OVERVIEW: QUIRKY CHARACTER (5) may fly under the radar here considering his numerical form, but he's been going okay from bad draws, running good times from unwinnable positions. He'll have a few in front of him again here, but there could be a bit of early speed to help him, and the smaller field to round them up is also in his favour. He should be a nice value play.

KEAYANG LAVITA (4) has been mixing it between standing starts and mobile conditions and racing well. Her failures have often been the result of having to do too much work in quick time. She has speed, but so do a couple inside and outside her, so the map could be a little tricky. However, if she gets the right trip, she's hard to beat. KARBINE (3) has really delivered on his potential this preparation, winning six of 23 starts, with a couple of those victories coming in town at a good level. He can float into a nice enough position from the draw, and his tough run last start is worth forgiving as he looks to bounce back. IRON WOMEN (1) can be expected to utilise her speed from the pole draw, and over this trip that's a big advantage. She is up in grade, however, so she may feel the pressure late. The chances don't end there, with MAORIS MAC (6) possessing good ability, and even NAKEDTRUTH (2), EL RESAMO (7) and MEADOW VALLEY STAR (9) wouldn't shock the way they're going, as they can perform at this level with the right run. It's an open race.