Hope the start of 2014 has treated everyone well and everyone has had a fantastic festive season.

Today we bring you a preview of two races from Rosehill where they raced a fortnight back along with a couple of other selections. It played fairly enough that day at Rosehill and the 3m position on Saturday is generally the same. Maybe one off the fence, building into the home straight but wide is not totally desirable.

It’s been hot, so any rain would be a bonus. Always better for natural irrigation as it spreads it evenly.

Race 3 at Rosehill on Saturday is a benchmark 74 over 2000m. Full fields and form available at http://www.risa.com.au

ROSEHILL Race 3 – Benchmark 74 Hcp (2000m)

The 2000m race has its share of Waller entries as per normal. Not a great deal of pace here unless there is a change of tactics. The horse we’ve been following after a good trial leading into this prep, 2 BLACK JAG, led last week when winning and may get an easy time of it in front today.

He controlled that race and despite being impeded by the horse without a rider, he did more than enough to hold off rivals. He’s third up now at 2000m which is a bit of jump, but we’re expecting him to cope. Only the one win from 13 starts beyond 2000m is a slight query but many of these have been on unsuitable ground and he has still been around the mark in the majority of these runs. He can roll forward, get an easy lead if desired and give a good sight.

One at odds you should be throwing into your exotics is 3 DIAMOND JIM. Even though he can be hit and miss, he charged to the line first up at an unsuitable 1500m and only missed by under a length. The $15 quote looks value. Many of the horses he was running into last campaign were better than these — several have won stronger metro races since. He may be advantaged by the lack of speed as he won’t have to use all his energy making up the ground to get into a position to challenge. The concern is his awful second-up form, with no placings from six attempts. Despite this, he can run well.

Waller has another runner here in 4 PENTOMETER and the four-year-old gelding easily accounted for a very small field at this track on December 21. This field, although bigger does not appear much harder and he looks a deserved favourite.

A tricky little affair and one that you can make a case for a number of runners. If they want to win with 2 BLACK JAG they will roll forward on him and he may be very hard to run down. Could back him each way again here with more on to place. 4 PENTOMETER clearly the one to beat and 3 DIAMOND JIM looks value if the double figure odds hold up.

The field for Rosehill, race 5 on Saturday. Full fields and form at http://www.risa.com.au/

ROSEHILL Race 5 – Benchmark 75 Hcp (1100m)

The 1100m around Rosehill can be a bit of an on-pacers course but in Race 5 on Saturday, there is good speed and a lot of it is drawn wide.

While 10 COSMIC CAMEO has good gate speed and draws inside, expect the likes of 12 STAY SCHTUM, 13 MISS ALIBI and 4 KENCELLA to be working over. They can’t all find a spot with some of the inside draws also kicking up. From there 10 COSMIC CAMEO should be getting a nice trail in behind on the fence. The question will be will the race set up to suit the backmarkers?

Our blackbooker from the trials is 10 COSMIC CAMEO. He was hardly disappointing in that run on Boxing Day. He fought off everything else in the race bar for 13 MISS ALIBI who he meets again here and he gets a 1.5kg swing in the weights for a narrow defeat. The 1000m might have been that touch too short as he can balance up better over that 100m further. He takes on the older horses but gets the appropriate drop in weight as well. Clearly racing well, he is a Magic Millions horse so maybe there is something on the agenda next week on the Gold Coast too.

Did like the way 6 DREAM CHOICE hit the line at Scone in fast time second up over this trip. Just ignore the first up run when he blundered at the start. He won’t be involved in any of the early action of this race and in his first preparation for Darren Smith he’s obviously attacking the line. He can run well at a good quote.

As per usual Gerald Ryan’s team is firing first up and 2 WINDSWEPT comes off a trial win at Rosehill. The trial was good and he ran a very good time. He did win a BM80 at Warwick Farm in August then ran into the promising Hosting over 1400m. Over the shorter distance he might be able to hold a midfield position from the barrier and get home hard. He is clearly in good order and must be respected here.

4 KENCELLA is one of the favourites and deservedly so. He is super consistent and won two on end for followers at the beginning of his prep following a superb trial. He has found Inside Job too good twice now when leading and maybe after four runs in, a few others might have more ping in their legs. Barrier 12 is a little awkward also but he is too consistent and has talent so hard to ignore.

The win of 13 MISS ALIBI was very good last start and despite the weight turnaround in favour of 10 COSMIC CAMEO, she has to be respected.

Happy to be on 10 COSMIC CAMEO each way with more on to place but thinking that 2 WINDSWEPT could be the danger. A quinella with these two and 13 MISS ALIBI may be an option also.

THE TRIAL FILES SELECTIONS
FOR ROSEHILL (SATURDAY):

• Race 3 – See Preview Above

• Race 5 – 10 COSMIC CAMEO (each-way)

• Race 5 – Quinella 10, 2, 13

THE TRIAL FILES SELECTION
FOR KEMBLA GRANGE (SATURDAY):

• Race 5 – 8 THE THOMAS AFFAIR (each-way)