Fazzle (outer) has the class to sprint well fresh at Waipa tomorrow.Picture / Greg Bowker
This is the time of year punters should be looking for first-up winners.
Horses whose form may have tailed off last preparation, but who have shown plenty of potential.
They are generally at inflated odds in their first start of a new preparation.
A trio of those horses at Te Awamutu tomorrow is Captain Marvel, Fazzle and Indy Ruler.
Captain Marvel has won two relatively minor races, but before a breakdown was considered a Derby horse.
"We were thinking he might be a Queensland Derby hope but he went amiss and had nearly two years away from the track," said trainer Ralph Manning.
As a 6-year-old now, Captain Marvel has still had only a handful of starts putting back-to-back wins together last season before being spelled. He is the type to run a decent 1580m while fresh.
Two of his main dangers could be similar fresh runners in Quickasucan and Le Moussier, with Lucky Country, winner of his past two, a hope.
With Jason Waddell in the saddle, Fazzle will carry 59kg in the TAB Te Awamutu on Cambridge Rd 1150.
It's a lot of weight for a mare, but Fazzle has exceptional ability when on her game and is not out of contention here.
At her final start before being spelled in the autumn, Fazzle came from an impossible position on the home bend to be just 1.2 lengths from Say No More in the group one Breeders Stakes at Te Aroha. That's good enough form for a race like this.
Sweet Suitor, Charma and Rough Odds are dangers.
Indy Ruler has the inside barrier to help him in the Wilksbrooke Motors 1400m and also a recent barrier trial at Cambridge to help him to fitness for a first-up run tomorrow.
