The opener is an interesting race with E MASTER likely to be popular in the market following his form this season, which is quite hard to fault. The horse though has had a break since his last outing on November 28 and goes in to this event without a trial, which could be a slight question mark. However, on paper, he looks the logical favourite and one to beat. There are two debutants in this event, BLADE RACER and FRUSTRATED. Blade Runner has ventured to the city course for a trial, where he moved stylishly and looked to handle Happy Valley well. He seemingly has enough speed to be put into a favourable position and is a genuine contender. Much the same applies to Frustrated; although the son of All Too Hard might have to wait another day given he has drawn poorly in gate 11. LOOK ERAS will find the lead easily from gate 1 and the return to the Valley will help his cause, although I expect him to be vulnerable inside the final 100m, unless the rail is favoured early in the program. E Master is clearly the horse to beat, but the price for Blade Racer is sufficient enough to have a small outlay on him as well.