At approximately 3pm on Saturday, The Racing Insider was hunched over in despair. It was all going wrong. Salinas, the best of the day could only manage a plodding third place and Big Spirit, the best value in Melbourne, also only managed a placing. Sherpa Tenzig, the value bet in Sydney, ran a very nice race and is worth following - but sadly that doesn't pay the bills.

However, you can't keep a good dog down, and like every good judge The Racing Insider fought back with a vengeance. Enter Toorak Toff - then next star of the Australian turf. By the time Damien Oliver took the 3YO son of Show A Heart to the centre of the track, frowns quickly turned to smiles as Toorak Toff reeled in leader Squamosa and claimed the Group 1 Golden Rose. To put a little cream on the cake the best value in the race, Ilovethiscity, finished like a freight train after a luckless run to claim third place at $10.

The Future Winners:

Toorak Toff was brilliant in claiming the Golden Rose - but without a doubt the hard luck story was Ilovethiscity who encountered plenty of trouble in the run. The Graeme Begg 3YO is definitely on the up and is only going to improve over the longer trips. Squamosa, trainer by Gai Waterhouse lost no admirers after working hard from the wide gate to set the tempo. While it was his first taste of defeat he won't be long out of the winners circle. Bart Cumming's appears to have another cracking Caulfield Guineas horse in Kudakulari who came from near last on the turn to within 1.5 lengths off the winner on the line. The lightly raced son of Cox Plate winner, Savabeel, will derive alot of benefit from that run and will only get better this preparation and, like his father, Kudakulari might tackle the WFA Cox Plate as a 3YO.

Peter Moody took Reward For Effort to Sydney and the horse delivered a crushing blow to claim the Group 3 Concorde Stakes. However, the run of the race was Trusting who returned in fine fettle to claim third over the unsuitable 1100m trip and there is little doubt the Patinick Farm star is in for a big Spring campaign. Trim looked like running last at the 400m mark, but really knuckled down to its task over the final furlong hitting the line as well as anything - definitely a horse worth following.

More Joyous showed she will be a major force over the Spring Carnival overcoming a wide draw and huge weight to claim victory in the Sheraco Stakes. More Joyous settled toward the rear of the field before Nash Rawiller eased her out at the top of the straight, quickly claiming the leaders and scoring with authority. The lightly raced Girl Hussler, trained by David Payne, came from a similar spot as the winner and did a great job to run second, she will derive great benefit from the run.

So You Think (pictured, above) defied an operation and long spell to claim the Memsie at Caulfield and the Bart Cummings star is going to be hard to beat in anything he tackles over the Spring Carnival. The best run outside the winner was Zabrasive who hit the line strongly in finishing fifth, the perfect first up effort from a major Cups perspective. Faint Perfume and Valdemoro (the 2009 VRC Oaks quinella) were both doing their best work on the line and will be better suited over the longer trips.

Moudre shot itself to Caulfield Cup favouritism after a commanding win in the Hocking Stuart Stakes over 1700m - and the Ciaron Maher stayer in the making will be a force to be reckoned with over the Spring. Moudre drifted back from its wide draw before taking off at the 1000m mark and unleashing a devastating sprint to reel in tearaway leader, Diggersanddealers. Although the field wasn't terribly strong, Kerdem (twice runner up in the Adelaide Cup) was doing its best work on the line and could be a big improver second up. Definitely the most impressive 13th-placed horse on the day.

Nominations will be released today for another big weekend of racing with the Makybe Diva Stakes to be run at Flemington and Chelmsford Stakes at Randwick. Lee Freedman is set to send a strong team of imported stayers to headquarters - highlighted by the return of talented UK import Speed Gifted. After a quiet 2009-10 racing season, Freedman will be hoping for a successful Spring and this weekend should provide a good guide to his major Cups contenders.

(The Racing Insider will be back with a preview of the big weekend of racing this Friday.)