By Dane Squance
Last start Group 1 winners Silent Sedition (Aus) (War Chant) and Heavens Above (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) look the ones to battle the race out on form, with a slight leaning towards Tim Martin's G1 Coolmore Classic winner Heavens Above (Aus), second in this race last year who is looking capable of adding a second 'Coolmore' sponsored Group 1 race to her tally. Set to peak third up, Heavens Above will settle back in the field and if she can produce her trademark closing sectionals on the likely slow rated track surface, the 5-year-old mare can go back to back at the elite level.
Narrowly beaten by Heavens Above two starts back at Group 1 level, Andrew Noblet's Silent Sedition headed back to Melbourne and although dropping back to the 1200m sprint distance was too classy in the G1 William Reid at Moonee Valley. If she can handle the step back-up in distance and the travelling again, she is right in this. Unlucky this time in, including a narrow third in the G1 Coolmore Classic, victory for Kris Lee's Danish Twist (Aus) (Dane Shadow {Aus}) would be a well-deserved win for the half-sister to triple Group 1 winner Happy Trails (Aus) (Good Journey).
Well-bred Zanbagh (Aus) (Bernardini), whose dam was a winner of the Australian Oaks, was impressive when recording a narrow victory in the G2 Emancipation S. Although the John Thompson-trained mare does have to overcome a wide gate, now that she has found form and with the services of in-form Damian lane in the saddle, she will run a very good race. Two 3-year-old fillies line up in the race and both have an undeniable chance on their recent form. Chris Waller's Foxplay (Aus) (Foxwedge {Aus}) was outstanding in the G2 Phar Lap S. (1500m) before possibly finding the 2000m of the G1 Vinery Stud S. a little too far when finishing fourth, while Oregon's Day (Aus) (Domesday {Aus}) flashed home to win the G3 Alexandria S. (1600m) by over two lengths.
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