4:20am - CES HANDICAP | 1100m | | i

Some of the tempo has come out of this race with the scratchings, a FAIR to STRONG tempo likely with EMBRACER trying to take up the lead again. Progressive types SPLINTEX and SUPERIUM resume, both very hard to hold out if they are near their best coming to benchmark grade. Perhaps SPLINTEX the more impressive of the two at the trials and he does have some toughness on his dams side. Hard to knock the midweek win of EMBRACER if he can hold his mark second-up, a powerful type that will be up there for a long way. NICCO LAD with enough class to have a close look at in the yard, the trials were fine. [updated 8:34am]