3 minute read

We are back at Flemington this Saturday for the Kensington Stakes where a couple of interesting runners offer a whiff of the carnival just around the corner.

Two group winning three-year-olds, Time To Reign and Sartorial Splendour, add some spice and interest to the Kensington Stakes but it's a tricky contest depsite it's small field and our best of the day comes up early on the card in race four. 

There's another promising one engaged here, Blossom In Snow, and she is undoubtedly untapped, but she comes up nice and short for one should face a much stiffer test this time and doesn't bring the best last start rating into the race.  

That belongs to the Freedman-trained Rogues Point who has stepped right up since going to the mile and off a good performance behind a potentially handy one at Sandown last time looks all set up to improve again out to 2000m now.  

If he can improve in line with expectations off the Sandown run then he has enough substance about him to ensure that Blossom In Snow will have to put her potential to use. 

For an each way play we roll on to race six where the betting is headed up by Fabric off a strong winter/early spring campaign and Wentwood who makes his Australian debut off a good-looking jump out at Stawell.  

Smart Elissim, meanwhile, comes off a second up run where he offered up very little, but he can be a bit like that, his form up and down like a yo-yo, so it would be little surprise to see that low run last time followed with one of his good runs this time - and his good runs should be about good enough for this. 

He knocked off  Fabric over this trip third up last prep and also ties in with Turn The Tide who sits among the key market hopes here. His volatility seems well factored into the betting and prices beyond 10-1 make him look an each way gamble worth having.  

THE MELBOURNE MAIL 

Bet Of The Day: Race 4 #2 Rogues Point @ $3.20

Each Way Play: Race 6 #6 Smart Elissim @ $11.00