Caulfield Blackbookers September 19 – Horses to Follow from Underwood Stakes Day

There were several promising performances across the card, including emerging three-year-olds targeting the Guineas and an established stayer building towards the spring majors.

Here are our blackbookers and horses to follow from the action.

Portinari remains one of the better maidens in the country despite her winless record stretching to six starts, and there was plenty to like about her performance in the Thousand Guineas Prelude. The Team Hayes-trained filly has now finished in the top four at all three runs this preparation and was arguably unsuited by the race shape on Saturday after getting a long way back in the field. The leaders skipped away before the daughter of Home Affairs produced the fastest final 200m of the race and the seventh-fastest of the entire meeting, finishing strongly into fourth. She gives the impression that she will appreciate stepping up to 1600m and potentially further, with the Thousand Guineas an obvious target and the Oaks (2500m) another race worth keeping in mind if she continues to develop.

Blind Raise stamped himself as a genuine Caulfield Guineas contender with a dominant 2.75-length victory in the Prelude, taking his record to two wins from two starts this preparation. The Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained colt was made to work early from the 1400m start before settling outside the leader, then had to contend with Wolf Gap applying pressure before the turn. Despite the early and mid-race work, Blake Shinn barely moved on the $2.40 favourite as he accelerated clear of Tornado Valley and American Eagle in the straight. The stable believes he has made significant improvement since his first-up win at Sandown, and his relaxed demeanour and ability to absorb pressure suggest the rise to 1600m will be right up his alley. He has firmed from $11 into $4 for the Caulfield Guineas on October 10 and will head straight there without another run, with the Cox Plate also on the radar.

Middle Earth might have finished seventh in the Underwood Stakes, but there were some encouraging signs from a Melbourne Cup perspective. The imported stayer was slow to begin and settled last in the eight-horse field before finding himself unsuited by a sit-and-sprint affair over a distance well short of his best. He managed to pass only Lindermann in the straight but still produced the fastest final 200m of the race, suggesting he is ticking over nicely as the distances increase. The seven-year-old showed significant improvement third-up last preparation, progressing from ninth in the Hawkesbury Cup to victory in the Chairman's Handicap (2000m) at Doomben. He is likely to appreciate getting beyond 2000m, with the Caulfield Cup a potential next assignment, and should be kept safe as he builds towards the Melbourne Cup (3200m).