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By Ray Hickson

ROSEHILL GARDENS – BEST BET: Race 5 # 3 – LIVIN’ THING

Trainer John O'Shea (Pic: Steve Hart)

There’s no way this lightly raced three-year-old has found his ceiling just yet and on the strength of his recent midweek win he’s arriving in Saturday benchmark 72 company at the right time and in the right form. In three starts for the O’Shea/Charlton stable he’s won twice and you can excuse his heavy 10 defeat in between. He reacted well when asked to go at the top of the straight at Kensington last start, and stretched out like a horse at the top of his game. The class rise sees him drop 2.5kg and he’ll be able to slot in just behind the pace. Plenty of reason to think he’ll be very hard to beat again.

ROSEHILL GARDENS – BEST VALUE: Race 8 # 13 – KAZALARK

It’s almost 1000 days since this gelding’s only win but he did spent 882 of them on the sidelines so we’re not going to be hard on him there. To be fair he didn’t show a lot in his first two runs back from that long absence but he did show plenty in his latest effort at Canterbury which suggests he’s back in business. He had 60kg and went back to last in a 1550m race and as he was warming up along he fence he had to ease in the concluding stages, likely costing him fourth at least. Up in trip, bigger track, down in weight and it’s a good set up for him to build on that run. Good each-way chance and if he does improve as expected stick with him next time too.

ROSEHILL GARDENS – SECTIONAL STAR: Race 10 # 13 – LADY EXTREME

It’s been a month since this mare resumed with a strong finishing win and Punter's Intelligence data highlights just how impressive it was. She ran a last 600m of 34.60 which was over three lengths faster than anything else in that race run on heavy ground and the only horse to break 35 seconds. Her last 200m of 11.85 was again easily the fastest and she was the only to better 12 seconds for that split. She’s up in class but the gap between runs looks to suit and if she can reproduce her finishing burst she’ll go close.

NEWCASTLE – PROVINCIAL PICK: Race 6 # 5 – IN SUMMER

Promising mare who has won three of her six starts and resumes having claimed a Highway over the Randwick mile just prior to Christmas. She kicked off that prep at 1000m so it’s significant she starts over 1400m now which should afford her the chance to balance up rather than being run off her feet. Of course she has to take the step out of Highway grade but the way she rounded them up before a spell from a long way back showed she has a great turn of speed. Smallish field opposes her and it’d be a surprise if she doesn’t run well.

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s Rosehill meeting