Lord Of Biscay is the $2 favourite. Kris Lees trains him and James McDonald rode him to win the $750,000 Provincial-Midway Championships Final at Randwick on April 11. That was Lees's sixth win in that race. The horse came through the gap and stormed clear. Two weeks earlier he'd won the Wildcard at Newcastle at the same trip. The form is rock solid. Dylan Gibbons takes over from McDonald on Friday.

On Friday he carries 58.5kg, 4kg above the minimum, and he meets Formal Display. Annabel and Rob Archibald's gelding has won his last two at metro. Wyong 1350m on March 18 under 61kg on soft. Warwick Farm 1400m on April 1 under 63kg on soft. Both were tough weight-carrying tests on soft ground. He drops to 54.5kg on Friday from barrier 5, with Braith Nock who rode the Wyong win. That's a 4kg weight swing on the favourite and I think $2.65 is fair.

Four horses map as leaders and the pace should get honest. Formal Display from barrier 5, Phearson from 11, Uzziah from 16 and Mystery Lad from 12 all want to roll forward. Lord Of Biscay sits three-back on the fence from barrier 3, which is the catbird seat if the tempo is strong. Rajnish takes the rail from barrier 2 and will push or drop. Tavros is the main closer from barrier 13. If Formal Display holds the lead and controls the tempo, he wins. If the pace is too hot for the leaders, Lord Of Biscay picks them up late.

Tavros is the local angle. Craig Martin trains at Tamworth, Ben Looker rides, and the horse has form that reads 1x12352x5 with five wins from 17 starts. He ran 2nd in the TAB Country Classic over 2000m at Rosehill in November, beaten 0.49L by Blacklist. That's genuine Saturday metro form from a country stable. His last run was a 5th in the Northern Country Championships Wildcard at Scone over 1400m soft on March 20. At $12 I think he's fair, not great. He's the best of the locals but he's not beating the two above him on current form.

Uzziah is next in the market at $11. Scott Aspery's gelding won the Armidale Showcase Cup at 1400m on March 13, beating Mystery Lad by 2.79L. He'll be spitting chips from barrier 16. I don't think he wins from out there, but he has a genuine class tie-in with the best of the locals.

Phearson at $10 doesn't excite me. The eight-year-old is racing back via trials and his last proper run was a 5th in the Star Kingdom G3 at Rosehill beaten 2.19L. Before that a 14th in the Festival Stakes G3 in November beaten 8.41L. Trials wins don't get me interested when the race form tells a different story.

Hulu at $41 is the local curiosity. Cameron Crockett's mare won the Tamworth Cup Prelude over 1400m at this track on April 10, from barrier 4 under 56.5kg. She knows the surface and she's fit, but she goes from a Benchmark 82 to face horses winning city races and $750K Provincial finals, and she draws barrier 10 this time rather than the inside. The Prelude win was terrific for what it was. This is a different league.

Mystery Lad at $31 ran 6th in that Prelude beaten 3.2L under 64kg. Hulu had 7.5kg on him. His 2nd to Uzziah in the Armidale Cup says he's right in the grade, but the Prelude says he can't beat Hulu on turnaround weights. 42 starts, eight years old, honest. At the prices, not for me.

Wanda River at $81 ran 2nd in the Prelude beaten 0.26L by Hulu. That looks good on paper until you remember Hulu was 7.5kg better off. She's a local mare who knows the surface, but the overall form is sprinkled with ordinary runs and I can't make a case for her at this level.

Rajnish at $81 ran 8th in the Prelude beaten 4.21L. Hard to make a case from there.

Navajo Peak at $34 has form that reads x47000x68x. I couldn't be less interested.