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Lady Of Camelot returns to the races at Eagle Farm on Saturday to contest the $300k Group 2 Victory Stakes over 1200 metres with jockey Tim Clark booked to ride.

Emma Reeves aids us with programming and identifies who she thinks is the best placed horse each weekend. Lady Of Camelot, Saturday 2nd May, Eagle Farm, Race 8:  This Group 1 Golden Slipper winner needs no introduction and her record extends well beyond that. She went on to place behind multiple Group 1 winning superstars, which suggested another day in the sun was not far away. The decision was made to give her the spring off and focus on 2026, in order to give her the best possible chance of getting to Royal Ascot, and she has returned in wonderful order. The lack of match fitness first up is a query but I will leave that to Gai and Adrian. On paper, at her best, she is well placed here and should be hard to beat. ​  

FRIDAY 1st MAY - WAGGARail Position: TrueETON, Race 1, 1200m, 12.45pm, R King, 59kg Eton is thriving ahead of his return. We’ve been incredibly patient with him but its paid dividends, because he’s matured into the loveliest gelding and he looks poised to give you all plenty of fun. His two trials this time in have been excellent, and they’ve given him the right fitness grounding with which to kick off his campaign. 1200 metres is a lovely starting point for him, and Rachel will be positive from barrier 12 to try and roll forward and get across into a more favourable inside position. He placed in town on debut as a three year old so we know what he’s capable of, and he’s been gelded since then which often brings about significant improvement. This is a valuable maiden to kick him off in, and whilst there will be plenty of improvement to come once he’s got a run under his belt we still expect him to be hard to beat.BEAR ON THE LOOSE, Race 7, 2000m, 4.20pm, R Bayliss, 54kg Bear On The Loose doesn’t know how to run a bad race and his close fourth at Randwick last time was no exception. He’s bounced through that run in terrific shape and he’s thriving on his racing, so we can’t fault him ahead of this outing. Regan knows him very well and he’ll roll forward from barrier 11 to settle him on or close to the speed, as we know he likes to race prominently and he’ll be suited by a genuinely run race. He ran well in this race last year and whilst he’s deeper into his campaign this time around he’s showing no signs of having had enough, and we see no reason why he won’t be featuring in the finish once more.SATURDAY 2nd MAY - HAWKESBURYRail Position: TrueCENTENARIO, Race 4, 1800m, 1.05pm, R Bayliss, 58kg Centenario is thriving ahead of this run. He’s a real character around the stable and he loves to make sure he’s the centre of attention, and this week has been no exception. His two trials have given him a good base level of fitness, and he closed off very strongly in his most recent one at Rosehill so he’s spot on for this return. 1800 metres is a lovely starting point for him and Hawkesbury is a track that will suit him, so Regan will let him find his feet from barrier 9 and he maps to settle in midfield where he should enjoy an even run in transit. He won this same grade of race at Canterbury last preparation so it was at the midweeks, and this will require more. However, he’s a very progressive stayer and whilst we don’t expect him to be peaking until he stretches out to 2000 metres and beyond, this is a more than suitable starting point and we expect him to be very competitive.SLY BOOTS, Race 10, 1400m, 4.45pm, R Bayliss, 56kg Sly Boots is in fantastic order ahead of his return. His two trials have been encouraging and he’s continued to improve since his most recent one at Canterbury, and that trip away has really stimulated him because his subsequent work has been excellent. He was progressive last preparation, winning a Benchmark 78 Handicap extremely impressively before going on to acquit himself very creditably in two fiercely competitive races at the Magic Millions carnival in January. As such, whilst he’s kicking off in a tough race and conceding race fitness to his key rivals he has shown previously that he is up to this level. He’s drawn a slightly tricky gate in 17, but Regan knows him well and he will let him find his feet and travel where he’s comfortable in the run. He tends to hit his straps once he gets to 1600 metres and beyond but this is still a lovely starting point for him, and if he gets some luck in running down the straight we see no reason why he won’t be hitting the line strongly to get his preparation off to an exciting start.THE THREE HUNDRED, Race 10, 1400m, 4.45pm, A Hyeronimus, 60kgThe Three Hundred couldn’t be in better shape ahead of his return. His two trials have been encouraging and he’s continued to improve since his most recent one at Canterbury, and that trip away has really stimulated him because his subsequent work has been excellent. He won first-up at Wyong last preparation so we know he’s effective when fresh which adds confidence, so whilst he’s kicking off in a tough race and conceding race fitness to his key rivals he has shown previously that he is up to this sort of level. He’s drawn a slightly tricky gate in 11, but Adam will let him find his feet and travel where he’s comfortable in the run. This is a competitive race but it’s a lovely starting point for him, and if he gets some luck in running we see no reason why he won’t be hitting the line strongly to get his preparation off to an exciting start.SATURDAY 2nd MAY - EAGLE FARMRail Position: +5M Entire LADY OF CAMELOT, Race 8, 1200m, 4.13pm, T Clark, 56.5kg Lady Of Camelot is in fantastic shape ahead of her return. She had the spring out so she’s a much stronger mare now. Her two trials this time in have been excellent and she really enjoyed her latest hit out and trip away from home at Canterbury. Her subsequent work has been excellent and Saturday’s exhibition gallop also topped her fitness off nicely. She’s taken everything in her stride since heading north to Queensland, so we couldn’t be happier with her ahead of this run. She’s resuming after more than a year off the track which isn’t easy to do, however she’s as fit as we can get her and this track and trip is the ideal launchpad for her preparation. Tim knows her very well which adds confidence, and she’s drawn well in barrier 4 so she should be able to land in a handy position most likely just in behind the speed and enjoy an even run in transit. She’s a Group 1 winner who was also only beaten 1.44 lengths in The Everest so she’s got top-class form to her name, and if she puts her best foot forward, she’ll be very hard to beat.