Photograph Zimbabwe Equine News: Brendon McNaughton rides Nimble Dancer again on Sunday.

One needs thinking caps and crossed thumbs for Sunday’s Borrowdale Park race meeting. In the main these are competitive fields and expect improvement from several runners who came off particularly long breaks before their last outings.

The first race – a 1100m Merit Rated 67 Handicap – sets the scene.

This field includes Belle Epoque and Eurozone, both winners this season, as well as Nimble Dancer and Just A Jag, second and fourth, respectively, to Zita over 1200m on September 24. Just A Jag is now a kg better off with Nimble Dancer – and I would fancy Nimble Dancer more if he, rather than Just A Jag, had the outside draw.

Belle Epoque beat Elegant Beauty by 1.75 lengths in the 1260m Sable Flyers but there is quite a significant turnaround in weights here. Elegant Beauty will now receive 0.5 kgs from Belle Epoque – when they last met she was conceding 2 kgs.

Nimble Dancer has previously beaten Belle Epoque over Sunday’s distance, when receiving 3.5 kgs. With claiming Apprentice Mpumelelo Mjoka aboard on Sunday, Belle Epoque will receive 1 kg from Nimble Dancer….this is fascinating stuff.

Eurozone, going for the 1100m double, beat Sunday’s runner Big Chief, by 3.85 lengths when in receipt of 3.5 kgs. Big Chief will now receive 1 kg from Eurozone which should bring him closer. Both these runners are receiving weight from the rest of the field.

For sanity’s sake I am simply assuming Porterhouse could spring a surprise if he wants to. Phantom Major has not raced since February so surely he will need this run.

And having muddied the waters completely, I have no idea who might win.

This very interesting race is due off at 12.20 pm.