Race 2 No.9 EVER RELIABLE
Burdened with 59kg last start, he was caught wide in the early stages after jumping from an outside draw. Despite covering extra ground, he battled on gamely to finish fourth, beaten just 1.5 lengths over 1700m — a performance that carried hidden merit.
A slight rise in class sees him drop 4.5kg at the weights, and with better luck in running, he is capable of making amends.
Race 4 No.1 HELLO HERO
His debut effort 10 days ago was better than it appears on paper. Forced to race wide off the speed in the early stages, he still let down well in the straight to finish fifth over 1200m, and with a kinder run he would have finished much closer. As the highest-rated runner in this week’s field, he is favourably placed under Weight For Age conditions, and natural improvement makes him a major contender.
Race 6 No.1 MAN MAN LAI
He was steadied to settle off the speed from a wide draw last start but was unable to find cover in the early stages. Despite that, he finished off strongly in the straight to run fourth over this track and distance.
The drop back to Class 3 appears a significant positive this week, and he looks capable of returning to the winner’s list against more manageable opposition.
Race 9 No.5 CHEVAL ARTIST
Still a maiden after 22 local starts, he showed encouraging improvement with a fast-finishing fifth last time out. Drawn wide and forced to settle well off the speed, he closed off strongly to finish just 3.5 lengths from the winner over 1700m at this track.
Dropping into the Redound Stakes this week, he may finally break through if afforded a more economical run in transit.
