Monday, 30 July 2012: In-form Rosehill trainer Con Karakatsanis can make a winning trip to Dubbo this afternoon with developing three-year-old Annexation.
 | Con Karakatsanis
Photo by Racing and Sports | |
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The filly will contest the Class 1 Reeve Wheeler Appreciation Handicap (1320m), looking to build on the impressive maiden win she forged in the midst of the Grafton carnival two runs back.
If anything that was a tougher race than what she finds today, and she's been given 18 days to recover from a last-start 10th at Grafton, which came four days after her maiden win.
She led most the trip in that tough race but was headed at the 150m and ended up finishing 3.8L off the winner, but she was clearly a little jaded.
Grant Buckley is in the saddle for the first time here, jumping from a midfield gate where he'll likely take his mount straight to the front.
This is the filly's first crack at 1300m but if she finds her spot in front or just behind the leader she shouldn't have any trouble running it out.
Her maiden win two runs back netted a
Timeform 
rating of 68, and expect her to improve on that here carrying 58kg.
Annexation is one of only two galloper Karakatsanis is bringing over to Dubbo, and she should make the journey more than worthwhile in a race which has been heavily affected by scratchings.
Top weight Tidal Zone,
Old Mate Shov ,
Dark Angel ,
Super Vixen and
Ladyinxs are all out so every emergency starter will get a run here.
The biggest danger to Annexation looks to be Pat Farrell's three-year-old
Snipped who comes across from Muswellbrook today.
He may well take up the running from Annexation, and is looking to build on a recent batch of form which netted him a strong maiden win at Scone two runs back before he ran a narrow second in this grade on his home track.
Champion country jockey Greg Ryan, who orchestrated the
Snippetson gelding's maiden win, missed the run last start but is back on board today.
His latest run yielded a Timeform rating of 70, and if he runs up to that again he could prove difficult to beat.
Battered is another one of these who likes to get forward, and at his best he looks a threat in a race like this.
He resumes off a three-month break and must overcome a very ordinary last-start performance at Wyong where he raced over a mile for the first time. He led to the 400m but failed to find anything in the straight finishing more than 18 lengths off the winner.
Prior to that he shed his maiden tag with a strong win over this trip at Armidale, and he has placed fresh-up before so is definitely worth another chance.
Al Muneera could well be the one to take full advantage if the top three spend most the race in a lightning speed battle up front.
She comes off a maiden win at Bathurst 13 days ago and is drawn to sit just off the pace today.
The three-year-old filly is untried at this trip but pulled clear of them over 1100m last start and should be well suited to the extra ground.
She only has to carry 55.5kg which is a bit less than the top few, and if given the chance can muster a very bold run over the final furlong.
