Our best for the midwinter meeting at Rosehill.

Group Two Ingham winner Robusto is expected to avenge his desperately unlucky second last start in tomorrow's Listed Asahi Super Dry Winter Challenge (1500m), at Rosehill Gardens.

The former Chris Waller discard has gone to a new level since joining the Bjorn Baker yard, and is now in his second preparation for the Warwick Farm trainer.

The rising six-year-old Churchill gelding is third-up tomorrow, and normally has a rating spike at this stage of the preparation. 

Last start in the LR Winter Stakes (1400m) at this track, Robusto stalked the speed from the inside draw before failing to get a clear crack in the straight, yet still managed to finish a courageous second to Estadio Mestalla.

After being anchored with the 60kg on that occasion, Robusto meets Estadio Mestalla 3kg better and gets a similar set-up from the low draw, with the extra 100m in his favour on the firmer surface.

Josh Parr will be out to make amends for the defeat last start, and Robusto has been crunched in early betting firming from $3.80 into $2.90 favouritism.

Our next best comes up in the Traffic Warden @ Darley Handicap (1200m), with the Chris Waller-trained two-year-old colt Alphard.

The Street Boss colt kicked up from the inside draw on debut before being held up badly in the straight. He got out late to finish an unlucky fourth on the heavy surface over  1200m at Canterbury.

Tomorrow, Alphard can tag the solid tempo from the inside gate and prove hard to hold out, after as much as $26 was bet when markets were released on Wednesday.

SYDNEY SPECIALS

Race 9 No. 1 - ROBUSTO

Race 1 No. 6 - ALPHARD