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There are five meetings set to take place on Wednesday including metro fixtures on the Kensington track at Randwick, Sandown and Ipswich.
Race 6 Kensington
Influential @ 6.00
Race 5 Sandown
Sparkling @ 3.80
Race 3 Ipswich
Dazzling Robert @ 11.00
Influential for Kensington glory
The penultimate race on the Kensington card is an 1800m Benchmark 64 handicap set to take place on a soft 6 surface.
Trained by Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott, Luconi has made just two starts to date debuting with an impressive three length success over 1200m at Scone on 12th July.
The four-year-old raced on a heavy 9 track and raced wide throughout on that occasion and followed that effort up with a close second, stepping up to 1500m at Kembla Grange just over two weeks later.
Luconi jumped at odds-on for that Kembla Grange Class 1 handicap which took place on a soft 6 surface and he rates highly stepping up in distance.
Chris Waller's INFLUENTIAL is preferred on this occasion, having broken his maiden on a good 4 track at Kembla Grange in October last year.
Influential raced over 1400m that day and was tried in Group 3 company in his final two starts of 2023, including when seventh of nine in Flemington's Carbine Club Stakes next time.
The son of The Autumn Sun failed to shine when resuming with a seventh in a 1500m Benchmark 72 handicap at Rosehill at the start of June but showed improvement on his only subsequent start.
That start saw the selection beaten less than half-a-length in finishing runner-up in a 1600m Benchmark 72 handicap at Warwick Farm at the end of last month.
The marked drop in grade is a positive in this contest, while apprentice Benjamin Osmond's three-kilogram claim is a positive with his mount tackling 1800m for the first time.
Sparkling to salute at Sandown
The Lakeside course at Sandown is set to host an eight-race card with the fifth race a 1200m Benchmark 64 handicap event.
Attain is expected to have his supporters having resumed with a fourth in a similar race to this over course and distance.
The four-year-old showed solid form in maiden company last prep, including when registering a win in a 1300m contest at Cranbourne at the end of March.
A down the field effort in the Listed Bendigo Guineas followed, however that was no real surprise given the son of Outreach jumped at triple figure odds that day.
The wide alley is a negative for Sheridan Clarke's mount here however, so SPARKLING is the pick for this one with trainer Matt Laurie boasting an impressive 42% strike-rate (5/12) in the last 30 days.
The filly lost out by a narrow margin when contesting a 1400m Class 1 handicap held on a good 4 track at this track in February.
Sparkling has made just two starts since then, including when fading into ninth having raced from the front in the 1400m Group 2 Angus Armanasco Stakes at Caulfield next time.
This four-year-old was back in the winners' enclosure when saluting over this distance in a Class 1 handicap at Cranbourne at the start of this month.
The daughter of The Autumn Sun shaped as if she could compete at a higher level when defying barrier nine to salute that day and she can score with Mark Zahra set to ride.
Dazzling Robert for Ipswich success
The third race at Ipswich takes the eye with a field of 10 set to line up for the 1666m Class 3 handicap event.
Owen Glue saddles DAZZLING ROBERT, with the gelding arriving here in great form having won two of his last three starts.
The first of those saw him break his maiden by two-and-a-half-lengths in a 1310m maiden held on a heavy 8 track at Ballina at the end of June.
A good third over 1400m at Grafton followed, prior to the pick delivering a narrow-margin victory over 1526m when contesting a Class 1 handicap at Lismore.
That Lismore success saw the selection salute on a good 4 track, with the gelding having overcome being hampered at the start to score that day.
Cejay Graham rode the son of Red Dazzler from off the pace in that race and, with the extra distance here expected to suit, she can partner the gelding to his third win of the year.
