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By Brad Gray

14. Mad Darcey has returned in career best form. Her form looked well exposed prior to this campaign but as a five-year-old with 20 starts to her name, it’s all seemingly clicked. She was brilliant when winning at Gosford first up before backing that up with a fast-finishing second behind Martial Music two weeks ago. She wasn’t suited by a lack of pressure up front but thundered home into second, clocking the fastest closing splits of the meeting. Fast time overall, gaps back through the field, everything points to that 1000m Midway being a strong form reference going forward. Out to 1100m gives her the chance to turn the tables and she is a much better price in early markets. A repeat of first or second up and she’s in the money again.

Dangers: 6. Martial Music is a tricky horse to assess on the basis that all of his past form has been first up. After his fresh run his form has fallen off a cliff. Is this the campaign he bucks that trend? There is no denying how impressive he was two weeks ago but he did similar fresh last preparation breaking the Gosford track record before regressing. 8. Vindication has a great fresh record himself and comes into this off an eye-catching Randwick trial. He is a proven Midway performer. 5. Super Bright is no stranger to Midways either. Dylan Gibbons gave her a peach of a ride at Warwick Farm to win last start. 10. Rebel Dean jumped equal favourite in Martial Music’s Midway win. The map isn’t as straightforward here though.

How To Play It: Mad Darcey EACH-WAY

3. Our Kobison goes around an odds-on quote for the third start in a row. So far he was delivered for punters, winning his past two, and emphatically. There is no longer a query over the four-year-old running a strong 1200m. He is the new Rosehill 1200m track record holder. He camped in behind Dipsy Doodle at a breakneck pace before accelerating clear. The Angela Davies-trained sprinter is still improving, just eight runs into his career. Like that he has been given four weeks to freshen up from last start which had to have left the petrol tank on empty afterwards. Barrier 1 gives James McDonald options and although there is more depth to this BM88 compared to last start, it’s hard to deny his claims.

Dangers: 8. Union Army can be a little hit and miss, coming off a plain run at Randwick last start when more was expected from him. That was five weeks ago now. Prior to that he breezed straight past 4. Pereille. Looks dangerous with 52kg. The obvious tie in with 5. Tintookie is her form around Our Kobison. Missed in a cruel bob of the heads over this same track and trip last start. Racing as well as ever. 6. Tashi was no match for the flying Whinchat last start but she beat the rest comfortably. 2. Moravia had his chance in the Eskimo Prince but he did hit the line locked together with Celestial Legend and Encap. Just not sure how strong the three-year-old crop is.

How To Play It: Our Kobison WIN

Something has to give with so much speed engaged. Enter 2. Perennial who should get the drop on them. It typically pays to tread very carefully when assessing a horse off 900m form, and that’s all we have got to work with for this three-year-old, but all the hallmarks have been there to trust that he can deliver in better company out to 1000m. He has run time, gapped his rivals and the subsequent form through his three wins has been franked. The Scone Class 1 he won at start two has produced seven subsequent winners. He won easily. First up at Newcastle he made light work of his nine rivals, which was backed up on the clock. Aaron Bullock comes to town to stick with him and the pair have drawn perfectly.

Dangers: 5. Once Again My Girl is very fast. They’ll be doing well to head her from barrier 2. Had her colours lowered at Muswellbrook last start before spelling when $1.16 but perhaps her first up second to Derry Grove is a better reflection of her talent. Looked sharp winning a recent Scone trial. 10. Bomarea has been quickly dismissed by the market, too quickly arguably. She kept on running to win a Highway over 1000m first up last campaign before finding 1200m too far second up which derailed her campaign. Has been freshened up for this, six weeks between runs and a soft Grafton trial in between. 3. Compelling Truth draws awkwardly.

How To Play It: Perennial WIN

1. Storm Boy isn’t a betting proposition at the odds but how do you tip against him? You can’t. His Magic Millions win seven weeks ago was exceptional. This is the run he needs before peaking up again for the Golden Slipper so there’ll be something still left in the tank but even allowing for that, the son of Justify should stroll home. That’d further tighten his position at the top of Slipper markets. Don’t think there’d be many punters that would remain unconvinced after what he produced at the Gold Coast but if there was, there’d be none after his recent Rosehill trial demolition. He ran fast time, built through the line and won his heat by a widening six lengths. One of the most exciting two-year-olds to hit the track in years.

Dangers: 3. Prost dug in to hold off Fearless and Traffic Warden in the Canonbury Stakes first up. The placegetters franked the form by running well from wide gates in the Blue Diamond. On debut Prost chased home his stablemates Espionage and Straight Charge and there is nothing wrong with that Breeders Plate form line either! 8. Duvana is bred to get out over a mile but he should’ve finished closer to Switzerland on debut over 1100m. He ran out of room in the straight. Look for him late with an eye on races like the Sires and Champagne over the carnival. 4. Parkour didn’t beat much when winning over this same track and trip back in December but he did it in the style of a talented horse. Expecting him to run better again at start three.

How To Play It: Storm Boy, Prost EXACTA

1. Redstone Well carries an extra 2.5kg for winning at Randwick over the mile last start but that was a bonus win on the way through. The import should be better again out to 2000m now fourth up. The gelding’s second up run behind Glory Daze, when horribly suited by a lack of pressure put the writing on the wall that he’d be winning races shortly. The knock two weeks ago was staying at 1600m. It didn’t stop him on the back of a perfectly times James McDonald ride, balancing up two pairs back before blending into the race. He was holding the margin comfortably on the line. Maps to get another soft run from the low gate and profiles like there is still so much more to come. Well set up to win again.

Dangers: 8. Miracle Spin gets a 3kg weight swing on Redstone Well from last start and his eighth had more merit than the form guide suggests. He got too far back from the wide gate. It’s a very different proposition from barrier 1 on Saturday. Jason Collett has ridden Miracle Spin five times for two wins and a second to Fawkner Park. 5. Perfect Thought speared across from a wide gate to settled outside of the leader when sixth to Redstone Well. Wasn’t beaten far despite doing work. He was five weeks between runs and that was his first as a gelding. 3. Logan Street Lion draws wide but isn’t too far at this level. 7. Floating will improve back out to 2000m.

How To Play It: Redstone Well WIN

1. Manaal looks the one here. The market hasn’t missed her, however. She was great when second to Lady Of Camelot first up in the Widden Stakes. It was a fast race and she clocked slick time home. That was a set weights plus penalties race which saw her give away 3kg to the field. That was due to her Gimcrack win on debut. The weight scale levels up on Saturday with the fillies all carrying the same under the set weight conditions. The cherry on top is how well the Michael Freedman-trained filly draws. It’s hard to see any of her rivals from the race four weeks ago turning the tables and that clearly looks the strongest form reference for this, especially after seeing what Lady Of Camelot subsequently produced in the Blue Diamond.

Dangers: 7. Wave Breaker is one of those rivals tasked with improving enough to get the better of Manaal. She was only on debut so is likely to improve second up and she too maps to get a lovely run throughout. 4. Chateau Miraval at least offers different form lines. Chateau Miraval comes through the midweeks where she scrambled home but there was a gap back to third and you’ll go broke potting the Waterhouse and Bott-trained two-year-olds this autumn. 6. Extreme Diva hasn’t drawn well either, which is the knock.

How To Play It: Manaal WIN

It was scary how dominant 9. Fangirl was in the Apollo Stakes. The five-year-old showed over the spring that she had improved again with her King Charles demolition the performance that forced us to recognise her as potentially the best horse in the country. This is the first time she has tackled the Randwick mile since then. That’s ominous for her rivals. The wide gate on Saturday doesn’t change too much given her pattern. James McDonald will ride a patient race in the early stages before letting her slide into the race, just as he did first up. It was the way Hugh Bowman would ride Winx. The most impressive part of Fangirl’s win was how fast she was between the 400-200m despite McDonald hardly moving on her. Arrogant.

Dangers: It’s hard to dream up a scenario where anything from the Apollo can beat Fangirl so that leaves 5. Just Fine. Making him a genuine threat to Fangirl is the potential for him to own the race from in front. The import proved a revelation in his first Australian campaign running faster time than the Chelmsford when winning over the mile first up. Two starts later he won the Metrop in track record time before jumping $3 at WFA in the Caulfield Stakes. Favourite ahead of Alligator Blood. 1. Think It Over boxed away well at the finish in the Apollo. He’ll come on from that and is better suited out to the mile.

How To Play It: Fangirl, Just Fine QUINELLA

4. Learning To Fly narrowly went down to Kimochi first up in the Light Fingers Stakes over 1200m. That’s the obvious form reference for this and there was 1.8 lengths back to third. It’s hard to ignore the obvious. She had no excuses on the back of a ground-saving ride from Chad Schofield but was 43 weeks between runs. She clocked the fastest splits from the 800m all the way through to the 200m before perhaps peaking on her run ever so slightly late. Surely she can only improve with the run under her bel and have to respect how firm she was in the market there despite the gap between runs. Keen to see the daughter of Justify out to 1400m for the first time. Looks to draw a perfect gate. The one to beat.

Dangers: 3. Kimochi had residual fitness on her side in the Light Fingers with just 10 weeks between runs but she didn’t get a lot of luck over the spring so that first up win was nothing less than she deserved. Has run in all the right races, around all the right fillies. Has to run well again. 5. Tiz Invincible could have attacked the line a little better in the Light Fingers but she settled out the back from the wide gate before a lot was asked of her. Want to be very forgiving. Draws kinder on Saturday. James McDonald sticks. 8. Makarena draws horribly. Perhaps she slides across from the draw looking to sit outside of 1. Tropical Squall. Makarena was excellent first up against the colts in the Eskimo Prince. 6. Kristilli goes into everything.

How To Play It: Learning To Fly WIN

2. Hinged has raced 30 times, 16 of them on Group One company. Twelve months ago she ran in the Apollo Stakes first up and split Anamoe and Fangirl in second. That was on a good track too. Just the one trial ahead of her return but she maps to get control up front.

Dangers: 1. Duais has had 32 starts, with 18 in Group Ones. Trainer Ed Cummings has typically kept her in WFA company but is cognisant of the fact that the six-year-old hasn’t won in nearly two years now so has been placed here with that in mind. 6. Ausbred Flirt can show up fresh, just as she did last preparation. Albeit in much easier company. 4. Barbie’s Fox found 1100m too slippery first up. Like what she did in Sydney over the spring.

How To Play It: Hinged WIN

2. Coal Crusher was so tough first up in the G2 Expressway Stakes carting the field up to tearaway leader Malkovich. Typically he doesn’t peak until third and fourth up in his campaign and trainer Joe Pride still has the blinkers up his sleeve. Have long held the opinion that 1300m is a specialist distance. That little sweet spot. Coal Crusher fits that profile having won four from 5 over the journey. The defeat was in the Winners Stakes when not beaten far by Bella Nipotina and Private Eye. Tyler Schiller has clicked with the six-year-old. Expect a positive ride to come across from the wide gate before letting Whinchat take up the running, not without making the up and comer doing a little more work than he’d like.

Dangers: 13. Whinchat has 7kg less than Coal Crusher but he is entitled to given the company they’ve raced in recently. This is a big leap for the speedy four-year-old into Group company for the first time but he’s finally starting to learn to harness his speed. He is unbeaten when he finds the front. 4. Kovalica got nowhere near his rivals first up over 1300m last campaign but they crawled in front. He clocked sub 33 seconds for this last 600m. This promises to be more truly run. He’ll no doubt improve with the run though. Big market watch with import 6. New Energy. He is Group One placed over the mile. Has had three jump outs in Melbourne, winning the latest. 8. Phearson will run well first up.

How To Play It: Coal Crusher WIN

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