This week, while filled with quality racing, does feel a bit like two weeks ago where Anamoe and In Secret started dominant favourites in the Apollo and Light Fingers, both winning and now lining up against practically identical fields.
Both look assured at their place at the top of the market but neither look great betting opportunities and so we backtrack to the pair of two-year-old races for the best betting opportunities this week.
Race 3 is the Group 2 Skyline Stakes (1200m) for the boys and Corniche looks over the odds coming up from Melbourne with form around the right horses having placed behind The Instructor and Barber at his past two.
He has good early toe and has progressed in his ratings at each outing, clearly bringing the best last start Timeform rating of 104 into this.
While that rating looks maybe a touch shaky against some of this Sydney form, Barber is on track to start a slender second pick in the Blue Diamond behind Steel City, who would surely be favourite here.
Shinzo comes through the best race behind Red Resistance and King's Gambit and will take beating, but at a similar price to place than Shinzo is to win, Corniche should give us a run for our money.
The other two-year-old race is the Group 2 Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m) for the fillies and while Skirt The Law is an obvious and deserving favourite having won the Magic Millions 2yo Classic in fine style, there is a horse who looks value relative to the field.
I speak of Facile who comes through the Inglis Millenium behind Slipper favourite Learning To Fly and I thought she was excellent there. They went at a very fast tempo with the trifecta all coming from well back in the field, and her effort to sit in the box seat fourth, and stick on to be only beaten 1.6 lengths in fifth was very good.
She'd trialled very well leading into her debut, starting $2 to beat Saltaire and Blanc De Blanc, whom she split, and now Blanc De Blanc, who had a better run from back in the field at Rosehill is 5-2, with Facile looking juicy at 8-1.
They may all be playing for second if Skirt The Law runs up to her Magic Millions number but that isn't assured and Facile should be able to tag her across and may just have a fitness edge late.
I could mark her equal second favourite and at $9/2.4 I don't think you'll be missing each-way.
SYDNEY SPECIALS
Race 3 #3 Corniche @ $8.5/2.8
Race 6 #6 Facile @ $8.5/2.4
