Newcastle (AW) 3:59 Result

Mussab is the clear class act here on official ratings, with an OR of 97 dwarfing the rest of this field (most have no rating, and What A Girl Wants is only 81). His form figures of 3-3-6 show he's been running at a decent level already, finishing competitively each time out, and he's from the powerful Fahey yard with Oisin Orr taking the ride - a strong jockey booking. Two-year-old sprint novices with proven ability at this sort of level, stepping into a race with mostly unraced or lightly-exposed rivals, often have a big edge. Several in this field (Caelum, Cyberspace, Aeternitas) have no form at all and are complete unknowns, while Taj Mahal Palace (75) and Golden Buzz (87) haven't shown enough to match Mussab's assessed ability. One More Tilda's solitary run (6th) doesn't inspire confidence either. What A Girl Wants has functional form (322044) and wears a hood today, but has been below Mussab's level and the string of 4s suggests she's found her level at a lower grade. Mussab's recent run 13 days ago keeps him fresh and ready. Given the drop in class of opposition and his proven competitiveness, Mussab looks the one to beat and represents solid value if returned at a fair price given the unknown quantities around him.