For the first time in The Mounting Yard’s history, we preview mid-week metro racing in Sydney, which this week is at Rosehill.

We have an eight-race card in store for us, with the highest rated race coming in race seven, which is at Benchmark 76 level. The track is currently rated as a Soft 5, but with sunshine around for the next two days, you can probably expect it to get to a near good rating.

The rail is out eight metres which should suit the leaders, and the bureau predicts it to be sunny with a top of 26 degrees, so get down to the track.

Race 1
The first on the card is a maiden for the Colts and Geldings over 1100 metres, with only one runner having been to the races. Probably have to go on breeding and trial form here and I’ve landed on Jetski out of the James Cummings and Godolphin Yard.

He’s bred well this Colt, by Lonhro and out of Outdoor, and he hasn’t been touched in either trial, so his finishing placings don’t look overly impressive. He was squeezed for room in that first trial and would have finished closer if he wasn’t. The stable is airborne and he draws well, so I have him on top in a very open maiden.

I have True Detective as the nest best. He trialled behind Fiery Red and only finished a length away untouched, and then hit the line hard against Mo’s Crown who also goes around in this race. Another who draws well and Tommy Berry is in a rich vein of form. Hard to beat off the good run. Dawn too Good is the best of the rest.

He has trialled well in both of his trials, winning one of them. He’s bred well by Dawn Approach and out of Lady Rah Rah, and the McDonald and Moore combination is effective, good chance.

Recommended bet: Won’t be touching this race with the number of first starters in it.

Race 2
We’ve got another maiden with the majority of the field being first starters in the second, this time for the Fillies over 1100 metres. I’m going for some value here in the form of Instant Attraction on debut. She draws to do no work from barrier one, and her only trial at this track was very impressive to my eye.

She showed a pretty good turn of foot there before being blocked for a run. She’s bred well by Redoute’s Choice and out of Dream Date, and she is trained by John O’shea which is a positive. Think she represents value at the $16 quote. Will be having a nibble. Still Single is a clear danger, but I think the $2.65 is too short.

She trialled really well in the lead up to the Widden Stakes on debut and was far from disgraced after finishing two lengths off them after a tough run. She had no excuses last start when running second to Deep Chill though, and I just can’t take the shorts considering she hasn’t won yet, and I think there are some smart debutants in this.

Sally’s Day is the best of the rest. She debuted at Canterbury where she had excuses, being blundered at the 1000 metre mark. She’s trialled brilliantly in the lead up to her second start and she should be better for that debut run. If Kerrin McEvoy can get her across from the wide barrier, she goes pretty close in this.

Recommended bet: Each way bet on #4 Instant Attraction.

Race 3
We are finally out of the maiden races, and we get a Benchmark 74 handicap over 1800 metres for the three-year-olds. Pretty keen on one here out of the Gerald Ryan Yard in the form of Zourhea. She’s come back well this preparation.

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She got too far back when resuming at this track over 1300 metres, but closed off strongly to finish two lengths behind Vega Daze, and she won really well at Kensington over the favourite here in Bring The Magic over 1550 metres.

She’s proven she can run the distance, and from barrier six she should lead in a race with absolutely no speed in it, and be able to dictate her way to winning two in a row. Hard to beat. Mrs Madrid is a threat at double figure odds. She’s been beating up on horses in a lesser grade than this, but she’s been doing it in superb fashion.

She’s proven she can run the distance and from barrier four she should sit on the speed in a race without any speed in it. Not out of it. Altair is the best of the rest. He was far from disgraced in the Magic Millions Maiden plate behind some brilliant three-year-olds, and he’s only just starting to get out to a more suitable distance now.

He won really well over Pop Girl at Canterbury over 1550 metres, and he should relish the 1800 metres today. The Bowman and Waller combination is a big positive.

Recommended bet: Decent each way bet on #6 Zourhea, and will be playing exotics around #6. #8, #7 and #5.

Race 4
The staying race of the day comes here in the fourth, with a Benchmark 76 handicap over 2400 metres. I think My Psychiatrist represents good each way value here. Her first two runs in this preparation were glorified trials because she was never going to win at city level over anything less than 2000 metres.

Her last start was really good, running two lengths behind the favourite here in Latin Light. She hit the line really hard in that race, and it generally takes the stayers longer to work into their preparations, so she should be ready to peak here fourth up. She draws to get an excellent run from barrier four, and she’ll be hard to beat at the $8.50 quote.

Our Gravano is a threat. He came home really well to win at Canterbury over 1800 metres two starts back, and he came home nicely over this trip at Randwick a fortnight ago behind Curata Princess and Gayatri. From barrier nine Hugh Bowman will look to settle him back in the field, and try and produce him for a big run at them down the straight.

Art Attack should have improvement left in him. The form behind Capital Gain in Queensland now looks pretty good, and he battled well in his first Sydney run. He draws well in barrier six, and he should have plenty to give in the straight.

Recommended bet: Decent each way bet on #5 My Psychiatrist.

Race 5
Probably the best race on the program comes here in the fifth, with some progressive types running around in a Benchmark 70 handicap over 1300 metres for the three-year-olds. Will be backing two of them in this race, but my on topper is McCormack. He’s won two from two in very impressive fashion.

He nabbed Montana Thunder on the line on debut at Hawkesbury, where he let down with an almighty run down the outside, and then did it again a few weeks ago in a class two race at Kembla Grange over 1000 metres. He looks ready to step up to 1300 metres and he draws well from barrier three to settle back in the field.

They’ll go quick in front and he’ll be very hard to hold out. Zaidin is the other horse I’m confident on in this race. The Victorian raider has pretty good form lines for this race. He ran second in a hot maiden behind Robe De Fete last preparation, before winning well at Moe resuming off a tough run.

He failed at Pakenham and ran two lengths off the front bunch when running favourite, but that track seems to be a real horses for courses kind of track so I’m willing to forgive that run. He draws well from barrier two to sit midfield, and the appointment of James McDonald shows a positive intent. He’ll be hard to beat with even luck.

Call Me Royal is the best of the rest. She’s come back really well this preparation, winning two from two. Her win at Canterbury was impressive in front of Ballistica and Sundarbans, but the wide barrier and rising in grade is the query. I couldn’t take her at the $3 quote.

Recommended bet: Each way bets on both #4 McCormack and #3 Zaidin. Will be playing exotics around #3, #4, #1, #2 and #9 as well.

Race 6
We get to the sixth on the card here, which is a Benchmark 70 handicap for the fillies and mares over 1400 metres. One of the more open races you’ll see with pretty much the whole field having claims, and I landed on Lady Elizabeth.

I’m not sure what happened at Kembla Grange three starts back at Class 2 level, but since then she’s been really good. She came home well in a Benchmark 70 over 1400 metres at Warwick Farm two starts back, and then narrowly missed at Canterbury over 1250 metres when she got held up at the top of the straight, which probably cost her the race.

She draws well from barrier three to sit just off the speed, and with any luck in the run she will go close at the double figure odds. Frankely Awesome is next best. She’s the best horse in this race, it’s just a query on how fast they go up front, and whether she is wound up fully at this stage of her campaign.

She won a maiden at this distance last preparation, but this is of course much harder. She only ran six lengths off them in the Spring Champion Stakes, which is obviously a really strong form line for this.

She resumed at Warwick Farm over 1300 metres but was vetted at the barrier so I’m willing to forgive that run. If they go hard up front, she’ll be winning. Welsh Legend is the best of the rest, but she looks unders in the market. She ran well at Canterbury and Randwick over the mile and has since had a let-up.

She resumes here over 1400 metres, a distance she has never won at, but she maps perfectly to get a beautiful run sitting off the leaders. She’s an outside chance.

Recommended bet: Each way bet on #10 Lady Elizabeth, with a saver on #2 Frankely Awesome.

Race 7
The highest graded race of the day is upon us, which is a Benchmark 76 handicap over 1500 metres. It seems like a race in two here, and the market agrees. I can’t really split them so I’m going to have Sondelon on top on an each-way basis.

His form last preparation is brilliant for this, when he went down by half a length to Raqeeq over a mile, and then finished two lengths off Muraaqeb and Holy Snow in the Carbine Club Stakes at group three level. He resumed well going down narrowly to Brazen and Dealmaker in a Benchmark 78 race over 1400 metres, and then uncharacteristically failed at Warwick farm finishing down the track.

He draws well from barrier four and he should dictate this race out in the lead. He’ll be hard to beat. Kolding is the big danger, but he represents no value at the $2.60 quote. He’s come back well this preparation, winning at Canterbury to break his maiden. He wasn’t overly impressive at Kensington up in grade, but he backed up well last start where he would have finished a lot closer to the winner if he had any luck.

From barrier five McDonald should sit him just off the speed, and he’ll have no excuses today. Bull Market is the only other minuscule threat. They took him to Gosford in a class 2 race to give him some confidence, and it worked well with him winning that with ease, and then backing that up with a win at Canterbury.

He’ll sit just off the speed and look to be charging home late.

Recommended bet: Each way bet on #9 Sondelon.

Race 8
The last of the day is another Benchmark 70 handicap, this time over 1300 metres. I’m pretty keen on the experienced campaigner in Professor Marx here. His recent form has been pretty impressive for a race like this.

He narrowly missed at Dubbo two starts back over 1220 metres, and then had his best run to date at Warwick Farm in a better race than this, when he went down by half a length to the talented duo of Common Purpose and Safe Landing.

He maps brilliantly from barrier six, and the appointment of James McDonald is a sign of intent here. He’ll be very hard to beat barring bad luck. The favourite Regal Stage is next best. Couldn’t take the $3.40 on offer for him at the moment, but his debut win at Gosford was very impressive. He maps to get the run of the race just behind the leaders from barrier three, and he’ll have the first crack at them in the straight. Good chance.

Gretzky isn’t in the field currently, but if he gets a run you’d have to give him a good chance. His rom behind Merovee and Sky Boy last preparation looks good in this type of a race, and he will go to the lead in a race without too much speed.

He’s first up record isn’t great but if they walk up front, he’ll be hard to run down.

Recommended bet: Win bet on #11 Professor Marx to break a two-year drought.

Best bet: Race 5 #4 McCormack.

Second-best bet: Race 3 #6 Zourhea.

Best value: Race 4 #5 My Psychiatrist.