Top-end sprint fields, a touch skinny for a decade or more, are suddenly taking off.
Tomorrow's $55,000 Te Rapa Supa Cent Sprint line-up follows hard on the heels of a couple of other impressive short-course events lately.
Talented Accardo makes a reappearance after a year away from theracetracks and is capable of making it a memorable moment.
Accardo is almost unbeaten in New Zealand. He won his only two barrier trials, his first two starts, then finished a close second to Sarajay at Ellerslie on New Year's Day last year before an Australian campaign. He is a winner in Australia and the Russell Cameron, Gareth McCrae stable had him fit enough to win a recent barrier trial on his home track at Pukekohe.
A firm surface is the key to Tatlock, who has had his spring racing hampered by wet tracks.
The one start trainer Ann Herbert has been able to give Tatlock was luckless - he was slow out at Ellerslie and covered ground afterwards.
He should be a lot fitter for that and from a perfect No 4 draw, should be able to race handy.
Plenty of depth here to the point that every runners has winning claims.
One of the strongest is Inshelucky, who should be a quick improver from her first-up Rotorua run, where she finished sixth behind Irlanda.
Inshelucky raced without a lot of luck last season and looked very smart on a couple of occasions.
It may not be wide to drop Veloz, even though there were plenty who were disappointed with his third placing as the raging favourite at Rotorua.
The track was slow that day and that probably did not suit the free-running types like Veloz.
His previous three times to the races - for three wins - made him looks a terrific prospect and he deserves another chance on a better surface.
Giovanni is better than his 13th placing looked at Te Awamutu last weekend, where he covered extra ground as the beaten favourite.
It would not be too much of a surprise if he bounced back and went close.
Pin Up Boy was better at Te Awamutu and has looked promising in a brief career.
