5:50am - DARLEY T J SMITH STAKES | 1200m | Group 1 | i

The TJ Smith this year is a high quality showdown between three of the better sprinters in the land. Popular speedster REDZEL will be out in the lead (FAIR to STRONG tempo forecast), while IN HER TIME and BRAVE SMASH camp just off the speed and look for their runs at the top of the straight. REDZEL has the best form on the board, but only by a length or two, and the other two are drawn to make this a real race. As The Everest day last year showed (REDZEL beat BRAVE SMASH by a length and IN HER TIME ran a faster time in a different race) there isn't much between the three of them. Perhaps Ben Smith's IN HER TIME is the one with scope to improve to a new career best after returning with a dominant 1100m G1 win in the Galaxy. ENGLISH (classy at best, but wide draw and firm track) and TRAPEZE ARTIST (best form would compete, back in distance?) are the only threats to the top three and it's hard to see anything else filling a place. [updated 9:22am]