Bank on Bruce Wayne, Orpheus, Stranger Danger

It's the last Sunrise-Six for 2018 and punters will be smiling ahead of tomorrow's exotic bet as they have been presented with three very safe bankers.

The Sunrise-Six runs from Race Two to Race Seven with BRUCE WAYNE set to run away with Race Two, ORPHEUS will do likewise in Race Five while the crack American STRANGER DANGER will have too much class for rivals in the sixth.

BRUCE WAYNE has been dropped from overnight allowance to contest a 1600 metres event in lowly $250,000 claiming. Horses taking such a big drop are usually unwell but BRUCE WAYNE advertised his fitness on Boxing Day when finishing fourth in a 1200 metres event and clocking a fairly fast 1:12.4. Eleven days earlier, the Anthony Nunes-trained BRUCE WAYNE was a close-up third to SUPERLUMINAL and MY ELLE BELLE in another overnight race. Nunes has a mountain to climb to win the trainers' title but BRUCE WAYNE will ensure that he adds $360,350 to his stakes tally from very early.

NO MATCH

ORPHEUS will also top up Nunes' stakes with $393,100 in the fifth over 1300 metres. A winner in overnight company on December 1, ORPHEUS takes on $450,000 claimers who should prove no match for the classy five-year-old horse. He clocked a good 1:26.0 for 1400 metres in his last victory and will have his favourite rider, Shane Ellis, aboard.

American-bred STRANGER DANGER will tackle a middle distance for the first time in Race Six but he will only be racing against the clock. The unbeaten two-year-old gelding clocked a brilliant 1:12.2 in a 1200-metre spin at exercise on Sunday, beating his stablemate AMERICAN INVADER by 10 lengths in the workout. STRANGER DANGER who has only had two starts locally is poised to become one of the top sprinters next year and could ensure that trainer Wayne DaCosta secures another title.

Races Three, Four, and Seven are more competitive and finding the winners will be difficult. In Race Three, the selection is ROY ROGERS from out of the barn of trainer Dennis Lee. By Distorted - Soca Party, ROY ROGERS was blown away by the Nunes-trained two-year-old colt EARN YOUR STRIPES over 1400 metres on December 15 but this 1000-metre sprint is a much easier assignment.

ROY ROGERS was close to 45.4 splits in the first 800 metres of that fast-run 1400m event (1:25.3) and returns seven pounds lighter. Nunes' TOONA CILIATA is working very well but ROY ROGERS has the handicaps in his favour.

In the fourth, PHOTOGENIC is a strong choice. The five-year-old mare has beaten most of her rivals in the not-too-distant past and remains very light. She did finish behind SMOKESCREEN over the distance in September but an 11-lb swing in the weights has given PHOTOGENIC a distinct advantage.

Take DARE TO SPEAK to close the Sunrise-Six. He comes in a bit heavy but will be running on best of all in the final 200m of the 1300-metre race.

SUNRISE-SIX SELECTIONS

2. BRUCE WAYNE

3. ROY ROGERS

4. PHOTOGENIC

5. ORPHEUS

6. STRANGER DANGER

7. DARE TO SPEAK