City of Song had a nice win with Avdulla aboard 3 starts ago at Sandown. Benbow did it no favours 2 starts ago at Caulfield though, as he was restraining it for most of the race, only to position it at the top of the straight without a hole to run through. He's getting another chance tomorrow on it, so you would think he would be hopeful of making amends. Given how it wound up and finished off that 1,000m race at Sandown, it shouldn't have any problems going up in distance to the 1,200m for the first time tomorrow.

Baptism's run against City of Song at Caulfield wasn't bad, but it was a slow start, and it didn't have a lot of acceleration towards the end either, which isn't a good combination. I reckon ideally it needs to be run more towards the front, but for that to happen, it also needs to jump out of the barriers much quicker. It's curious that the trainer paid up for Baptism to race 3 times since that 1st race, only to scratch it each time. Lee Freedman must still have some faith that the horse is ready for a good run given that he's got it set to race against higher company and for more prizemoney than what it would have in any of the 3 races it was previously scratched from.

Of those two horses, I'd rather be on City of Song, but who knows with 2yo's. It won't be a betting race for me.

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...time held me green and dying, though I sang in my chains like the sea. - Dylan Thomas