Brief Song drops back in distance after a recent 1900m race at Newcastle, where she finished near the back. Despite the result, she had excuses as she started far behind. Before that, she had a strong second-place finish at Scone over 1600m. It’s important to note she was stepping up in distance in her last race. Now, with blinkers on for the first time and a favorable inside barrier, she’s well-positioned to improve.
Highly Tempted seems ready for a longer distance. After breaking his maiden at Taree on a heavy track, he moved up to 1200m at Newcastle but was positioned too far back to win. However, he finished strongly to claim third. Stepping up to 1400m at country level looks like a good opportunity for him.
Salamancas looks ready to continue his success for trainer Noel Mayfield-Smith. The lightly-raced four-year-old by Sacred Falls won his maiden impressively at Kempsey in July, finishing strong with more to give. With a similar seven-week break between runs and proven form over longer distances, he should handle the step up to a mile comfortably.
Cenotes heads into the Cup with strong winning form. Ben Looker has made a big impact, guiding the five-year-old to consecutive wins at Tamworth over the same distance. Cenotes finished strongly in both races, and the softer conditions should suit him once more. Well-placed in the weights, with just a bit of early luck from the wide barrier, he’ll be tough to beat again.