Saturday preview: six things to keep an eye on

G3 Behemoth S. - Spring S. renamed

Previously run as the Spring S., renamed this year to honour its two-time winner who now happily wanders the paddocks of Living Legends, this Group 3 contest at Morphettville for sprinters boasts a good record of winners who go onto further stakes success.

Behemoth (All Too Hard) being one example - following both his victories in this success with Group 1 wins.

We are sure Behemoth is missed around the stables of David Jolly but that trainer managed to also win this race last year with Calypso Reign (Barbados) who again takes his place on Saturday - attempting to become the fifth horse to win this race more than once.

Aside from Behemoth who was successful in 2020 and 2021, the race has been won on multiple occasions by Hero Wind (Star Pyramul) in 1994 and 1995, Redelva (Romantic Hope) in 1988, 1989 and 1990 and Samist (NZ) (Pakistan {GB}) in 1974 and 1975.

Calypso Reign is again first-up as he was last year and his most recent first-up performance was a good one too - a nice finish seeing him run third in the G2 Australian S. won by Jigsaw (Manhattan Rain).

Also resuming here is the classy mare See You In Heaven (Divine Prophet) who went close as favourite when second in the Listed Durbridge S. first-up last time in. She loves her home track, yet to miss a placing in five Morphettville outings.

The 2021 G1 Goodwood H. winner Savatoxl (Kuroshio) is another with a great Morphettville record and he mixes racing in Adelaide and Alice Springs with aplomb! He is a four-time winner at the track as is Ironclad (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) who was second to See You In Heaven in a recent trial.

Listed The Rosebud - a stallion's race

A relatively new race first contested in 2011, The Rosebud at Rosehill - the first of the lead-ups to the G1 Golden Rose - has been won by 12 different horses.

So far just the one of those - Paulele has gone onto Group 1 success but interestingly he is one of the eight The Rosebud winners to end up standing at stud... Anders (Widden), Thronum, Menari (Corumbene), Sandbar (Kooringal), Scissor Kick, Sebring Sun (Glenthorne Park) and Eurozone (Bellereve) the others.

Three of this Saturday's contestants are colts and well-related ones they are too - The Instructor (who resumes off good trial form having won two of his first three starts) a son of Russian Revolution from a classy US family, Introducing (first-up having won two trials) being a Trapeze Artist half-brother to Eleven Eleven (Fastnet Rock) whilst the last-start winner Griff, also by Trapeze Artist is out of the Group 3-placed Chateau Griffo (Sebring).

Only one filly - She's A Fox (Fastnet Rock) in 2012 - has won this race but the gender is well-represented this time around by Tiz Invincible (I Am Invincible) who ran two great races during her debut 2-year-old campaign, Cigar Flick (Churchill {Ire}) who showed good heart winning first-up and Fire Lane (Hellbent) who was close up in a couple of juvenile features.

Also a leading contender is the gelding Roussillon (Exceed And Excel). Also a Melbourne acceptor, he won nicely at Gosford before being sent out favourite on a leader biased track at Moonee Valley two weeks ago.

Listed Belmont Newmarket - bit of history for Nerodio?

Not since Micron (Cantanof) in 1979 and 1980 has this sprinting feature (first run in 1978) been won by the same horse twice - a bit of history that Nerodio (Playing God) is hoping to add to having taken last year's Belmont Newmarket.

And he comes off a similar run, last time around finding the line well when third in the Listed H.G Bolton S., a race in which three weeks ago he was again strong late having drifted a fair way back.

Nerodio boasts an outstanding record at Belmont with all 11 of his wins - as well as five of his 13 placings - coming at the track. Taking him on are a few other horses who love the circuit - such as Comes A Time (Sessions), a five-time Belmont winner who strips fitter for his last couple, Notorious One (Animal Kingdom {USA}) who has been kept on the fresh side as he seeks a sixth success at the track.

Another two of these horses have won five Belmont races - Phanta (Gingerbread Man) who looked good leading throughout in the Bolton and Eeyore Wayz (My Admiration) who was game in the placings off a wide run last start.

Bitofmerit (Demerit) likes Belmont too, winning four of his eight starts at the track and he is due a change of luck having found plenty of trouble in running at his two runs since a barnstorming victory in mid-June.

The young guns - sires whose first crop have just turned three

Seven promising young stallions are represented by debut-crop runners at Australian metropolitan meetings on Saturday. Hailing from differing sirelines and standing in different states, they look good chances to be represented by a winner or two.

Favourite in the opening event at Moonee Valley is Lakota Fire whose G1 Phoenix S.-winning sire Sioux Nation (USA) has just 39 foals from his short stint at Swettenham Stud. Of those, 11 have made it to the track with five of them being winners. Lakota Fire is one of them, impressive winning at Morphettville by a big margin at just his second start.

Also well-fancied in that Valley race is the all the way Moonee Valley debut winner Title Fighter by Aquis Farm's dual Group 2 winner Lean Mean Machine who has had four winners amongst his first 14 starters.

The former Aquis and now Yarraman Park stallion Brave Smash (Jpn) - last season's leading first-season sire by number of winners - has another of the main fancies in Mansiere who looked to have plenty in hand when saluting at Bendigo.

Widden's four-time Group 1 winner Trapeze Artist has two runners in the Listed The Rosebud in Sydney - Introducing resuming off a good trial win and Griff kept fresh since leading throughout at Warwick Farm.

Performer and Bolt D'Oro (USA) have runners in the Race 8 at Eagle Farm, the former represented by Sonny Daze who claimed his maiden at Doomben late last month and the latter Minto's D'Oro who is having her first run since late April.

And in Race 3 at Belmont Siberian Siren by Yulong's dual Group 1 winner Grunt (NZ) debuts off decent trial form.

The first-uppers - stakes winners resuming and imports making their local debut

A number of black-type horses seeking to further enhance on their records over the upcoming spring carnival are kicking off their campaigns on Saturday.

Four of those head to Moonee Valley with the fifth race on the program, a 1200-metre BM84 seeing the return of the last-start G3 Zeditave S. winner Recommendation (Shalaa {Ire}) and the G3 David Coles S. winner Maximillius (Written Tycoon) who has been faring nicely at the jump-outs.

Gallery: Last-start Group 3 winners resuming in Race 5 at Moonee Valley, images courtesy of The Image Is Everything

The ninth race at Moonee Valley, a BM100 contest being run over 1000 metres - has the 2022 Listed Kensington S. winner Ashford Street (Moshe) resuming.

There are three stakes winners resuming in the fifth race at Rosehill, a BM88 1200-metre race. At big odds having his first start for the Blake Fitzpatrick stable is Ashman (Magnus) who won the 2021 G3 Cameron H.

Higher up in the market are two nice types - last year's Listed SAJC Lightning S. winner Extremely Lucky (Extreme Choice) and this year's G3 James HB Carr. S winner Olentia (Zoustar) who won a recent Canterbury trial.

The ninth race at Rosehill - a 1400-metre handicap - is a busy one for first uppers with G1 JJ Atkins S. runner-up Political Debate (So You Think {NZ}) joined by the G2 Autumn Classic winner Pericles (Street Boss {USA}), last spring's G1 1000 Guineas heroine Madame Pommery (No Nay Never {USA}), the Listed January Cup winner Mission Phoenix (Reset), the 2021 Listed Scone Cup victor Laure Me In (Ad Valorem {USA}) and last spring's G3 VRC Carbine Club S. winner Perfect Thought (So You Think {NZ}).

The race favourite is amongst that group - Pericles being kept very safe on the back of a fast-finishing and impressive trial victory at Canterbury. Another favourite first-upper is the 2020 Listed Brian Crowley S. winner The Bopper (Nicconi) whose consistent form has earned him fans as he kicks off in the seventh race at Eagle Farm.

Meanwhile, there are five imported horses having their first Australian starts on Saturday. In the third race at Moonee Valley Arabica (Ger) (Starspangledbanner) races for the Michelle Payne stable. A winner at just her second start over 1500 metres in Germany in June 2021, she hails from a high-class European family - able to boast amongst her relations the big-race winners Sagamix (Fr) and Japan (GB).

She is double-figure odds as is the New Zealander Senor Uno (NZ) (Belardo {Ire}) in Race 4. Third in a Pakenham jump-out, he is suited at the mile fresh but is at best over a bit longer.

More strongly fancied - contesting the seventh race - is the Lindsay Park galloper Sissoko (Ire) (Australia {GB}) who brings Group 1 form to the party having been second to Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) in the 2021 G1 Racing Post Trophy.

Another of interest, resuming in the ninth race at Rosehill, is Caprice Des Dieux (Fr) (Declaration Of War {USA}) who in July 2021 won at Listed level in France. And then there is the Listed placegetter Soldanelle (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}) who makes her local debut in the ninth race at Belmont.

G1 Phoenix S. - Australian links

Over the years we have seen a few winners of this six-furlong Group 1 2-year-old contest end up in Australia, the likes of Holy Roman Emperor (Ire), Zoffany (Ire), Caravaggio (USA), Johannesburg (USA), Fasliyev (USA), Alfred Nobel (Ire), Turtle Island (Ire), Prince Poppa (Ire), Danehill Dancer (Ire) and Digamist (USA) represented by local stakes-winning progeny.

And a current Victorian-based stallion won this race two years ago - Yulong Stud's Lucky Vega (Ire).

The 2016 winner Caravaggio spent only one season in Australia but he was the leading First Season Sire of GB/Ireland in 2021 and his unbeaten daughter Porta Fortuna (Ire) is a major contender in Saturday's contest having impressed at her first three outings, the last two of those in Group 3 company.

There are Australian links to her pedigree, her dam being a full sister to last year's G2 The Q22 and Listed Gosford Gold Cup winner Numerian (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}).

Also of local interest are three runners by Coolmore Stud's well-credentialled shuttler Wootton Bassett (GB). All three are right in the market - the unbeaten River Tiber (Ire) who has been rising through the grades impressively, the last-start G2 Railway S. winner Bucanero Fuerte (GB) who Swettenham Stud will be cheering on... as they stand his G1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp-winning full brother Wooded (Ire).

And Unquestionable (Fr) who was only just beaten by Bucanero Fuerte last time out.

Still a maiden though a promising one is Alabama (Ire) (No Nay Never {USA}) who has a Phoenix S. pedigree - his three-quarter brother Sioux Nation winning the race in 2017 before heading to Australia where he spent one season at Swettenham Stud.