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By Brad Gray

7. Rustic Steel has returned in brilliant order for Kris Lees. The four-year-old has already built a record of five wins from his nine starts, adding to that win tally last start in the Provincial-Midway Qualifier at Newcastle. Hugh Bowman, who sticks here, balanced the gelding up midfield before unleashing a powerful sprint to gap his rivals. That was on the back of a fast finishing third behind Maotai over 1200m in a slick race. Bowman should be able to park Rustic Steel in the first dozen in this, within striking distance of the early favourite 8. Taksu. The pair clashed back in September last year, with Rustic Steel beating Tasku comfortably. Rustic Steel handled a heavy track on debut and soft tracks haven’t stopped him since. The son of Deep Field sets up perfectly.

Dangers: Taksu won with sustained speed at Rosehill last start having run second to Gravina first up. Tyler Schiller rode the perfect race on 8. Taksu two weeks ago, electing to go with the keen going six-year-old as opposed to fighting him in the middle stages. He was paddling late, and perhaps flattered by a lack of opposition hitting the line behind him, but he’s well placed again. When he was beaten by Rustic Steel last preparation he lumped 62kg. He meets him 4.5kg better off here. 4. Poetic Charmer has a couple of lengths to make up on Taksu but he’ll run well again. 12. O’Mudgee was okay behind the flying Yonce at Flemington last start. He’d been racing in career best form in Sydney prior without much luck. Wouldn’t be surprised to see 13. O’President improve sharply.

How To Play It: Rustic Steel WIN

5. Sword Point was a beaten $2.60 favourite at the midweeks a couple of weeks ago but he was posted deep throughout and was eight weeks between runs. The Chris Waller-trained galloper really started to find his form at the backend of last preparation. He bolted in at Canterbury to break his maiden before running a luckless second at Warwick Farm, only to atone for that with another dominant victory, this time out to 1850m. He led that day and got complete control in front so he was entitled to quicken but he did it brilliantly, putting four lengths on his rivals late. That’s the run I’m inclined to use as the best guide to his chances in this, which makes him hard to beat. He’ll put himself into a position and looks well placed in an open Tulloch Stakes.

Dangers: 3. Character sets up well third up having chased home Mr Mozart in a slowly run race at Rosehill last start. That was the Phar Lap Stakes over 1500m. What do we do with 7. Jalmari? Only three starts ago he won a Nowra maiden at $31 yet there he was in the Ajax Stakes last start running the race of his life. His last 200m section was the quickest in the race, better than Ellsberg. 13. Money From The Sky is a raw talent but there were signs last start at Goulburn, on a heavy track, that the penny is starting to drop. 6. Zoumon will roll forward and give a sight while respect the Kiwis 1. Regal Lion and 2. White Noise.

How To Play It: Sword Point WIN

7. Annavisto was brilliant in winning the Frances Tressady Stakes first up at Flemington. She sat outside of the lead, trucked into the straight, taking over at the 400m and charging clear. Electric Girl ran a distant third and ties the form into the Sydney mares. It was the best performance of her career to date so the four-year-old trained by Mick Price and Mick Ken Jnr has clearly returned better than ever. She has already won six of her 13 starts and now would be competitive in Group One mares grade so the Queen Of The Turf will be on the radar for her third up. The daughter of Reliable Man has the speed to offset the wide draw, albeit she won’t be allowed to amble across with the likes of 5. Expat, 4. Vangelic and 8. Mirra Vision all drawn underneath her. Has yet to run on a heavy track but has handled soft tracks in the past.

Dangers: 10. Promise Of Success had to do much work to get into the Coolmore last start and that told at the finish. She won’t be as far away in the run here and if the leaders keep each other honest up top, as the map suggests they will, she’ll get her chance. Expat had her chance in the Coolmore but kept fighting to run fifth with Mirra Vision edging past her late. Then there’s 2. Krone, 4. Vangelic and the winner of this race last year 3. Nimalee.

How To Play It: Annavisto WIN

5. Imaging has always had extended campaigns for Chris Waller but his fresh form is excellent. In his past two first up runs, he has run a luckless third behind Eduardo on a heavy track and a half a length second in the G1 CF Orr. The seven-year-old is a frustrating horse in that he doesn’t make a habit of winning but he sets up to run well over 1500m fresh, which suggests that Waller has poured the work into him. He’s had just the one trial, on the Warwick Farm synthetic, but looked sharp in winning it. There is a case to be made that he should have just about won the G1 Winx Stakes last preparation, finding trouble in the straight to run seventh. He was expected to win the G2 Shannon two starts after that but failed as the $2.70 favourite. It’s been two years since he’s won now, but can only see him running well in this.

Dangers: 14. Mr Mozart stacked his rivals up in the G2 Phar Lap last start but love the way he quickened late. His last 200m split of 11.51 was the quickest across the entire meeting. That was the three-year-old first exposure to a heavy track and he clearly relished it. 11. Our Playboy will also relish a heavy track, as he has done throughout his career to date. His record on wet tracks reads 6:4-1-0. 4. Brutality is getting closer to his peak and should produce the best run of his preparation so far. 8. Fourhometwo can only improve on what he did first up.

How To Play It: Imaging EACH WAY

11. Duais gave her rivals windburn in the Australian Cup last start and it’s hard to build a case for 1. Think It Over or 2. Spanish Mission to turn the tables out to 2400m. The Ed Cummings-trained mare has really started to mature as a late four-year-old, backing up a luckless sixth in the G1 Chipping Norton Stakes behind Verry Elleegant with a dominant Flemington win. Her past form suggests that she could be better again out to 2400m too. She has run on three heavy tracks for three duck eggs but that doesn’t tell the story, two of those were early in her career where she was a long way off what she is now while the other heavy track start was in the Chipping Norton, which she just about wins with even luck. She also won the Adrian Knox as a three-year-old on a Soft 7. If she’s beaten, it won’t be due to the wet track.

Dangers: The Ranvet and Australian Cup have provided 18 of the past 20 winners of this race so reluctant to overlook the obvious when it comes to dangers. Class tends to prevail in this race. 2. Spanish Mission set a strong early speed when third to Duais last start and maps to get a cosier time in this. Strikes a wet track for the first time in Australia. 1. Think It Over was left without any excuses last start and is on trial at 2400m. He is a class horse, however. He gets through wet ground but is better on firmer footing. The more rain the better for mudlark and last start Sky High winner 4. Stockman. 10. She’s Ideel ran second to Sir Dragonet in this race 12 months ago and a repeat of her second two starts ago behind Verry Elleegant on a heavy track sees her warrant respect at longer odds.

How To Play It: Duais WIN

2. Hinged proved her Group One win in the Surround Stakes was no fluke last start, backing it up with an excellent third against the older mares in the Coolmore Classic won by Lighthouse. She was forced back in the field from the wide draw and clocked the fastest last 200m in the race, equal to that of Promise Of Success. Her late strength at the end of 1500m suggests that she’ll relish getting out in trip for the first time. Her dam Tints won out to 2200m. We know that Hinged handles heavy tracks no problems so whatever Rosehill throws up she’ll skip through while the barrier gives Brenton Avdulla the chance to park just off the speed as she did when she won the Surround, and in a race without a lot of tempo on paper, that looks a key advantage over her main threats.

Dangers: 3. Never Been Kissed looks perfectly set up now third up coming through the Phar Lap where she ran second to Mr Mozart. It was a sprint home and she was no match for the winner. In her only previous run over this trip she ran second to Profondo in the G1 Spring Champion. 4. Fangirl wasn’t suited by the slow early speed in the Phar Lap, working home into fourth. Not sure how comfortable she has been on heavy tracks at her last two starts, however. Unbeaten Queenslander 6. Gypsy Goddess is impossible to line up with any confidence. Inclined to risk her but that’s simply due to the price, not her potential talent. 7. Pretty Amazing has been brilliant at her past two, with the knock the barrier. Expect 8. Hope In Your Heart, 9. Gin Martini and 12. Pink Ivory to produce eye catchers heading into the Oaks.

How To Play It: Hinged WIN

13. Gravina resumed as a gelding at Randwick and gapped his rivals late. The runner up there Taksu came out and won by an even bigger space himself at his subsequent start. Gravina was then thrown into the G3 Maurice McCarten as a late nomination. He was heavily backed to jump $2.70 but found 1100m too sharp, as he has done in the past. Shelby Sixtysix won and he of course took out the G1 Galaxy last Saturday. Gravina is much better placed back out to 1200m. We know that the wet track holds no fears for the four-year-old and he should present at his top now third up. He’ll settle down forward of midfield in what should be a genuinely run race and get his chance to run down the likes of 18. Maotai late.

Dangers: Plenty was made of the last start win of 18. Maotai, and rightly so. He ran fast time. He mixed it with the best three-year-olds in the country over the spring so the talent has always been there, he just had to learn to harness that speed. His trial since showed that he still isn’t the finished article. He is untested on heavy ground. The 1200m is as short as 9. Exoboom needs it to win at this level but like the way he has trialled this time back and he handles all tracks. Could give this a shake if everything falls his way. 2. Splintex always improves sharply second up and he maps to camp on the back of the speed and get his chance.

How To Play It: Gravina WIN

All the fields, form and replays for Monday's Newcastle meeting