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By Brad Gray

7. Physical Graffiti looked one of the standout colts from the Randwick set of trials and it’s hard to argue that he isn’t deserving of Breeders’ Plate favouritism off the limited information we’ve got to go off. The son of Russian Revolution began on terms in his heat before mustering quickly to find the front. He did everything right from there on in, settling nicely before cruising to the line under significantly less pressure than any of his five rivals including the two-year-old that edged past him late. That was Don Corleone who hasn’t accepted so Physical Graffiti needn’t worry about him. It was the second quickest of the 850m heats that morning and the fastest of the colts and geldings. Brenton Avdulla got a feel for him in the trial and he sticks on debut. The one to beat.

Dangers: The grey 8. Snatchreilly, for Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou, clocked fast closing splits when running second in his Randwick trial. He was well held by the winner at the finish, hence why we’re getting a price but there was merit in what he did late. The son of Trapeze Artist was given an easy time approaching the line too. It’s not easy for a two-year-old to make up the ground that 1. Empire Of Japan did when second in his Randwick trial. He’s in the right hands with Peter and Paul Snowden and James McDonald sticks. 5. Mach Ten showed good natural speed to take up the running in his trial and like how he responded when headed to win going away on the line.

How To Play It: Physical Graffiti WIN

7. Perfect Proposal looked the pick of the two-year-olds across both the fillies and colts from the Randwick set of trials. Her effortless two length win was also backed up on the clock as the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained youngster posted the fastest time of the morning for the 850m heats. The daughter of Russian Revolution showed good early speed to take up the running before doing everything right thereafter. She was going away on the line and there were gaps through the rest of the field. Incredibly, the Gimcrack is so far a race that has eluded Waterhouse but that anomaly can be corrected on Saturday if Perfect Proposal runs up to her brilliant trial form.

Dangers: Stablemate 12. Sicilian faces a trickier draw but she too looked good when winning her heat with James McDonald in the saddle and he stays on for her debut. The I Am Invincible filly ran right through the line after mustering enough speed to take up the running. 11. Satin And Silk was no match for Perfect Proposal in the trial but she has a strong two-year-old pedigree and is in the right hands with Peter and Paul Snowden. 3. Divine Glory and 8. Platinum Jubilee, the half sister to Queen Of The Ball, also rate mentions off their trial performances.

How To Play It: Perfect Proposal WIN

Want to be forgiving of 14. Arnold’s defeat as a $1.70 favourite two weeks ago. The price we’re getting about him early in betting this time makes it easier to excuse him too. The four-year-old found himself outside of the leader at Randwick and it dulled his finish. He was still only narrowly beaten. Staying at 1400m for a third run in a row wouldn’t have helped either. Stretching out to the mile and dropping to 52kg up in grade can see him bounce back. He was brilliant winning his two starts prior to that. At his three starts this time back he hasn’t jumped any longer than $1.80. Kerrin McEvoy takes over here given the light weight and from the wide gate will balance him up towards the tail and let him show the turn of foot he displayed at the midweeks. Worth another chance.

Dangers: 2. Hosier is a smart horse, as his record of six wins from 10 starts suggests. The Lloyd Williams-owned galloper was sent up from Melbourne to chase wet tracks. The six-year-old was always in control in the Coffs Harbour Cup eight weeks ago and looked great in a tickover trial more recently. This’ll top him off perfectly for The Big Dance. 6. Casino Kid has his fourth run in a row at the mile but that’s negated by the prospect of a heavy track. The last start Dubbo Cup winner is flying and can only run well again. 13. Mahagoni is in terrific form but looks very well found out of Midway company and losing James McDonald. Can make a case for 4. Wonderful Riri as the best knockout. 8. Kalino and 10. Tamerlane have the right form lines for this but need to be convinced about their respective heavy track credentials.

How To Play It: Arnold WIN

8. Montefilia put two lengths on Verry Elleegant second up last preparation on a heavy track out to 2000m off a similar first up effort over the mile. If she produces something similar here, she won’t be beaten. The five-year-old mare tackled the G1 George Main Stakes two weeks ago, working home nicely into fourth behind Anamoe in a race that turned into a sprint home. She has now won a Group One in three of her last four campaigns so coming back to a Group Two at weight for age with the mares allowance, she couldn’t be better placed. The market rightly has her as a firm favourite and she’d have to underperformer to be beaten. Even money or better looks to be generous in this company, especially with the knowledge that the prospect of a testing track won’t be the reason for her being beaten.

Dangers: Don’t think 2. Numerian is completely at home on heavy tracks but he ploughed through the Heavy 10 first up over the mile to run second to Knights Order. He was perhaps flattered by finding the fence-in-run position. Talented import, however. The 2000m is on the outer limits for 1. Cascadian and coupled with a testing track, it’ll stretch him even further but his recent form around I’m Thunderstruck and Alligator Blood reads even better now after the running of the Underwood Stakes. 7. Kiss The Bride is backing up for the third week in a row and was a heavy track winner second up. Forget his Rosehill effort seven days ago given he got back in a slowly run race. Looks the leader here and that combined with his fitness will see him competitive.

How To Play It: Montefilia WIN

The wetter the better for 1. Williamsburg as it’ll negate the wide draw. On what he achieved as a two-year-old, he is 15 rating points higher than the second highest galloper here and he meets the field at set weights. Only the winner of the Ming Dynasty last start, Golden Mile, had a quicker last 600m split than him and he was forced to carry 59kg. We’ve seen the form through that race franked with Zou Tiger and Golden Mile finishing third and fourth in the Golden Rose while even ninth placed Manzoice just missed back to the midweeks on Wednesday. Third up out the mile looks a lovely progression for Williamsburg and he won the Baillieu and the Fernhill on two heavy 10 rated surfaces in his first preparation. Kerrin McEvoy has been aboard in his past five starts too.

Dangers: There wasn’t a lot between 2. Flag Of Honour and Williamsburg last start and although the latter gets a 5kg weight swing, Flag Of Honour was six weeks between runs having been freshened from his Rosehill win back in mid July so arguably had more improvement. 6. Conqueror comes through that same race and jumped significantly shorter in the market than the aforementioned duo. It’s been a stop-start campaign but he could be ready to show his best now. He was five weeks between runs himself last start. 3. Owen County was much better second up, running on late behind Quality Time at Canterbury and the winner has since won a Saturday race just as comfortably. Might be looking for further than the mile now but a wet track make it a testing 1600m. 4. Communist has won three of his four starts while 8. Scientist will make his own luck and has untold upside.

How To Play It: Williamsburg WIN

Nobody missed the run of 1. Fireburn attacking the line last Saturday in the Golden Rose at the end of 1400m. Only the winner Jacquinot had faster closing splits. That sets her up beautifully for the mile with the bonus being that we already know how effective she is on heavy tracks, relishing wet tracks as a two-year-old where she fell agonisingly short of collecting the triple crown. It’s the first time she has been asked to back up so quickly between runs in her short nine start career but Gary Portelli wouldn’t be running her if she was showing any signs that she wouldn’t cope with it. The barrier will see her drift back to last in the run but unlike the Golden Rose, this isn’t a field of 16 on a good track. There’s every chance the winners will be thundering down the middle on a wet Randwick surface.

Dangers: If it’s not Fireburn, expect the Tea Rose form to prove true. That sees 3. Zougotcha hard to beat. Her stablemate 6. Madame Pommery looked to have her cold half way down the straight but to Zougotcha’s credit, she kicked back to clock the fastest last 200m split in the race. That says the mile shouldn’t be a problem. She was a month between runs there too. Zougotcha put three lengths on Zou Tiger to win her maiden on heavy ground. If Madame Pommery improves again out to the mile, she’s right in the finish again. The only reason she isn’t shorter in the market here is because she started $31 a fortnight ago. 5. Wolverine looks cherry ripe for this trip now after catching the eye late in the Furious and then the Tea Rose. 2. She’s Extreme can bounce back while look for 8. Renaissance Woman late.

How To Play It: Fireburn WIN

The market has this race well cornered with 1. Lost And Running the horse to beat after what he produced first up in The Shorts over 1100m. He was posted wide throughout yet still kept finding the line to run third behind Nature Strip. It was an exceptional run from a galloper that was always going to improve given he’ll be peaking third and fourth up. That was on a Soft 7 surface. We’ve only seen Lost And Running once in the past on a heavy track back in 2021 at the midweeks when a $1.24 favourite in BM78 company. He put a gap on his rivals there as he was entitled to do given the sprinter we now know he is. The most exciting part about the John O’Shea trained gelding is that despite being a six-year-old, he gives the impression that his best is still to come.

Dangers: The case for 3. Mazu to turn the tables on Lost And Running from The Shorts, and it was only a length margin, is that he meets him 2kg better off and is a proven heavy tracker. He too didn’t get the cosiest of runs first up yet was still there boxing away at the finish. Knowing how the Snowden’s prepare their horses for grand finals, this’ll top him off perfectly for The Everest in a fortnight. 6. Overpass is also Everest-bound after his forward showing in The Shorts. He wasn’t all that comfortable on heavy tracks at the backend of his preparation over the autumn, however, so he won’t want it too wet here. That said, he was only beaten 1.3L in a G1 Galaxy on a Heavy 9. 2. Masked Crusader is another one that won’t want it too wet. 5. Kementari handles all surfaces and races well at Randwick.

How To Play It: Lost And Running WIN

9. Cross Talk was carved up in front by O’President last start in the Bill Ritchie Handicap and did a huge job to finish just two lengths off Top Ranked. O’President was beaten 22 lengths. Cross Talk was a month between runs there too, coming back from 1600m to 1400m and started a firm $2.50 favourite. The market has been very quick to flip to Top Ranked who was suited by the frantic early pressure. That’s no knock on the class of Top Ranked, simply a further point to highlight the price discrepancy one start later. The Bill Ritchie has produced the last three winners of the Epsom, including the quinella last year in Private Eye and Aramayo. Cross Talk gets in with just 51kg, can assume control of this race from the outset and loves heavy ground. The lightly-raced five-year-old is going to be mighty hard to chase down given the set up.

Dangers: 5. Icebath continues to improve the deeper she gets into her preparations so what she has done second and third up this time back, with seconds to Anamoe and Zaaki, lays a terrific platform for her fourth up into an Epsom. The heavy track of course holds no fears and James McDonald rides. 1. Top Ranked took advantage of the race shape last start but did give away 5.5kg to the rest of the field and was first up. 4. Nimalee has the advantage of racing on the quick back up, she too loves it wet and has beaten Icebath home in four of their five clashes. She remains an underrated mare. This has always been the target of Chris Waller’s two mares 8. Hinged and 6. Fangirl. Hinged was the pick of the pair from the George Main and is better suited to wet ground.

How To Play It: Cross Talk EACH WAY

Ciaron Maher and David Eustace have had this race as a target for 2. Le Don De Vie all preparation. The only time that the seven-year-old has seen a heavy track in the past he absolutely bolted in the Caloundra Cup at the Sunshine Coast with 58.5kg on his back. He gave 4. Arapaho 4.5kg and put three lengths on him. We’ve only seen the import once since then when well held in the Premier's Cup six weeks ago but that was just the run he needed to have to keep him ticking over for this 2400m feature. He’s had a quiet tickover trial since too so the six week gap has been by design. There is arguably no better stable in the country at preparing stayers and James McDonald takes over from the sidelined Nash Rawiller.

Dangers: 1. Stockman has enjoyed a faultless preparation. His run in the Kingston Town Stakes two weeks ago was that of a horse desperate for this trip now. We know that he east mud so whatever Randwick throws up come the second last race on Saturday, it won’t bother him in the slightest. The last time he tackled 2400m he ran second to Duais in the G1 Tancred. There’s no Duais here, with due respect to his rivals. 7. Durston in untried on heavy ground but he put a gap on his rivals in the Newcastle Cup last start suggesting that he’s still trending upwards. 15. Hameron is racing a long way out of his grade but he could relish 2400m, especially with 51kg on his back. 6. No Compromise sets up to run the best race of his campaign.

How To Play It: Le Don De Vie WIN

The key to 11. Bacchanalia’s chances is getting back onto a rain-affected track. The four-year-old started hard in the market first up at Rosehill when well beaten by 3. Remarque and although he slid across from the wide draw without spending too much gas early, he didn’t let down on the firm deck. He has never won first up in the past either. His record now reads 7:0-0-1 on good tracks. First up he is now 6:0-1-1. On soft and heavy ground it’s a very different story. His record reads 6:4-1-1. Second up his stats read 3:2-0-0. That’s a compelling case in itself. The last time he raced on a heavy track he ran second to Mazu. James McDonald sticks with the son of Exceed And Excel and with plenty of speed engaged he’s just take a trail and get his chance from there.

Dangers: 7. Coal Crusher won four of his five starts last preparation, starting with a BM64 win at Wyong ending it with a dominant Randwick win in a BM94. He comes to hand quickly so will be ready to go fresh on the back of two trials. Glyn Schofield has ridden Coal Crusher five times for five wins. His stablemate 10. Zoushack found himself in an unfamiliar position back in the field first up but he kept finding the line to run fourth. That sets him up perfectly for his preparation as he can only improve off that. Stays at 1200m but that could be offset by a testing track. 2. O’President ran himself into the ground in the Bill Ritchie first up. If he can better harness that speed he's well placed to atone. 1. Rustic Steel was scratched from the Shannon Stakes last week over 1500. This is plan B back to 1200m.

How To Play It: Bacchanalia WIN

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