Elgin has proven to be a frustrating horse during his racing career to date, but I am willing to give him another opportunity in this contest this afternoon. The form coming out of his past couple of starts has been decent and he maps to get a lovely run in transit from barrier one. He may never have a better chance to record a maiden race win.
Bullet Fly showed a fair amount of talent on debut at Warwick Farm and the way that he found the line suggests that he will relish the step-up to 1400 metres. He has drawn wide, but he will settle in the second half of the field anyway and he has the turn-of-foot to finish over the top of his rivals in the concluding stages.
Siege Of Quebec is a horse with an excellent first-up record and his best form would make him tough to beat in the Newcastle Newmarket Handicap. He beat Pierata to win the Bill Ritchie Handicap over this course and distance in the Spring and he wasn’t beaten far in races like the Toorak Handicap and the Crystal Mile.
Malea Magic is a filly with much more talent than her current record suggests. She was not disgraced at Canterbury a couple of starts ago and she was only narrowly denied in the Country Championship Qualifier at Port Macquarie last start. She makes her own luck right on the speed and is well-placed to return to winning form.