3 minute read

We are back at Caulfield just four days on from the Australia Day card with the rail out and rain around.

It's not just the conditions that make for a tricky card either. The features may prove informative but small fields and key chances resuming make them trappy looking affairs. 

Given that, our best comes in a fairly humble looking Benchmark 78, set down to be run as the second on the card. 

High 'n' Dry is a winner of two of his past three, the latest in our view a nice step forward on anything he has done up to this point and a performance good enough to see him win again against fairly basic looking oppostion. 

A case could be mounted that the runner-up was an unlucky loser behind him last time (and that runner-up got a nice long look in race three when time came to pick a play of the day), but the margin was hardly small and that down plays just how well High 'n' Dry finished his race off when asked to go on and win it. 

He powered home under Will Price and the pair look like getting a similar run here, just off the back of the leading handful with the main market dangers tipped to land behind him. 

Getting by won't be easy based on his strength last time.  

For an each way play we roll on to race seven, an interesting staying contest that should prove a good betting heat. 

Last start winners Classic Weiwei and Tarn's Prince should go well again. Long Arm is well regarded, though makes little appeal on his two local ratings, and Yulong Captain went straight past him last time and looked one to follow. 

For all of that, we land on Reflect The Stars, a horse we fancied at Flemington a couple of runs back after good performances at Geelong and Ballarat. 

One thing that can't be escaped is the fact that she was awful last time, blown off the park in the Bagot with no excuses having camped on a soft speed alongside the dominant winner. 

A smart yard press on with her, giving her a month between runs to reset, and she gets a cheap run under a top jock who can steer her into a nice shot at horses that she is every bit a match for. 

She'll go around bigger odds here than she did in that Bagot, not unreasonable perhaps but something to pin a bet on. 

THE MELBOURNE MAIL 

Bet Of The Day: Race 2 #5 High 'n' Dry @ $3.80

Each Way Play: Race 7 #8 Reflect The Stars @ $8.50