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By Brad Gray

6. Golden Point was forced back from a wide draw last start in a Highway Handicap and had to sustain a wide run, clocking the fastest last 600m and last 200m in the race. Having to fan wide told very late as he just felt the pinch the last 100m or so. Testator Silens has franked the form by winning the Nowra Country Championships heat since. Trainer Stirling Osland has this four-year-old flying at the moment. He ran Zoo Station to less than a length, again in Highway company, the start prior to that. Jason Collett has been aboard in both of those starts and he sticks. The middle draw gives Collett the chance to park up midfield. The son of Bull Point is yet to tick the 1400m box but the timing is right to try again.

Dangers: 8. Markievicz is chasing four straight wins, zipping past Golden Gorge last start. It took this mare 12 starts to break her maiden but she hasn’t looked back since. Drops back from 1500m to 1400m but otherwise, it’s hard to poke many holes in her case. 12. Danzadel presents here a very fit racehorse backing up from her Nowra win last Sunday. Tommy Berry can use the low draw to park up just in behind the speed. 18. Shen Gui perhaps was found out at the end of 1500m last start when given every possible chance. His second to Banju over 1400m prior to that reads well for this. Maps great. The same can’t be said for 1. Commando Hunt, 4. Royal Exit or backmarker 5. Steplee but they’ve all got the talent to win this with the right breaks.

How To Play It: Golden Point WIN

1. Rule Of Law is out to protect the picket fence he has been building this preparation, winning all four starts he’s had for Bjorn Baker having returned a gelding this time back. He beat Joviality third up, who won her next race, before going toe-to-toe with The Bopper at Rosehill over 1200m. The speed was really cranked up in the middle stages yet he absorbed it to win, and win in good time. He comes back to 1100m but has had three weeks to freshen up. Doubt he’ll be able to cross the speedy Mr Mosaic, who has drawn barrier 1, but he’ll park up in a similar position to last start and gets his chance from there. He is a hard fit horse racing right at the top of his game at the moment and deserves to be at the pointy end of betting again.

Dangers: 2. Shadow Crush smashed the clock late when winning over the Randwick 1000m last start. Mark Newnham has this sprinter flying. He clocked a lightning quick last 600m of 32.22s there, that was four lengths faster than the next best across the entire meeting. Just needs to replicate that at Rosehill. Gerald Ryan and Stirling Alexiou have found the key to 3. Mr Mosaic – keep him fresh between runs. He beat held The Bopper the last time we saw him at races which ties neatly into the form of Rule Of Law. 4. Emanate has always improved second up.

How To Play It: Rule Of Law WIN

2. Military Expert looked disappointing first up in Midway company over 1300m when very easy in the market late. With the benefit of hindsight we now know that you needed to find the rails at Rosehill that meeting and he didn’t. We’ve seen horses subsequently turn their form around after failing at that meeting having not found the fence in run, and Military Expert could be the latest. His three-year-old form all through his first racing preparation speaks for itself. On debut he went down narrowly to King Of Sparta. He ended the campaign in Group races, the Ming Dynasty when second to Coastwatch before running third in the Guineas Prelude. Have mapped him to lead on Saturday. Long story short, he’s better than a Midway horse.

Dangers: 5. Always Sure comes through the same Midway as Military Expert and like the way he found the line late, despite the form guide reading 10th. He copped some interference in the middle stages which spat him out the back. His last 200m of 11.28s was the second quickest in the race and he improved sharply second up last preparation out to this type of trip. 9. French Emperor returned with a bang at Kembla Grange first up but didn’t back that up two weeks later in a Midway, when ridden closer. Perhaps he needs a quieter ride. 1. Casino Mondial was run off his feet by Maotai over 1200m first up when a $91 chance. Jumps straight out to 1500m and comes back a couple of notches. 3. McCormack can mix his form but his best is competitive again.

How To Play It: Military Expert WIN

1. Krone needed a couple of runs to find winning form last preparation and she should be just about ready to fire now third up. She was only beaten 2.8 lengths by Snapdancer in the Magic Millions fillies and mares race last start. That was five weeks ago but the six-year-old has fired off a similar freshen in the past. She is a Group One winner so has certainly earned her 58kg, winning the Coolmore Classic. That was her second win at Rosehill, from just three starts having already won the Darby Munro as three-year-old where Classique Legend ran third. The 1300m is as short as she needs to win but she won’t be far away in this small field. She’s the class runner, which will take her a long way in this, and handles all surfaces.

Dangers: 3. Expat gets the blinkers back on to tackle 1300m. She won the G3 Belle Of The Turf over the mile the last time we saw her at the races, beating Brookspire, who comes through the same Magic Millions race as Krone. The advantage Expat has is that she’ll control the race from in front. She loves wet ground but there is probably not enough evidence to completely dismiss her on dry ground. The 1300m probably stretches 6. Belucci Babe but she strikes this at the right time. It’s the perfect kind of race for 2. Rocha Clock but she typically needs a run. 7. Le Lude wasn’t quite as sharp over the shorter trips last preparation but she has trialled up nicely. She ran fourth in this race last year.

How To Play It: Krone WIN

We still haven’t seen the best of 1. Mazu. The same line can be trotted out for most here, granted, but this is a sprinter that has already proved competitive against the sharpest three-year-old’s in the country. That was despite doing plenty wrong. He won a Listed race the last time we saw him at the races despite travelling keenly in the middle stages, holding off Able Willie. Mazu returns a gelding ahead of his third racing preparation and love the way he trialled over 900m at Rosehill recently. He travelled sweetly for Sam Clipperton before extending powerfully through the line without being asked to do anything. Wouldn’t expect him to be too far away from the middle draw and at the early price, want to be in his corner.

Dangers: Have been really taken by the trials of Godolphin filly 9. Zapateo this time back. She raced exclusively in Melbourne in her first campaign and was only pipped late at Moonee Valley by Zouzarella the last time we saw her at the races. She is a half sister to Osborne Bulls. 2. Nasturtium can’t have done much more to date, winning his three starts by a combined margin of 10 lengths but this is by far his stiffest test to date. It’s only a BM78 in name but could has the quality of a black type race. In his favour is the lead should be his and the Tim Clark booking. 6. Able Willie meets Mazu 2.5kg better off from their clash back in October. He found the line at Canterbury first up but is still a work in progress.

How To Play It: Mazu WIN

There’s simply no substitute for speed and 13. Queen Of The Ball proved exactly that at Rosehill last start in the Widden Stakes. She jumped quickly to cross the field finding the front before putting just near four lengths on her rivals late. Revolutionary Miss and Mumbai Jewel have already franked the form. The daughter of I Am Invincible did get control in front that day, and will have to absorb a lot more pressure in this, but barrier 1 will see her bounce straight to the front. Over the Rosehill 1100m that’s typically a big advantage. The real kicker when assessing the merit in her last start win is that she clocked a 2.5 length quicker overall time compared to Best Of Bordeaux in the Canonbury. Both of those winners found the rails-in-run fast lane at Rosehill so were potentially flattered but the improvement Queen Of The Ball showed from start one to start two, sets her up to potentially improve further again.

Dangers: On pure raw talent, 1. Shalatin has so much potential. It’s just whether it’s going to all come a touch too soon for him at two. He motored home on debut in the Kirkham, behind 11. Ojai, where Queen Of The Ball ran second, before ducking and weaving his way into second in the Golden Gift behind Sejardan. He’ll be out the back but cover with a three-wide running line is a very real possibility. Ojai maps to be much closer than in the Widden and she has form around all the right horses on paper. 14. Ebhaar is a talented filly but she hasn’t yet learnt to harness her speed, which brought about her undoing last start. 15. Cythera did a solid job winning on debut while bolter 7. Nolan maps particularly well and that could see him exceed market expectations.

How To Play It: Queen Of The Ball WIN

8. Mightybeel finished seventh first up but that doesn’t begin to tell the story. It was a race Frosty Rocks completely dominated from in front. The front-running grey walked through the first half of the race giving nothing else a chance. Especially those out the back. Mightybeel settled last and made a powerful surge from the 400m but ran out of petrol about 100m from home. Despite that, he still clocked the fourth quickest last 600m split across the meeting, only bettered by three in the 1000m sprint, and the third quickest final 200m (11.20s). The four-year-old produced a similar run first up last campaign before gapping his rivals out to 1900m second up. This is a lot tougher but his turn of foot sees him set up perfectly to catch out a few of these genuine 2400m horses.

Dangers: 1. Entente’s record tells you that he has historically needed the run first up but he has never resumed over 1900m before and he has only ever had two trials leading into his return. It’s three this time back so perhaps we best treat him like he’s second up into this. He proved last preparation that he is one of the best stayers in Sydney, paying the price at the weights for that now, however, and he loves firm ground. Expect Tim Clark to make a bee line straight for the front. 2. Great House beat Wairere Falls first up last preparation over 1500m. He won out to 2500m over the spring before running midfield in the Melbourne Cup. The worry is that’ll just take away his dash this time back. 3. Nickajack Cave is a curious runner for Peter Moody. Monitor for any market confidence.

How To Play It: Mightybeel WIN

11. Silent Impact hasn’t been able to muster enough speed to lead over 1100m or 1200m in his two runs back this time in but that looks set to change third up out to 1400m, especially given the lack of any other obvious leader. Like the wide draw too, allowing Regan Bayliss the chance to slide across in his own time. He powered home to win first up this time back, albeit in BM72 company, before finding Maotai too slick second up. Maotai clocked an overall time seven lengths quicker than Paulele, who won the Eskimo Prince on the same day. Yes, the race shape was completely different but it says that Silent Impact should be able to make the leap into a better race now. It was Waterhouse and Bott’s In The Congo that plotted the downfall of Anamoe in the Golden Rose and they’ll adopt similar tactics to beat him again in this.

Dangers: Of course it’s 1. Anamoe. He simply couldn’t win first up over 1200m in the G2 Expressway given he didn’t find the fence in run. He ran as well as the conditions allowed and was always going to be most vulnerable over that trip. Have mapped him to settle down midfield and in a genuinely run race, that should see him too good. Don’t know if he’ll get that, however, which is the knock. From what we’ve seen of 2. Converge to date, he’s at his most explosive when ridden conservatively but the alternative to being in the first couple is being right out the back, given where has drawn. 4. Hilal found the line in the Eskimo Prince, completely unsuited by the slow tempo. He’ll run well settling closer out to 1400m. 5. Ranch Hand comes through that same race and has to be in the conversation too. As do knockout hopes 10. Maurice’s Medad and 13. Kiss Sum.

How To Play It: Silent Impact EACH WAY

6. New Arrangement was flying last preparation without much to show for it. He won first up, beating Grand Piano, over 1300m but thereafter he was dogged by wide draws and slowly run races. He ran second to Mirra Vision, was closing hard late when 7th to Atishu while even his fourth behind Kiss The Bride had merit given the winner got control in front. He did have his chance to charge through the line and win the last time we saw him at the races, when heavily backed late, but perhaps he’d just come to the end of it. Draws a barrier which shouldn’t leave him with any excuses and found it interesting that Tommy Berry jumps off the stablemate Giannis to ride New Arrangement. The six-year-old has probably found his level now but this isn’t beyond him.

Dangers: 9. Giannis bombed the start in that same race and was never in the hunt. He’s also suited back to benchmark company. 11. Matowatakpe is working his way back to form and the week back up is a sign of intent from Bjorn Baker that he’s just about ready.

How To Play It: New Arrangement EACH WAY

3. Dajraan did everything that was expected of him on his Australian debut at Warwick Farm. He was backed as if unbeatable ($2.35 into an SP of $1.65) and although the response wasn’t immediate, he really asserted his dominance the last 100m. That sets him up well out to 1400m now. Doesn’t look to be blessed with a stack of natural gate speed but can’t find anything to his immediate outside that’ll be desperate to cross him. The four-year-old has a huge pedigree to live up to but he is on his way and his low benchmark rating gives the import the chance to build his confidence.

Dangers: 12. War Eternal kept finding the line over 1200m behind Paulele first up. He was horribly suited by the lack of tempo but like the way he knuckled down to chase. Out to 1400m suits now and the barrier should allow Jason Collett to hold a prominent spot. His best run last preparation was over the mile so he’s still likely to be a run short but he fits in well here. Former Kiwi 10. Sindacato is the big watch. If there is any market confidence, look out. Despite being a six-year-old, he has only had five starts. Chris Waller has a knack of getting these talented New Zealanders to hit the ground running and Sindacato trucked through the line in his trial. 6. Tamerlane is the best of the rest but he looks to have found his level.

How To Play It: Dajraan WIN

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