Legality to take no prisoners on Saturday

VERSATILE United States-bred five-year-old, LEGALITY, an overnight allowance conqueror from 2019, before going off on an 11-month lay-up, returning late last year as a winner on a $1 million claim tag, should use his superior pace to outclass rivals at nine furlongs and 25 yards on Saturday.

Runner-up in three consecutive overnight allowance races and an even sixth-place in open allowance behind TREVOR'S CHOICE to close out last year, LEGALITY wasn't beaten far on his seasonal debut, four and a quarter lengths by stablemate PRINCE CHARLES at six and a half furlongs on January 9, his fourth race in a month.

Put to the grindstone by trainer Anthony Nunes late last year in defence of his first trainers' title, LEGALITY returns off a well-needed month's rest with the best form to recommend among the 10 runners in the event.

Shorter trips

Better suited to the milder pace of middle-distance, LEGALITY was outsprinted at shorter trips in his last two races but ran well for second behind FATHER PATRICK at seven furlongs on December 19. FATHER PATRICK returned up in class a month later to beat open allowance runners in the St Catherine Cup, clocking 1:12.0 for six furlongs.

Though he is up against seasoned two-turn runners such as BIG BANG, COCO CHANEL, UNCLE VINNIE and TRICKY ONE, LEGALITY should use class to see off the stayers with superior pace, which should allow him to track the leaders before making what should be a crippling race-winning move on the field.

SEBASTIAN, who was surprisingly used as a rabbit for second-place stablemate COCO CHANEL when beaten into third behind in-form CRIMSON on New Year's Day, has the pace to match LEGALITY but trailed in last behind DOUBLE CROWN, ANOTHER AFFAIR and MESSI on last, suggesting his fitness could be suspect.

A claiming jockey aboard COCO CHANEL suggests tag-team tactics could be employed by the stablemates with SEBASTIAN out front, setting the pace. However, Samantha Fletcher could be left with too much to do aboard a mare who takes some amount of urging from even the top male riders.