Nitro Express is one of the few horses in the field with a win over his name at this distance and he should come close again on Sunday from the inside gate.
The eight-year-old was last seen running third over the mile at Happy Valley a month ago, while Chad Schofield has a long-standing affinity with this horse having ridden him to a win way back in 2016. He gets a 1.5kg off and rates as one of the major players.
Strong contest here between several proven sprinters and we might just see an upset with six the top half of the field carrying 60kg.
Precious Sweetie is the one that stands out. He’s a two-time winner over this distance and prefers racing on the turf. The wide gate makes things tricky for Matthew Poon, but it might be an advantage with several others lugging big weight.
Karis Teetan will be hoping the third time is the charm aboard Circuit Hassler on Sunday.
The pair have finished runner-up in back-to-back starts together over the track and distance, but they might breakthrough here in what looks to be a very winnable contest.
The seven-year-old son of Shocking has placed eight times over this distance and is well overdue for a win this season. He’s proved capable of running on from a wide gate two starts back and if he gets cover early, he might finish over the top of some of these.
Northern Superstar strips fitter for his first-up run where he finished last in a field of five in the Group 3 Premier Cup last month.
The six-year-old South African import carries an extra 5kg around on Sunday, but I expect him to improve drastically getting back to his preferred distance where he’s won twice previously.
He also owns a win second-up and should be doing his best work late from the middle draw.
This looks a suitable contest for the lightly-raced Natural Storm to break through for his maiden.
The three-year-old ran on for fifth over the track and distance behind Beauty Angel a fortnight ago and should come much closer this time around from a much softer draw.
The son of Pins is a get-back, run-on type horse, and he should have every chance to do just that under Chad Schofield.
Hero Star is making serious headway towards a win and I don’t expect him to be a maidener for much longer.
The four-year-old has narrowly missed out in back-to-back starts over the course and distance behind two talented horses in Yee Cheong Pegasus and Angel Of My Eyes.
He should be much better for those two performances and I like the fact trainer Manfred Man has stuck with Neil Callan for a third crack. From the draw, they should be coming close in the late stages.
Super Red Dragon was unlucky to miss out in his first run over the 1400m where he finished a nose second to Superb Daddy.
The four-year-old son of Starspangledbanner is coming off a six week let-up on Sunday carrying only 53kg. He stormed home for second three starts back when fresh and I think the booking of Joao Moreira signals plenty of intent from the Chris So yard.
Moreira holds a 25% win-rate and a 50% place-race on So-trained horses, making this one of the better bets on the program.
Super Elegance rates as one of the backmarkers to watch in this race second-up under Antoine Hamelin.
The five-year-old New Zealand import returned to the races in good order last month finishing a length second to God Of Dragon over the 1400m and has placed second-up previously.
He’s also found the minors twice over this distance and tends to love swooping in late from a wide draw. Depending on how the track is playing by this stage of the day, he looks a real threat.
Beauty Applause strips fitter for his first-up assignment when fifth over the track and distance.
The son of Stratum is carrying 56kg again here and does have a win to his name second-up in the past.
Joao Moreira has ridden this horse in all 11 of his starts to date, including a pair of wins over the 1200m last time in. He clearly has a high opinion of him and they should be right in the finish.
Flying Sword is absolutely airborne right now and it wouldn’t be the least bit surprising to see him win again.
The son of Foxwedge scored by two lengths last month over the track and distance and if Karis Teetan can overcome the high draw, he might just put a similar gap between himself and the rest of the field.
Heza Beauty is of a similar calibre coming off a comfortable win over the track and distance himself. Joao Moreira retains the ride, and while this is a step up in class, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him come close.
Metro Warrior looks set to peak on his run coming off a last-start second where he was beaten comfortably by Winning Dream over the 1000m.
The son of Fastnet Rock is still searching for his first win since venturing over to Hong Kong back in May, but he seems to have found a suitable contest here with the low draw working in his favour.
President’s Choice is a two-time winner over this course and distance already this term. He ran on for fifth under Karis Teetan last time out and now gets Antoine Hamelin looking to go one better. He’s a legitimate shot here and should improve from a more suitable gate.