The replays and sectional times have been reviewed from Saturday’s Randwick meeting and our analyst has found 2 runners to black book; a Bjorn Baker sprinter that ran well in inferior ground and a Waller import that looks set to improve in his 2nd Aus campaign.
Shezanalister
The Baker mare is worth sticking with as the run was much better than the 2.8L 4th will read. Really cost herself the race when ½ a stride slow from the gates and couldn’t muster to find a prominent position over 1100m. After settling midfield, Berry was forced to cut the corner on the turn. She was still in front at the 200m until racing in the inferior ground took its’ toll. She’s won 2 races on all surfaces so she is one you can take away from the meeting with confidence.
Etna Rosso
European imports often improve dramatically in their 2nd Aus prep and this Waller 4yo looks right on track to follow that trend after a nice 3rd 1st up. After settling at the rear, he was caught on heels on the turn and when he got out at the 300m he showed a slick turn of foot before wanting to lay in. When apprentice Ben Osmond straightened him up he closed off nicely for 3rd. Expect him to improve through the prep and if Waller can get him to knuckle down straight under pressure, he is going to be hard to beat over 2000m+. The form from that race should stack up as they ran 1.1 seconds quicker than the earlier 1800m race run in much better conditions.
