(Rod Gallegos is a leading commentator with Sky Racing and Sky Sports Radio.)

Interest in racing really starts to accelerate at this time of the year as all roads lead to the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

It still is a pity that this Saturday there are two high quality races - the Chelmsford Stakes at Warwick Farm and the Makybe Diva at Flemington - vying for the same brand of horse.

There is no doubt the two races on the same day in different States has divided the strength.

It may be an in vain aspiration but one day there may be a national authority programming races throughout the country.

Despite that issue, picking the winner of the Chelmsford or Makybe Diva won't be easy.

Still, as they say, a faint heart never won a fair woman so here goes:

In the Chelmsford I am sticking with Trusting to be ridden now by the highly-regarded import, Joao Moreira.

Trusting was forced onto the worst part of the track at Warwick Farm a fortnight ago and having his first run since a spell understandably wilted over the final stages of the Warwick Stakes.

Fitter for that run he will hopefully make amends.

For the Makybe Diva, I think a graduate of the Queensland Winter Carnival, Glass Harmonium may make a triumphant return. His winter form was particularly good and included minor placings in the Hollindale Stakes, Doomben Cup and Brisbane Cup.

One of the supporting events at Flemington, the Danehill Stakes, may not be an enticing betting proposition but it has enormous spectator value with the Blue Diamond Stakes and Golden Slipper winner, Sepoy, making another appearance.

He resumed with an arrogant disposal of the opposition in the Vain Stakes at Caulfield three weeks ago.

Sepoy looks like joining death and taxes as accepted certainties of life.

Nevertheless I am keen to follow the fortunes of Mosheen.

Despite only having her second career start she finished second to Sepoy in the Golden Slipper and will be all the better for one run since a spell.

While Sepoy will be too strong this Saturday there will be plenty of chances for Mosheen to garner further spring glory later in the season.

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Back at Warwick Farm and the Furious Stakes looks to be an interesting affair headed by Elite Falls, Pane In The Glass and Anise.

But I am going to back up on Florentina from the David Payne stable. She was a winner in July and wasn't disgraced when second to Pane In The Glass at Warwick Farm a fortnight ago.

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Melbourne-based jockey Dwayne Dunn inadvertently may have opened a Pandora's Box in relation to penalties handed down by stewards to race riders in Australia.

Earlier this week Dunn successfully appealed a 10-meeting suspension which was imposed by stewards at Sandown on the previous Wednesday.

Although Dunn didn't seek a stay of proceedings and probably missed a couple of meetings in the interim, the appeals body found there was no case to answer and he was free to continue his riding career.

This issue poses the question: is that because the stewards originally classified his offence as the low range of carelessness and a 10-meeting outing was excessive?

No details of the appeals body finding have been published, so we are left to ponder their reasoning.

It still is my view that stewards tend to be a bit trigger happy in imposing penalties for what amounts to either horse error, or, a momentary lapse of jockey judgement.