No stopping Ras Emanuel

AFTER watching RAS EMANUEL lose with topweight in his last two races, trainer Peter McMaster has summoned three-kilo claiming apprentice Oneil Scott to partner the six-year-old in this afternoon's closing event, an overnight allowance at six furlongs.

RAS EMANUEL will face 15 rivals but does so at 118lb, dropping seven pounds from his last race, the Ash Wednesday Trophy, in which he was partnered by Robert Halledeen and finished fifth behind out-of-class ANOTHER BULLET.

RAS EMANUEL lost twice last month, with Halledeen riding at topweight, losing his previous race by a neck at 1000 metres straight, beaten by rank upsetter UNCLE TAF.

Scott has been quietly making use of his bug, winning aboard Richard Azan's WILSON last week in the Sir Howard Stakes and astride SIR PUDDINGTON at 1820 metres on Wednesday after suffering grave interference at the start.

GREAT CHANCE

Getting a pull in the weight gives RAS EMANUEL a great chance at his favourite trip, 1200 metres, the distance at which he had finished fifth in November's Caribbean Sprint, beaten three and a half lengths by CHACE THE GREAT, sharing topweight 57.0 kilos with the 2017 Champion Sprinter.

Running in the recent Ash Wednesday Trophy, RAS EMANUEL was too heavy at 56.5 kilos, venturing 1300 metres, a half-furlong too far outside his pet trip of six furlongs. In addition, he was drawn widest in a 14-horse field and was forced to race wide to the half-mile before moving into contention to turn for home as a team with ANOTHER BULLET.

Though lacking the finishing power of ANOTHER BULLET, RAS EMANUEL ran a great race, only relegated into fourth a furlong out by his stablemate, PRINCESS EMANUELLE, and LOTTERY TICKET, who closed past tired horses late in the event.

With the speedsters in the race sitting closer to him this afternoon, heavier in some cases, RAS EMANUEL only has the run-on sprinters to fear - stablemates LOTTERY TICKET and ARMAGEDDON.