Boom field for the Goodwood.
Boom galloper Durazzo will be aiming for his first win on the Hobart circuit when he tackles the $50,000 Tony Carrick Goodwood Handicap over 1100m on Saturday.
A winner of eight races from 11 starts, Durazzo has twice raced in Hobart for a fourth placing in the Goodwood 12 months ago and a second in the WFA Thomas Lyons in February.
The 5yo hasn't raced since winning the Hellova Street Stakes at the end of the Summer Carnival last season. He did, however, show he's ready for a return to racing with a sharp trial win at Longford on 21 October.
Durazzo won that trial by more than three lengths in the fastest time of the day, and the margin could have been greater had jockey Kelvin Sanderson wanted to.
Sanderson will have the ride on Saturday. Durazzo is the topweight with 60.5kg and has drawn the outside gate in a field of nine.
Trainer Imogen Miller has two of her team resuming in the Goodwood, And Beyond and Alvarinho will open their campaigns in the event.
Nine-year-old And Beyond has won 11 from 38 starts.
"At his best he was really good for us last year, he won a couple of nice races, he did take a few runs to come up, so first up will be interesting.
"He's had a jump out and seems really well, Imogen is happy with where he's at, but I dare say his best will be yet to come," Brendon Mccoull from the Miller stable said.
Alvarinho has won six of her 24 races. All six wins have been in Hobart, two over Saturday's trip; she has drawn the inside gate.
"She always put herself in a nice handy spot early in her career. I think as the races have got tougher (over the years) she has tended to find herself settling a little further back.
"Maybe that's just because of the stronger tempo, but she's a pretty versatile horse. She tends to go well fresh. Having said that, I think her second-up run last year in the Newmarket was a career best run.
"It would be nice to win a good race with her, she's won a couple of handy races, but it would be nice to get a better one on the board with her, I feel like she deserves it.
"Hopefully both will have long campaigns going into the carnival. Providing their form warrants it, but I think they are both fit enough to run good races first-up," McCoull added.
The Goodwood is a traditional lead-up race to the state's best sprint, the $150,000 Newmarket Hcp (1200m) in Launceston on 21 November 21.
My best bets are Seditious Award in race 3 and Geegeehailstorm in the last, both each way.
All Saturday's action can be seen on Tasracing Live with the first race set down for 12:20.
