A Quartet Of Runners At Spacious Sandown

Acelum and Utah both take their place in the second race, the Thoroughbred Club of Australia Plate and they have drawn nicely in barriers 1 and 4 with Damian Lane and Jordan Childs taking the rides.

Second favourite in a race in which there is an odds-on pop, Acelum is having his second start having run so nicely from a tricky wide gate at his Pakenham debut late last month.

A half-brother to the stakes winners Havana and Diplomatico bred by his part owners Redbank and Paul Rowe, Acelum hit the lead last start and was run down only late by a swooper.

He has derived nice benefit from that experience with Michael noting that "to my eye he has taken the necessary steps and trained on well."

"He is still a bit new and green which is the question mark and barrier 1 can sometimes be a tricky draw - but all things being equal I think he can win, this looks a nice race for him."

Acelum's stablemate Utah by Grunt out of a So You Think half-sister to the four time Gr.1 winner Danleigh is having his first run since last spring and the 1400m is a good kick off for a horse who we are sure will get better as he gets over more ground.

"He is a big striding horse and Sandown should suit him," Michael said. "He is nice and forward for his first up run but will take good improvement out of it - we will be happy to see him running on well."

Utah displayed nice promise during his debut campaign, the $110,000 Karaka graduate was not far away at his first two starts and has been given time to mature.

Our other two runners for the day are in the final two races - Pink Chandon (pictured, Racing Photos) resuming in the LockettLED.au Handicap with Craig Williams riding whilst General Firepower has the claim of apprentice Ryan Houston in the Sportsbet Race Replays Handicap.

The lightly raced Pink Chandon has enjoyed a nice long break which has done her the world of good with Michael saying that "she has come back a far better mare, she is stronger and she looks terrific."

In the placings in a couple of home-track jump-outs, the well related Pierro mare from the family of Fastnet Rock will be better over the 1200m of this race but she certainly has the talent.

"She is a mare we have always had a high opinion of," Michael said.

"We have struck a strong race at a trip she's only get away with on the fresh side and she will probably want further than this but we know she has got some really nice ability and a win would not be a surprise."

General Firepower set up a good pace before tiring fresh at Sandown in late January and we were pleased with his progress after that race - until a setback put him back a gallop.

"He got kicked in the ribs by another horse and was a bit tender. He is fine now but he is a horse who needs a bit of work so it won't surprise me if he just needs another run."

"However this is certainly not as strong a race as last time and he has drawn well."