RACE COMMENT

OVERVIEW: THUNDERFIRE (8) had every reason to be beaten first-up from a spell at Cranbourne on August 16 when caught parked, but dug deep and scored a tough victory in a sizzling 55.9 last half. It was the performance of a very talented pacer, who boasts a career record of four wins from seven starts. He should be fitter for that run and looks a good chance of landing leader’s back here over the 1720m trip with pole-marker SCOOTER LOU (1) a likely front-runner. With even luck, he looks very hard to beat. EVILEYE (3) was so brave from the chair last time when third behind The Final Dance and she’s going much better than her numerical form would suggest, MONTANA PRIDE (6) had a softer run in transit and charged late for second in that same race and all his recent form is good, while MITZI SAID (10) is first-up from a break and trialled nicely for second in decent time at Kilmore recently. She was very competitive in higher-graded races than this last campaign and is a genuine contender with the right tempo. BACK: THUNDERFIRE (8) – 2 units (win)