This week’s Highway contest is first cab off the rank, and I think that the resuming Steplee can salute.

Steplee had just three starts during his debut prep, but he could hardly have been more impressive in only just missing at his first start and winning each of his next two.

James McDonald is booked to ride this week and the horse looks up to the class.

Overlord was an impressive winner back from a lengthy break at Canterbury and he’ll take plenty of improvement into Race 2 at Rosehill on Saturday.

By Sebring and out of the two-time Group 1 winner Red Traver, Overlord always hinted at ability during the early stages of his career, without recording an elusive win.

With that monkey off his back already, the sky looks the limit, and we can have an each-way play at around the $10 mark.

They are fast becoming the most open races in Sydney on any given Saturday, and this week’s Midway Handicap is no exception.

With that in mind, I think a horse like Holy Reign can fight out the finish.

Holy Reign has been a good horse for the Kim Waugh yard throughout his career, and he resumed with a nice effort to fill the minors in a similar contest at Randwick last month.

His second-up record is excellent, and I am happy to stick with him.

Chris Waller holds a strong hand in the fifth at Rosehill this week and I am going to have something on the potentially enigmatic Kingsheir.

Kingsheir has always looked a good horse since debuting for Team Hawkes, but he has continued to do plenty wrong and seems to be his own worst enemy.

Regardless, the switch to the Waller camp has already resulted in a race win, and I think that this is a great opportunity for him to pick off another.

Astero was scratched from a midweek race at Warwick Farm to instead run here, and I think that it could prove to be a very lucrative decision.

The Zoustar gelding is a consistent performer, and he picked off some lovely targets during his autumn and winter prep last year, finding form around some handy gallopers.

He is drawn well, gets some relief in the weights under Tyler Schiller, and I think he can win at a price.

I’m going to stick with Loveplanet second-up on January Cup Day.

Loveplanet stamped himself as a galloper to follow last time in, winning in midweek metro company and returning some competitive performances at a higher grade.

His condition gave out a little when fifth, beaten less than two lengths on Boxing Day, but I am expecting plenty of improvement for that hit-out, and he is yet to miss placing at this point of his prep.

He has proven to be a little frustrating for punters this time in, but I think that the January Cup is the ideal black type target for Criaderas, and I am going to give him another chance.

Criaderas burst onto the racing scene in 2020 and picked off some nice races, only just missing in a Villiers Stakes most notably.

He is yet to strike in four starts back this time, but he has improved noticeably with each, and this does look to be an easier race than the Summer Cup, in which we saw him last time.