renched in Spring sunshine, Caulfield was the scene of three incredible performances that captivated a strong crowd on Saturday and a punting lesson was learnt; never doubt a Champion.

Three champion performances on the weekend showed how strong racing is in this country and provided a brilliant prelude to the Spring Carnival ahead.

So You Think left his rivals standing in the Underwood Stakes and looks destined to win his second Cox Plate in ten career starts at Moonee Valley in a fortnight.

Black Caviar demoralised a strong sprinting field in the Schillachi Stakes and has setup a mouth-watering clash with boom sprinter Hay List, in which she will be more than competitive.

More Joyous was breathtaking in carrying her massive 58kg impost to victory in the Toorak Handicap, a weight carrying record for mares, and appears the only potential foil to So You Think in the Cox Plate.

The Caulfield Guineas was won by the Peter Moody trained Anacheeva, narrowly running down The Racing Insider roughie in Run For Levi, in a race that, as expected, was dominated by those runners in the field half of the field. The day belonged to Moody, who trained three winners at his home circuit and looks set to continue his domination throughout the Spring.

The day got off to a poor start for The Racing Insider with Sydney visitor and Best Bet of the Day, Mac Chois, failing to run straight over the concluding stages when a certainty beaten in the first race. Roughie, Tagus, ran a very nice race in finish third while other selections, Star Witness and Military Rose failed to flatter under the pressure of elite racing.

However, the Spring rolls on and with the Thousand Guineas set down for Wednesday and Caulfield Cup next weekend there are a number of runners that put in eye-catching performances.

In a race dominated by on-paced runners Rekindled Interest put in an outstanding performance in the Caulfield Guineas, dashing home into fifth place after racing at the tail of the field and suffering severe interference in the early stages of the race. This Jim Conlan gelding has Derby written all over him, a race I do hope they will target, and he will only be improved by the wider spaces of Flemington.

Smokin' Joey is another horse heading towards the Derby and his efforts over the concluding stages were very encouraging. Lee Freedman has been having a lean spell by his standards; however, he looks to have a very handy 3YO staying prospect with this son of Encosta De Lago.

The Jake Stephens trained Alcopop was the talk of the Spring Carnival last year, graduating from a Morphettville Class 3 race to Melbourne Cup favouritism within four starts. This campaign, the son of Jeune, had been less than impressive in three runs, but showed he was back on track with a slashing second to So You Think in the Underwood Stakes.

Stephens, without the burden of having to qualify for the Cups this year, has been able to bide his time with Alcopop, and he will be a major player in next weekend's Caulfield Cup.

More Joyous could not have been more impressive in the Toorak Handicap, but there were three outstanding efforts behind her: We're Gonna Rock, Kidnapped and the Macau visitor Leun Yat Forever.

We're Gonna Rock reportedly choked down at Flemington and raced much better with a tongue tie, running home from third last on the turn to get within half a length of the winner. Still very lightly raced, this 4YO son of Fastnet Rock looks an ideal horse for the Group One Emirates Stakes over the Flemington carnival, a race won previously by his trainer, Mark Kavanagh, with star mare Divine Madonna.

Kidnapped was having just his second start back from winning the South Australian Derby in May and ran on from a clear last at the top of the straight to finish a close-up fifth on the line. Sadly for Australian racing the horses owner, Sheikh Mohammed, has handpicked Kidnapped to continue his racing career in Dubai, where he will represent the stable during the Dubai World Cup meeting. He will certainly be a forced to be reckoned with on the world stage.

To my eye, the performance of Leun Yat Forever was one of the most outstanding, and unexpected of the day. Sent around a despised 100/1 outsider, and resembling a dressage horse more than a racehorse, the Macau visitor showed he is well and truly capable of mixing it with the best racehorses in Australia. Leun Yat Forever will now push onto the Cox Plate, and although he is probably racing for second with So You Think having a mortgage on the race, he will definitely justify his entry in the WFA Championship.

Solar Charged showed an emphatic return to form after failing to navigate the tight Moonee Valley field of fillies in the 1200M Northwood Plume Stakes, smashing her rivals by 4.5L on the line. However, it was the run of Jesse's Girl that was most pleasing, she backed up her brilliant run in the Champagne Stakes with another eye-catching second and looks to have a very bright future for trainer, Peter Morgan.

Brisbane galloper, Our Lukas, was luckless over the finishing stages when running seventh in the Harrolds Fashion Plate over 1400M.Trained by Robbie Heathcote, a well known and very successful Queensland trainer, Our Lukas will continue to improve of further ground and will be a horse to watch over a mile and further throughout the rest of the Spring.

In the last race, Dorf Command was forced to race wide at the tail of the field in a race dominated by on pacer, Avenue, who led the field a merry dance on a track that was advantageous to front runners. Dorf Command, and to a lesser extent Valentine Miss, were both outstanding efforts to make significant ground over the concluding stages after having torrid runs in the race.

The racing attention remains at Caulfield this week with the Group One Thousand Guineas (1600M) set down for decision on Wednesday and the Caulfield Cup to be run on Saturday.

The 2010 Thousand Guineas looks one of the most open editions on record, with Gai Waterhouse's filly, More Strawberries, coming into favouritism after drawing favourably in barrier three, just ahead of last start winner, Sistine Angel and Thousand Guineas Prelude winners, Divorces.

The Michael Moroney trained Brazilian Pulse looks the one to beat and is sensational value at $8.50. A veteran of only three starts, this daughter of Captain Rio has shown ability to race on all track conditions, which could be vital with rain forecast over the coming days. Unlucky not to be unbeaten after racing extremely wide in the Manifold Stakes last start, this filly looks to have above average ability and will take some beating on Wednesday.

A horse that has twice featured in my weekly review as one to follow, Party Hard, has also accepted for the Thousand Guineas, although she is currently first emergency. This Anthony Cummings trained filly currently sits at $51 in fixed odds markets, and were she to gain a start could run a very big race at bolters odds.

I think the day can get off to a winning start with another Anthony Cummings trained runner, Shadows In The Sun, who returned with an eye-catching run under lights behind Shrapnel at Moonee Valley. Another lightly raced individual, this gelding looks ideally placed second-up and has shown he can mix it with the top line horses after being very competitive in the Group One TJ Smith Stakes over the Brisbane Winter Carnival.

Early Melbourne Cup favourite, Rundle, steps out to 2000M for the first time this preparation after a seemingly disappointing fourth at a recent Sandown midweek meeting. On Wednesday he looks to get plenty of favours, with a big field and plenty of early speed giving Lloyd William's son of Galileo plenty of time to sprint home off the strong tempo. I think he can return to the winners' circle and hopefully bring himself back into contention for the Melbourne Cup.

On what looks a relatively difficult programme I would suggest punters keep a very close eye on the weather and the way the track is playing. On Saturday, the track favoured those runners up on the pace, but with the rail remaining in the true position and the inside section of track being well worn, there is every chance that backmarkers will come into play on Wednesday.