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It’s hard to find a real stand out among the two-year-olds from Randwick on Saturday but a number of the youngsters performed more than admirably enough to suggest there’s upside.

By Choice had the Waterhouse/Bott bone and muscle on display as she sat outside the leader and proved stronger at the finish running 11.55 for the final 200m, which was second fastest of the race.

Punter’s Intelligence data showed she ran a last 600m of 34.31, just 0.08 outside the race’s best and her late dominance was there to see.

Whether the Spelling At Coolmore Mt White Handicap (1100m) turns out to be a strong form race remains to be seen but if you were on a backmarker it’s probably wise to be a bit forgiving.

Six of the 10 runners clocked a last 600m of between 34.23 and 34.58 (two lengths) so it was always going to be hard to make significant ground.

The race’s fastest last 600m of 34.23 was run by Tigroni who finished third, she was held up a bit between the 400m and 200m but had plenty of clear air late and ran the third fastest last 200m of 11.61.

It may not look like it to the eye but Marwooba (34.30), Half Pipe (34.24) and To Dubai We Go (34.33, including 11.45 fastest last 200m) have all run comparable final 600m splits to say they’ve run well enough under the circumstances.

There has to be a TAB Highway around in the coming weeks for Fingers Hunter after the mare’s eye-catching return in the 1200m Highway.

She’s clocked easily the fastest last 600m of the race, running 34.64 which is two lengths faster than the next best run by Tartaglia (34.96). She didn’t jump the best and was still second last when passing the 300m so to finish fifth was a huge performance.

She was the only horse to break 12 seconds for the last 200m (11.97) and by almost a length.

The overall time in the Highway stacked up okay against the Benchmark 78 races run later in the day being only half a second slower. The first 600m in the Highway was run significantly faster.

Fingers Hunter has won up to a mile and there is a 1400m Highway in three weeks which may be a logical target.

Wooloowin showed a return to form first-up in the Agency Real Estate Handicap (1200m) as she scorched home from last in 33.68 to run fourth.

She was a couple of lengths off the winner Super Norwest on the turn, the winner sprinted a shade better from the 400m-200m (10.84 vs 10.87) before Wooloowin turned it around over the final 200m (11.69 vs 11.71).

It was a promising first-up effort and she can be effective in the 1200m-1400m range.

It’ll be interesting to see where Althoff goes distance wise next start after staying at 1200m likely brought him undone second-up.

He was a real sectional star when resuming at the same trip and has again recorded some slick late splits running a race best 11.58 for the last 200m in the Sporting Chance Cancer Foundation Handicap and the second fastest last 600m of 34.00.

Ice Kool did a good job to hold them off and remain unbeaten in the Petaluma Handicap (1100m) but the sectionals run by third placed Big Red Tequila are hard to miss.

It was the mare’s second attempt at Benchmark 72 level and was coming off a Class 1 win and she’s definitely up to the grade. She’s run a meeting best 32.97 for her last 600m and was 0.01 outside running the fastest sectional for each 200m split for the last 800m.

Joe Pride is placing his horses well and she has a win in that grade in her.

Fastest last 600m: Big Red Tequila 32.97

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