It’s not often that a sizeable field of three-year-olds is comprised predominantly of horses that have not raced before… we’re talking three-year-olds here… but that’s exactly the case in an exciting contest that is the first race on the Sunshine Coast on Saturday.

No fewer than seven of the ten runners have never raced before, and only three of them raced as two-year-olds. But that’s not to say the unraced runners haven’t done some important preparatory work behind the scenes as their trainers set up this 1000m QTIS Handicap for Three-Year-Olds Maiden as their respective debuts… and therein lies the interesting part.

Trained by Robert Heathcote, Cosmo Centaurus is the clear favourite to race. He has entered four classes and won his last three in a row so convincingly that Heathcote told Racenet: “He is an exciting young stallion. He is the most beautiful young horse I have had in my stable for the last five years.”

Two of these trails took place in July, so it is assumed that they prepared the gelding well for the race.

Another debutant, the Kelly Schweida-trained Better Not Forget, has only competed half as many trails as Cosmo Centaurus, but his win at the last trial also speaks for his chances, while Dazzling Diamond has been extremely consistent in her work, finishing second in all three trials so far.

These are all encouraging results… but as Heathcote himself was quick to point out when talking about Cosmo Centaurus’s potential, they are yet to try it out under full racing conditions.

Among the runners who have already raced, the Stuart Kendrick-trained Heart And Spirit is a popular favourite and is currently considered the clear second favourite behind Cosmo Centaurus.

Heart And Spirit has won two trials before and after his only race start. Her only run to date came in April when Kendrick decided to send him straight to town and he was deemed wanting, finishing unplaced and well behind the winner Mishani Lily.

The bottom line, however, is that Heart And Spirit gained valuable racing experience from the run and the fact that Mishani Lily went on to win the Listed Dalrello Stakes puts this result into even more perspective. Another factor that should not be taken lightly is that Heart And Spirit is racing at her home track.

The special expertise of the premiership-winning duo of trainer Tony Gollan and jockey Jimmy Orman will also be brought to bear as they combine to give the daughter of Better Than Ready Maragical a winning start to her career… and of course there are others, including the Michael Freedman-trained Balmoral, who will be staking their claim.

This race full of opportunities is the start of a ten-race program on the Sunshine Coast.

The meeting was originally scheduled for Eagle Farm, but that venue is currently out of service.

According to online bookmakers, Cosmo Centaurus is the favorite with the low odds in this race.

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