1.13pm – Doomben – Barazin
The winner of $240,000 in prizemoney, this bloke is a bit like me – still thinks he's got plenty to offer, turns up full of enthusiasm, but unfortunately the results aren't quite matching the confidence anymore.
To his credit, he's still having a red-hot crack, but I suspect a few of these might simply be a bit too slick for him.
He's certainly not throwing in the towel, and you have to admire that. A bit like me on the bowling green – convinced the next one will be a cracker, despite mounting evidence to the contrary.
I'd love him to prove me wrong, but my confidence is starting to resemble his recent form – heading in the wrong direction!
Each-way confidence: 3/10

Newcastle – Zouboy
This is a horse I identified and leased, so the owners are already in front after his one start produced one very impressive win. Not a bad return on investment so far!
He resumes here, and whilst I suspect he will eventually be better over further, there's plenty to like about him.

He's had a nice recent trial, has genuine upside and, importantly, looks to have a bit more ability than your average Saturday afternoon conveyance.
I expect him to be running in the top three, and he looks our best chance of the day.

Hopefully, he can keep his unbeaten record intact and make me look like I actually know what I'm doing when selecting these horses.
Each-way confidence: 7/10

3.33pm – Doomben – Cutepi

A cheap yearling purchase who has already banked over $125,000, so she's certainly done her job and then some.
The problem here is that there are 16 runners and, by my calculations, about 14 of them can win. It's the sort of race where you could throw the form guide into a ceiling fan and probably come up with a reasonable selection.
The good news is she's one of those 14!
She gets a gun rider, a favourable draw and should enjoy a lovely run in transit.
Plenty of luck required, but she's certainly not without a chance.
Each-way confidence: 6/10

5.15pm – Caulfield – Royal Supremacy
What a marvellous horse this bloke has been for his owners, banking an incredible $2,120,000 in prizemoney.
He's been an absolute beauty, and whilst Father Time is starting to knock on the door, there's still a bit of fight left in the old boy.

He gets a lovely barrier to roll forward and hopefully enjoy a soft run. His manners have improved significantly with maturity, which is nice because earlier in his career he occasionally behaved like he'd been raised by wolves.
He was beaten only two lengths in this race last year, and I genuinely believe he's going better mentally this time around.

I'm not convinced he can win, but I certainly think he's capable of finishing in the top five and giving his owners another reason to be proud.
Include him in your exotics.
Each-way confidence: 6/10

5.15pm – Caulfield – Wine Dark Sea
Now this is a serious racehorse.
If he reproduces the ratings from any of his last four starts, he has the ability to win this race by four or five lengths. On pure ability, I have him clearly the best horse in the field.

Unfortunately, horse racing isn't conducted on spreadsheets, and he's managed to draw the worst barrier in the race with a map that looks about as appealing as a root canal.
He has genuine tactical speed, can sustain a strong sectional and has all the attributes required to become a very good horse in Australia.

Importantly, he's a young horse on the way up rather than an older horse trying to remember where he left his best form.
I actually prefer him as a Caulfield Cup horse rather than a Melbourne Cup horse, and his profile suggests he could be a serious player if we manage him correctly.

The key here is the first 400 metres. If we get some luck early and find a reasonable position, he has the ability to win this comfortably.
But as I keep saying, maps matter, and unfortunately we've been dealt a map that looks like someone has sent us directions to the wrong racecourse.

Now, we've had a few questions about the racing colours.

I'm not entirely sure who designed them, but they look like a rainbow collided with a packet of Skittles before being regurgitated by someone's cat.
All I can say is that hopefully the horse doesn't get too much of a shock when he sees the jockey climb aboard.

If he survives that experience, the colours shouldn't slow him down!
Each-way confidence: 7/10

7.28pm – Ascot – Spacewalk
The winner of an incredible $906,000 in prizemoney, this grand old galloper has been a wonderful servant to his owners.
But unfortunately, we might be approaching the final chapter.

His last two performances have been disappointing, and whilst his trackwork has been excellent, it's starting to remind me of blokes who hit golf balls beautifully on the driving range before heading ont