It might pay to be watching Sky Racing at 7:45pm on Friday night when a race loaded with three-year-old Group race candidates is run at Canterbury.
As traditionally is the case at carnival time, the midweek meetings gain importance for the weeks ahead and Friday night's Australian Turf Club Benchmark 75 Handicap (1200m) could turn out to be a cracking form race over the coming months.
Sportsbethas priced theJames Cummings-trained Deprive as the $2.80 favourite for the race. The Denman gelding resumes with two smart trial effort after he made a winning debut back in October.
"We put him away after a slashing last furlong win in his debut run," Cummings said.
"Personally, I'd like to have seen him blossom a little more coming into his second racing preparation but I can't argue with two nice trials leading into this, an extremely strong race.
"He might be spotting some strong opposition a start, but he will be running very well."
The $4.50 second favourite is Gerald Ryan's Problem Solver, which holds a race fitness edge having had two runs already this preparation.
After winning the $250,000 Magic Millions Maiden Plate in January, Problem Solver caught the eye of Racenet's Sydney video review analyst Greg Polson, who made the daughter of Hinchinbrook his blackbooker atRosehillon February 3.
"Problem Solver looks to have more wins in store if her effort to finish second to the unbeaten Charlayne at Rosehill on Saturday is any guide," he said.
"Going back to last after drawing the extreme outside barrier, Problem Solver made up plenty of ground in the straight and was the only horse in the race to break 33 seconds for the last 600m finishing less than a length from the winner."
The stakes-placed Warranty sits on the third line of betting at $4.60 for her first-up run for thePeter and Paul Snowdenstable.
The daughter of Sebring ran third in the Listed Lexus Hybrid Stakes onMelbourne Cupday atFlemingtonbefore being tipped out and Peter Snowden has high expectations for her upcoming campaign, including a 1400m Group I contest at her next run.
"Really nice filly," he said. "She was very unlucky in the Stakes race at Flemington, should have won.
"I'm full of ideas and expectations with her this preparation. I think she's going to win a good race.
"She's a beautiful big strong filly that can race up on pace.
"I've gone for the soft option first-up, but I plan to run her in the Surround (Stakes) next start."
Classy filly Pandemonium is the fourth pick in betting at $5.50.
She too is resuming from a spell and theGai Waterhouse and Adrian Bottstable thought enough of her in the spring to run the daughter of Sebring in the Group II Tea Rose Stakes and Group IFlight Stakesbut her barrier manners didn't help her cause and she finished unplaced in both races.
Pandemonium has also been to the trials twice to prepare her for Friday night's first-up run.
"It's a solid race," Bott said. "She will improve with the run and be more effective over a bit more ground but Rachel (King) gets along really well with her and she's drawn favourably.
"I think we're getting on top of her barrier antics last prep and her two trials were good.
"She'll improve with racing and we could be on a Surround path if she runs up to our expectations tonight."
My tip– Warranty at the odds. She will need a bit of luck early from a tricky gate but she's a filly I have a big opinion of and I expect her to be a player during the carnival in the coming months.
