ROSEHILL August 20

Selections

RACE 1: 7-5-4-8

RACE 2: 6-4-2-3

RACE 3: 14-1-17-2

RACE 4: 5-2-8-4

RACE 5: 6-2-4-1

RACE 6: 7-3-13-9

RACE 7: 10-5-13-3

RACE 8: 3-1-4-10

RACE 9: 7-1-3-5

RACE 10: 9-13-3-8

Best Bets

RACE 6 (7) TOOMUCHTOBEAR: Waller stacks this field with seven acceptors so we can only hope we are going down the right path with this talented gelding as he ticks all the right course and distance boxes and is unbeaten when third up. His perfect Randwick record (2/2) includes a win over this trip and he has shown in his two luckless starts since resuming over 1400m and 1500m that he is set for more success over 2000m and longer. It's a conundrum when Waller plays the numbers game but confident this fellow offers the best value in this field.

RACE 7 (10) ZAPATEO: Godolphin always targets these black type races for fillies and mares with the right talent and have the ideal type in this half-sister to Osborne Bulls who has one three times and has missed a place only once in eight career starts. Went for a spell off a Listed win over 1100m at the Scone carnival in May and a recent trial win at Kembla where she beat Jamaea showed she is in the right form to add to her strong fresh record, noting it took subsequent G1 winner Mazu to beat her when she was first-up in February. Well treated on the limit after carrying 57.5kg in her Scone win.

RACE 9 (7) IN SECRET: It's never easy to line up a classy batch of quality fillies when 13 of them are resuming from breaks of between 42 and 280 days but Godolphin has the one with the 'X factor' about her in this unbeaten daughter of I Am Invincible. Went from a Hawkesbury maiden win on debut to a classy Listed win at the Scone carnival in May where she mastered a heavy track under 56.5kg. Escapes a weight penalty and rates as the one to beat on the score of potential after a lovely soft third in a recent trial under a kind ride from her race jockey James Macdonald.

For Value

RACE 1: (7) OPTIMO: Gets prime run from inside gate. Suited back in distance with speed on.

RACE 3: (14) SCORCHED EARTH: Strong 1600m record. Rates well with big drop in weight.

RACE 10: (9) LARKSPUR RUN: Well placed on best form. Looks ready off good trials.

PLAYING THE QUADDIE

RACE 7: Ideal first-up target for the good mare (10) ZAPATEO. Went out in winning form and well placed down in the weights on the limit. Worked strongly to beat (5) JAMEA in a Kembla Grange trial and trusting that form will stand up. Plenty of respect for the latter as she possesses a lethal sprint when fresh. Untapped (13) SMIRNOVA is also primed for a big effort first-up off her winning trial. Classy Brisbane mare (9) BOOMNOVA is a flier over the short courses and arrives off an impressive trial win but needs a clever ride from her wide gate. Fast pace will suit last year's winner (3) FITUESE.

RACE 8: The trick is assessing where the big guns sit fitness wise when they resume over a distance short of their best. His trials say (2) ANAMOE is ready for 1400m. There really is nothing wrong with his fresh form but the track pattern may be important - will his inside draw be a positive? The enigmatic (1) MO'UNGA won this race last year when first-up beating Verry Elleegant and early money says he can repeat. His recent trials without blinkers are no guide at all – gets the gear back on and they make him a different beast under race conditions. Huge respect for (4) PROFONDO – looked very comfortable in his two trials and has the natural talent to unleash fresh. The good mare (10) FANGIRL is also a threat fresh. A drying track is a definite plus for her but like the others she will depend on genuine pace from the obvious leader (8) FORBIDDEN LOVE – if her rider Rachel King is smart she will take hold, stack them and make it a sprint to the line.

RACE 9: Tough fillies race with so many resuming but it really comes down to the potential of the unbeaten (5) IN SECRET. Lot to like about her good trial and is well drawn with J Mac aboard. (1) REVOLUTIONARY MISS is a class act and has also impressed in her prep trials. Forget her Slipper run from a bad gate in the wet – her Blue Diamond second is her real form. (3) SEVEN VEILS won over this course and distance before her Slipper flop. Trials say she is ready to bounce back. Respect the push for (5) WILLINGA BEAST off her OK trial at Wyong. (10) MUMBAI JEWEL, (11) MIDNIGHT IN TOKYO and (14) OPAL RIDGE are value inclusions for extended exotics.

RACE 10: Treating this as a match between the Godolphin pair. (9) LARKSPUR RUN rates highly on her Group form and excellent trials have her ready to perform fresh. Her stablemate (13) ARBRITATION faces a class rise but she impressed first-up under a big weight on a heavy track and can only improve off that experience. The very fit (3) PIZARRO is adaptable and it's hard to knock his form. The costly (5) ZARASTRO has been gelded but you still have to take him on trust. A solid trial indicates he is more focused. (7) MAYROSE (good trial) and (8) CONRAD next best.

SKINNY PLAY: 5-10/1-3/1-7/9-13

GOING WIDE: 3-5-9-10-13/1-3-4-10/1-3-5-7-11-14/3-5-7-8-9-13

TRIAL WATCH REPORT

NOTED TRIAL RUNNERS – August 20-23

RANDWICK SATURDAY: Electric Girl (R5); Chat (R5); Durston (R6); Smirnova (R7); Anamoe (R8); Revolutionary Miss (R9); Seven Veils (R9); Willinga Beast (R9); In Secret (R9); Grace's Secret (R9); Snitcat (R9); Mumbai Jewel (R9); Larkspur Run (R10); Mayrose (R10).  

NEWCASTLE SATURDAY: Dashing Legend (R3); Kin (R3); Ang Pow (R6); Grand Crusader (R7)

NOWRA SUNDAY: Cholante (R2)

SCONE TUESDAY: D'Arpano (R8); Terrestar (R8)

RECENT TRIAL WATCH WINNERS: Sumatra; Forms Of Fear; Headwall; Bayezid; Duchy Of Savoy; Stromboli; Junquiera; Golden Fighter; Euphrates Dream; Diamond Diesel; Zoukerino; Silvakia; Bold Mac; Willinga Freefall; Overlord; Waverider Buoy; Vientiane; Hell I Am; Airman; Alpha One.

TRIAL POINTERS

ROSEHILL August 12: A high class trials for the Group horses over 1000m on the course proper (61.03; 36.50) saw the enigmatic G1 winner MO'UNGA finish last almost eight lengths from the winner. He was given a quiet ride by Tommy Berry and while I would have liked to see him run through the line with more purpose he has performed like this in past trials before improving dramatically with blinkers on under race conditions.

WARWICK FARM August 5: ANAMOE did all that was required to win the 1000m heat (62.05; 36.47), sitting off the leader and extending under no pressure to claim a narrow win. It was the first time in his career that he has won a trial and was good improvement off his first-up soft trial - nothing less than you would expect from a horse of his class. PROFONDO was efficient finishing fourth under an easy ride in his second trial while DUAIS, seventh beaten 4.5 lengths, did not do enough to draw any conclusions. Godolphin's quality mare LARKSPUR RUN worked home nicely under no pressure in her 816m heat, her second piece of strong work in recent trials while her unbeaten stablemate IN SECRET finished third in her 813m heat without being asked for a serious effort. KIN was another nice trialler for Godolphin while the Hawkes stable would have been pleased by a promising effort from GRAND CRUSADER.

ROSEHILL July 29: SMIRNOVA's sharp 900m win in a heat for the 3 and 4YOs points to her being ready to perform first-up. She took up the running after 250m and from there worked well within herself to easily hold her rivals under a kind ride from Tommy Berry (54.95; 35.53). One of the season's best fillies REVOLUTIONARY MISS looks set to go on with it after trialling up nicely to finish second in a strong 900m heat (54.87; 35.68). Her strong work under no pressure over the last 250m took the eye behind another good filly MUMBAI JEWEL.

WARWICK FARM July 22 (Poly): Nothing was out to break records on the polytrack with the trials serving as nice warms ups for the likes of ANAMOE and PROFONDO. ANAMOE worked well within himself tracking deep for a soft third in a slow 740m heat (44.62; 33.80). They went quicker in the other open heat (43.12; 32.95) with PROFONDO having a quiet time sitting back through the first 600m and doing his best work through the line.

BLACKBOOK REPORT

Eligible Blackbook Runners – August 20-22

RANDWICK SATURDAY: Monfelicity (R2); Opacity (R4); Toomuchtobear (R6); Mo'Unga (R8); Opal Ridge (R9); Burning Crown (R10)

MOONEE VALLEY SATURDAY: Va Via (R1); Mayfair Spirit (R6); Prix De Turn (R7); Belsielle (R9) 

DOOMBEN SATURDAY: Caffrey (R8); Bonaparte (R9)

PAKENHAM MONDAY: Boldinho (R4)

RECENT BLACKBOOK WINNERS: I Am Bene; Veranskova; Berkeley Square; Pizarro; Lord Ardmore; Honey Pot; Tow The Line; Midnight In Tokyo; Kanazawa; Daralina Belle; Searchin' Roc's; Go Wandji; Thron Bone; Stormy Rock; Wicklow; Skyman; Jojo Was A Man; Vinco; Political Debate; Sibaaq.

Blackbookers – Selected August 13

(Follow for next 3 starts)

FIRE LOVE: Suited out to 1200m and longer.

FRUMOS: Ridden for luck. Got none!

MILLANE: Keen to follow into the spring.

MONFELICITY: Luckless ride. Going well.

MUNITIONS: Has come up well for new stable.

OJAI: Good filly. Respect in any company.