The Scone track is currently rated a Good 4 for Dark Jewel Classic Day, with a slight chance of rain forecast leading up to and on race day.
The rail is out 3m from the 800m mark to the winning post and true the remainder, so expect a slight advantage to those on-pace and from the inside barrier throughout the day.
Race 3 sees the two-year-old fillies battle it out over 1100m. Trainer Bjorn Baker sends up three runners for the race with Wellington Boot winner Miss Invincible, Countercurrent and first starter Rosina Kojonup making the trek to Scone.
The Coolmore owned Lady of Shalott for the Kris Lees stable, showed plenty of class in her first-up win at Muswellbrook and will take plenty of improvement from the run.
Other notable runners here are Witherspoon from the Brad Widdup yard, who is first-up after a decent Magic Millions campaign, and the Toby Edmonds trained Granny Red Shoes.
A variety of form lines meet over the 1400m here, with only a handful of horses suggested to fight out the finish.
The Ciaron Mahar trained Villermont is heading down from Queensland after his last start win over the mile, whilst Snitzel gelding Dissolution from the Brad Widdup yard shifts back to a suitable distance and will be aiming to repeat his effort in the Carbine Club.
The Peter and Paul Snowden combination saddle up Assimilate and Moss Trip who are both quality horses. Assimilate will hope for a cracking tempo to set up his run and Moss Trip can adapt to anywhere in the run. Expect talented filly Frolic to join Assimilate towards the back of the field, who will line-up for her easiest race class wise this preparation.
A race in three here with Le Romain, Osborne Bulls and Firsthand all looking to take the honours. The Kris Lees trained Le Romain will look to continue on from his All Aged Stakes run where he was narrowly beaten by the classy Trapeze Artist. Just like he did in that race, he will look to carry a big weight from a wide gate.
The Godolphin trained Osborne Bulls has been hitting every mark as he works his way through the grades. Last start he was a touch too far back and was unable to run down Tribal Wisdom. Earlier that day, Firsthand came from the clouds in the closely contested Hall Mark Stakes and was close to running down some hardened sprinters.
On paper this looks to be the race of the day.
The tips below are three of my best selections at Scone, including my top tips and best each-way play. If you would like to see all of my selections and staking plan for Saturday's meet at Scone, you can access them here.
Race 2 Tip #6 Lady of Shalott $8.00
This well-bred Coolmore filly just oozes class. She will take plenty of improvement from her first-up performance, which was run in slick time. She can settle anywhere in this field from the decent draw and I expect her to be right in the thick of things at the finish. If she runs to her ability, she will be hard to beat.
Race 4 Tip #2 Dissolution $5.50
Was no match last start over the 2000m and gets to a more suitable distance here. He has a very high cruising speed and can maintain it from a long way out. In the Carbine Club, he beat home Sambro, which is good form coming into this race. This is a lot easier than his previous two runs and I expect him to be too hard to run down.
Race 6 Tip #11 Firsthand $9.00
Ran a cracker of a race first-up when the tempo was against him. Brenton Avdulla will take the ride here, which is a good indication of his intentions even if he is affiliated with the Hawkes stable. He should get a nice trail into the race from the draw with plenty of improvement following his first-up run.