17 SPHENOPHYTA (Lee Freedman) Danny Nikolic 50
Classy stayer who has motored through the ranks this year. Had to do it tough in the Turnbull holding them off all the way up the long straight. That was a improvement on a similar situation in the Caloundra Cup a few months back, where he was leading 100 out but couldn't quite hold out Empyreal's finish. The difference is he seems to have learnt to settle now, which is crucial to his chances at 2400 as the Caloundra defeat showed-he simply didn't have anything left after pulling in the run. With that in mind I think he's a must include, though the $4 is pretty short. He doesn't look quite as foolproof as Elvstroem did two years ago after winning the Turnbull and starting at a similar quote here, but this field rates slightly weaker in my opinion.

*pointless trivia*
Sphenophyta won his maiden at his 3rd start at Te Rapa on February 11th, beating The Silence Sir, oddly enough the last horse to beat Bikkie Tin Blues in Brisbane. Of the 10 races that day, 9 have had at least one placegetter go on to win or place at G1 level since, including amongst others Gee I Jane, Darci Brahma, Pentane, Zarius, Kerry O'Reilly and Three Chimneys.

18 GROWL (David Hayes) Craig Williams 49
Not a horse I'd seen before his win over Maybe Better three starts back, though I had heard the name a few weeks earlier when going Mike Tyson on the cat because she wouldn't let go of a bird. His form certainly stacks up if you take a line through the third in the Naturalism behind Zipping and just ahead of Tawqeet, suggesting he wouldn't have been out of place in either the Turnbull or Metrop given those horse's performances. Last week he had the good run but still had to beat one of the better Winning Edge fields of recent years and I thought he did it well enough to suggest he's a strong chance here. The obvious doubt is whether it's one start too far for a horse on a long first prep and backing up, but many of his rivals have bigger question marks than that.

Emergencies
19 LAND 'N STARS (Jamie Poulton) 53
Seems better off in the Melbourne Cup and would probably be outpaced if he got a start.

20 ZIPPING (Graeme Rogerson) Glen Boss 52.5
Would obviously be a huge chance if he got a run as his performances this spring have been excellent and he was mowing them down late in the Turnbull.

21 STORMHILL (Tim Martin) 51.5
Did nothing last start and hard to have.


It's a nice enough mix overall, but as always with question marks on some of the runners. The topweights have form that reads well but whether either of them is at their peak is very hard to assess. The older brigade like Railings and Our Smoking Joe are reliable and proven at this level. The obvious area where the race lacks something is in the 4yos (to SH-time), with the Derby/Oaks form unproven and looking slightly dubious, and Growl seeming the best chance from that age group. Sphenophyta and Tawqeet are both quality stayers and now at the peak form of their careers, though it is a shame for the race that Zipping didn't make the field as his Turnbull effort was the run of the race outside the winner. Obviously he hadn't earned a place in the field with no Group race placings, but it's still slightly disappointing from a quality standpoint to see a horse like Short Pause who looks past his best getting a run instead.