve with the run. A first up third to Roots with 60kg doesn’t read too badly for this anyways. Has only had the only quiet trial ahead of his return. Impossible to be confident but he’ll run a race at odds, particularly on a deteriorating track. A dry 1200m and he’s likely to find a couple too sharp.

Dangers: 14. Hell I Am is up and running, dodging last week’s Up And Coming in preference of this assignment where he get in with just 53kg. Maps to camp just in behind a genuine speed. Like the way he put away his older rivals in midweek company last start. 5. Silent Impact is two from two fresh and has been at his most dynamic over the sprint trips in his seven runs to date. Has raced well at Randwick in the past too. 13. Arbitration had to be coaxed through a flat spot at Randwick last start when second to Pizarro, coming again through the line. That might suggest she wants 1400m now but she fits in well here. 2. War Eternal has looked sharp in his two trials while 1. Pioneer River has place claims.

How To Play It: Geo EACH WAY

Former Kiwi 18. Bold Mac plummets 8.5kg from last start and is likely to find himself on a slightly wetter track. That set up can see him bounce back. The other big factor in his favour is the low draw. It can see him park up just in behind the speed. It’s a similar scenario that saw him win so impressively at his first run in Australia at Rosehill. Jay Ford was in the saddle there and he reunites with the five-year-old two starts later. He has a three lengths margin to turn around on his stablemate Niffler but that’s not insurmountable and we’re getting a big enough price to find out. Not sure what happened to him second up. Perhaps he was anchored by the big weight. Regardless, he was heavily backed that day. Worth another chance to find his best form now fourth up.

Dangers: 14. Niffler has a fantastic record over the mile (3:2-1-0) and was perfectly set up two weeks ago over this same track and trip. She too drops considerably in weight jumping into BM94 company. 12. Kiss The Bride has a history of bouncing back from a shocking first up run. He has been back to the trials since and looked great. The blinkers go back on. Wary. More was expected from 8. Alcyone last start but a repeat of his first up win gives this a shake. Has been freshened since. 13. Wicklow has to cope with a drop back from 2000m to the mile but on talent fits into this race well. Then there’s a fresh 4. Paternal coming back from a Queensland campaign while 17. Opacity’s obvious claims have been dented by the barrier.

How To Play it: Bold Mac WIN

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