Multiple Group 1 winner Prized Icon has been charged with carrying topweight this afternoon, but he has a class edge over his rivals in the Inglis Cup and will be hard to beat. The More Than Ready entire returned to the racing for a smart third in a 1400m race at Rosehill, before a couple of good runs from the tail of the field to finish fifth in both the Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) and Group 3 Cameron Handicap (1500m) most recently. The step up to 2000m today is ideal and he’ll be ridden by champion hoop Damien Oliver.
Booker has not been seen at the races since April, but she is a mare with immense talent and she can make a winning return in the Testa Rossa Stakes this afternoon. A multiple black type winner, Booker resumed in autumn for a dominant win in the Group 3 Kevin Hayes Stakes at this track and distance and continued to race well in tough grades, returning a smart run for fourth in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) most notably. She has plenty of options from the rails draw and with even luck, will be fighting out the finish.
Fighting Harada has received some of the worst luck of the season through his two most-recent starts and while he does face a step up in class today, he looks a colt with plenty of ability and I am confident he can figure in the Caulfield Guineas Prelude at the nice price. The Fighting Sun colt has posted two wins and three minors through his seven career starts to date and jumped a $1.50 favourite at Sandown last time out but was boxed in in the straight and had nowhere to go. 1400m looks to be his pet trip and he is worth consideration at his current price ($18/$4.80 at the time of publish).
Blair House will make his Australian debut in the Underwood Stakes and should prove extremely difficult to beat, on what he has done in Europe and the Middle-East. The Pivotal gelding has had five starts in 2018 so far and has finished worse than second only once, in a campaign that also included an impressive win in the Group 1 Jebel Hatta (1800m) at Meydan. Charlie Appleby’s horses have been airborne in Australia through recent seasons and Blair House can continue that run in the Underwood.