We’re on another highway to hell this week with Saturday’s Class Three Highway Handicap (1100m) at Rosehill Gardens, which has turned out to be a tough race with plenty of chances.
Separating the different form lines is no easy task, but as always, Thunderbet’s Andrew Price has had his say on the race.
MAXIMUM VORTEX ($4), from the Ethan Ensby yard, is an exciting horse on the up and may well have a few lengths on these.
While he has drawn wide (gate 16), is four weeks between runs, and this is a rise in grade, there are just too many positives.
The Class One at Grafton has shown to be a good form race with four individual winners coming from it, and he now drops 4kgs on the run.
His two runs to date have been outstanding, where he has shown an abundance of early speed, and I doubt Prebble will use too much juice crossing from the wide gate here.
With any sort of breather mid-race, MAXIMUM VORTEX is definitely the horse to be on.
The Lou Mary-trained PROVERBIAL ($9) is going around over the odds in this race.
If we go back to her last prep, this mare ran some very good races in strong Highway races.
Drawn ideally, and with the Dylan Gibbons claim, it is nicely weighted at 56kg.
She has won twice and been placed a further six times at this trip, and she’s won at Rosehill Gardens.
She has not been sighted at the trials, and I’ll be keen to see her in the parade ring, but as a previous first-up winner, I think we can expect she’ll be ready to go. The $9 is excellent value.
SUSSU ($5.50) can fill the placings. She has an ideal profile for a race of this grade with three wins and a second from five starts, is one from one at the track/distance, and two from two on good tracks.
Regan Bayliss to steer from gate 8 is perfect and gets in with 56kg. She’s had two trials leading into this first-up run, and the second trial for me is the only question mark.
I wasn’t entirely convinced by it, but she does have a good country trainer in Stephen Jones, and you’d expect her to be ready for the first-up tilt in the city.
The early flow of money suggests she’s ready.
This week’s ‘Each Way Play’ is Rodney Northam’s SYRIAN STAR ($13). She is an emergency and may not get a run, but if she does, I’m confident of a good showing.
She was two months between runs going into the Denise’s Joy at Scone, and while beaten 5.8 lengths, it was a strong grade, and they ran some time!
The run was much better than it looked on paper. Second up last time, she ran 1.9L fourth in a midweek BM64 at Canterbury.
If she gets into the field Saturday, then I think she will be right in the finish.
Thunderbet’s selections
1. Maximum Vortex $4
2. Proverbial $9
3. Sussu $5.50
Each Way Play: Syrian Star $13
For the Rosehill Gardens markets, click here.
