Perth 2:49 Result

Expert Analysis carries the top rating (93) alongside Elemental Eye, but has the fresher, more progressive profile - a 4yo still on a fairly light campaign with a recent run just 10 days ago showing he's sharp and in form. His form figures (80-P32) show he's been running well when completing, with a clear 2nd/3rd recently. Jennie Candlish is a shrewd hurdles trainer and Sean Quinlan is a strong booking who knows how to place horses to advantage in these H'cap Hurdles. Elemental Eye, by contrast, has a stop-start 798-8 profile and the handicapper hasn't seen him show a fully progressive picture; he adds headgear (blinkers) today which is note-worthy but also a slight query on whether he's fully committed under pressure. Struth is interesting on breeding/connections (Russell/Fox) but his last five runs read 66666 - stone cold out of form, and even with tongue-tie today it's hard to trust him to turn it around fresh off a rock-bottom sequence. Gonnino has been off 134 days and unproven fitness-wise. The rest are lower rated and look to be competing above their level based on the profile of this race. Expert Analysis ticks the boxes: top-rated, fit and progressive, in-form, and with a booking suggesting confidence. He looks the most complete package and worth taking on price grounds if he drifts at all in this competitive small-field puzzle.