Though the 2023 Guineas will be the fea­ture event on Tues­day’s six-race card at San­ta Rosa Park in Ari­ma, I think the Mod­i­fied Bench­mark Hand­i­cap for three-year-olds and over hors­es over 1,500 me­tres, will be the best bet­ting race on the card.

Race four is a very com­pet­i­tive event and will see nine hors­es fac­ing the starter. In this race, cham­pi­on train­er John O’Brien has three key hors­es en­gaged in So­ca Har­mo­ny, the 2022 Der­by win­ner, Crown Prince, the 2022 Gold Cup win­ner and Princess Aruna, who fin­ished fourth in the Der­by.

This hand­i­cap is wide open and Gold Cup win­ner Crown Prince has been giv­en top-weight of 58 ki­los. He will be rid­den by ap­pren­tice Tris­tan Phillip who will claim two ki­los.

He must have a great chance if at his best on the turf track but he has not run with the same keen­est on the grass. He will have to an­swer that ques­tion in this race.

So­ca Har­mo­ny who won the Der­by last year has not been at her best this sea­son and though this horse will now have the as­sis­tance of Der­by-win­ning rid­er No­bel Abrego, she will have 55.5 ki­los to tote. How­ev­er, she has the same is­sue as Crown Prince and must show that she can han­dle the turf course. She is ex­pect­ed to go close as she gal­loped with au­thor­i­ty on Sun­day with Guineas’ favourite In The Head­lines.

The fi­nal O’Brien-trained horse in the event is Princess Aruna who will be rid­den by Ri­co Her­nan­dez. This horse has shown im­prove­ment in her last three starts and must have a chance to land a good prize with 47 ki­los. She has a big chance and must go close.

Glenn Mendez has the speedy Mar­vel Vig­or en­tered and this horse has nev­er won over this trip. How­ev­er, he is well-weight­ed with 54 ki­los with Dil­lon Khelawan. Should Mar­vel Vig­or be al­lowed an un­con­test­ed lead, we are in for a big run.

Train­er Michael Lutch­man has Su­prema­cy en­gaged and this horse must a big chance with 44 ki­los and Hall of Famer Ricky Jadoo in the sad­dle. This horse must be re­spect­ed with that im­post and with Jadoo set to ride will go close.

The Shaf­fique Khan-trained Top of The Class must have a big shout in this event. He has been al­lot­ted 49 ki­los and this could be le­nient if he has been brought back to his best by his train­er. An­drew Poon has the prized ride.

Lester Alex­is has Cool Cat ready to win this event. He has been al­lot­ted 55.5 ki­los and Tris­tan Phillips will ride. This horse is a turf spe­cial­ist and has been cry­ing out for this trip and good ground.

Kei­th Lu­cas has News Flash en­gaged in the event but this horse is not proven on the turf track. How­ev­er, this horse is too high in weight and can be writ­ten off.

Ter­rence Thomas has the fi­nal en­trant in the nine-horse field with Leonar­do An­gel. This horse will tote 45.5 ki­los and will be rid­den by ap­pren­tice David Butch­er.