The Son Paint Challenge Stakes<\/SPAN><\/U><\/B><\/P> Just 6 horses have drawn in to contest the Son Paint Challenge Stakes over 10 furlongs on the firm turf with some up and coming 4 year olds looking to show up their older competition.<\/P> The field looks something like this:<\/P> Hawkz Quest (IRE):<\/SPAN><\/B> Hawker\u2019s News (IRE) x Quest for Fame (GB) x Assert (IRE)<\/U> Out of the wariuz<\/I> stable, this relatively cheaply bred horse has shown true to the good lines of his breeding ignoring the lack of success in his sire\u2019s breeding record. Won at this distance nicely last time out but that was at NW3L level and this is a big step up here. His speed figures would normally suggest allowance races but the small field here will suit him well with his good closing speed. Nice horse, well spotted and reasonably juicy odds at 5\/1 in a small field. Let Em In:<\/SPAN> <\/B>Cozzene x Honor Grades x Nice Catch<\/U><\/P> Representing the ace<\/I> stable is this 5 year old grey horse (one of three in the race) whose recent form has been disappointing to say the least. He has failed in both his efforts for the new stable who claimed him for a seemingly bargain $50k and will need to run significantly better here to threaten even this small field. His best speed to date is a 96 over 8F as a 3 year old and he will need to get back to similar form to get in the money here. May struggle to get the distance but if he runs to the top of his ability he might sneak into the top 3. Tete of Oz (IRE):<\/SPAN><\/B> <\/SPAN>Moon Ballad (IRE) x Cozzene x Mountain Cat<\/U> One of the many stakes entrants (at least that I\u2019ve covered) from the jacobsson<\/I> stable and certainly not the least talented of them. Produced a very respectable 99 SP over 12 furlongs last start and seems to be turning into a carbon copy of his game dam. This distance may be too short for him but he likes to lead so his running style may help him over the shorter trip. Any kind of performance alike to his last start will make him very hard to catch here. Strong chance at a shortish 5\/2. Desert Ransom (IRE):<\/SPAN><\/B> Desert King (IRE) x Royal Anthem x Red Ransom<\/U> Running for owner olympic<\/I> is this lightly raced chestnut colt who has struggled through his career so far for 2 wins from 16 races. On the upside for the owner, the horse seems to have finally found his best trip at around 11 furlongs after an impressive run last start for just his second win. The trip is the only thing in this horse\u2019s favour though as his speed figures are well below the norm for stakes runners at this distance. Is probably entitled to be the outsider of the race but should prove a reasonable allowance horse in time. Long odds at 13\/1 and will need to improve here. Freeze (NZ):<\/SPAN><\/B> Zabeel (NZ) x Barathea (IRE) x Saint Ballado<\/U> The favourite of the race seems to have a somewhat ordinary race record at a glance but his owner aggots<\/I> has thrown him in the deep end class-wise and he\u2019s only been out of the top 5 once from 11 runs. His worst run this year was his last start over 14 furlongs where he appeared to struggle over the extra ground. The drop back in distance and into a field with just one other stakes winner should suit him nicely and anything but a win here will be somewhat disappointing. The only horse in the field to produce a triple digit speed figure and another 100+ SP should be more than enough to win here. Deservedly short favourite at a skinny 3\/2, and will be very tough here. Commander Opal:<\/SPAN><\/B> Really Golden x Nureyev x Exclusive Native<\/U> The veteran of the race at 6 years of age is lukita2\u2019<\/I>s Really Golden progeny. With only 14 runners in the sim, the sire says very little about this steady horse that has only finished out of the top 5 twice in his 27 starts. The major question mark on him is the extra distance. His one try at this trip was poor although it was his first effort in stakes company and coming off a surface switch. If the distance doesn\u2019t faze him, it\u2019s hard to see him finishing out of the money given his record. This will be only his second run for his new stable and it will be interesting to see if lukita2<\/I>\u2019s faith in claiming him pays off. Well that\u2019s the field and a small but interesting variety of runners there too with a couple of possible future stars going against some older horses looking to grab a stakes win before they go off to the paddock.<\/P> Personally I can\u2019t go past Freeze<\/B> to win with Tete Oz<\/B> a close 2nd<\/SUP> and Hawkz Quest<\/B> beating off the others for 3rd<\/SUP>.<\/P> Saying that, my sim-related luck has been pretty poor lately so if you want a sure thing then it\u2019s probably a\u00a0better idea to bet on the other 3 horses!<\/P> \u00a0<\/P> Good luck to all owners and I hope I haven\u2019t jinxed your runners too badly