Top-form River Roca can land hat-trick

Tomorrow's Race 8, a Class 4 affair over the Polytrack 1,000m, looks interesting.

Three horses fascinated me - Sacred Gift, newcomer Radiant Success and back-to-back winner River Roca.

Which one should I make the top pick? They all can win.

It took a while before I finally settled for a top-form horse with a big weight advantage.

The Young Keah Yong-trained River Roca scored a Class 5 double over the course and distance in good times, clocking below 59sec on both occasions.

He is promoted a class but gets in with bottom weight.

The four-year-old New Zealand-bred is handicapped with only 51kg and his rider, apprentice jockey Iskandar Rosman, can still claim 3kg.

This means his mount will carry only 48kg.

Last start on Dec 12, River Roca won with 54.5kg after Iskandar's 3kg claim. So this is a big drop in weight and that should put the speedster in good stead.

The Mark Walker-trained Sacred Gift, who won all three races over the 1,000m dash, is a class dropper who appears to be back in form.

He is back to his last winning class and won a trial for this assignment. But he will be humping the 59kg top impost.

That is a hefty 11kg more than River Roca. As they say, weight can stop a train.

The Tim Fitzsimmons-trained Radiant Success gets in as a 64-rated newcomer with 57.5kg.

He has been pleasing at the trials at Kranji - three in all- and in his gallops. He is a three-time Australian winner. A wet track will enhance his chances.