La Tikka Rosa is after a fourth-straight win today and looks very hard to beat back to the 1000m at Eagle Farm.
The four-year-old Matthew Dunn mare has gone from strength to strength this campaign improving with each run, producing a career-best showing last start over 1200m at this track finishing 2.3L clear of San Jose.
The downside was she now has to carry 58kg which is a slight concern, but against this field I don’t think it’ll matter.
She’s being aimed at the Listed Travel Associates Classic (1200m) in a fortnight, and would want to be winning this if she’s to play a role in that race.
Expect her to sit off the pace behind a solid tempo likely to be set by Golden Trinkets.
She should have every chance to let down and her class can get her home here.
Nuptse looks a danger resuming after winning a midweek race at this track and trip 129 days go in the wet.
He bled during the run and was handed an automatic three-month ban, so there’s a big query over him coming back at his best.
Caliente is another danger resuming, although she was below her best in two runs last campaign and hasn’t won in almost a year now.
That leaves Golden Trinkets who should be in this for a long while but she’s probably a level below La Tikka Rosa.
The $3 on offer about her today looks a good price.
Fast forward to race 7 and I’m tempted by the enigmatic Fillydelphia in the Desiree Gill Memorial open handicap (1400m).
I’ll preface this by saying she’s been well below par in both runs back from a spell and she’s now more than a year between wins so we’re playing with fire already.
But at $12 it might just be worth dabbling each way to see just where she’s at.
Going up to the 1400m the first time this campaign is a big plus, that’s a much more suitable trip for her.
Just prior to a spell last preparation she was beaten only half a length by Lucky Luna in the Listed Sunshine Coast Cup over this trip.
On resuming this campaign she was well held down in Sydney in the Group 3 Sheraco Stakes (1200m) after jumping poorly, then she overraced here last month second-up and just found things a bit quick over the 1200m again.
Listen Son and Theft will ensure there’s plenty of pace on here, so if Fillydelphia can get somewhere near her best she’ll be laying down a fair challenge late on.
Listen Son and Theft look the two to beat today, and there’s every chance they’ll beat each other up enough out in front to let the swoopers steal this.
I suspect there’s still a bit of fight in Fillydelphia and this race is right up her alley.
The lay comes earlier in the program in race 5, the Brisclean Benchmark 85 Handicap over 1800m.
It’s a real dartboard job this one, and Playaction has come up the $4.20 favourite. I reckon we can take him on.
He’s placed in his last couple beaten by Regular and Elmantosh, so that explains why he’s so prominent in the market.
But he’s winless in four runs at this trip and winless in 10 goes at this track.
Bewhatyouwannabe is progressing nicely for Robert Heathcote and will be tough to beat.
Master Avatar resumed well enough behind Borehole and flies second-up while Billy Aucash hasn’t been far off of late and should run a solid race.
The $4.20 about Playaction looks far too skinny.
BANKER: Race 3 #3 La Tikka Rosa @ $3
PLAY OF THE DAY: Race 7 #2 Fillydelphia @ $12
LAY OF THE DAY: Race 5 #2 Playaction @ $4.20
