Only four runners are in the fray for the Byculla Club Trophy, the feature event of Thursday's eight-race card. To be run over the trip of 2,800m, the race will be a test of both fitness and stamina of the participating horses.

The one with guaranteed stamina is the Imtiaz Sait-trained Raees, and for that reason alone, the seven-year-old may be fancied very strongly. However, Sacred Roman from Pesi Shroff's yard, who caught the eye when running a forward race despite resuming racing after a lay-off of four-and-a-half months, must have stripped fitter thanks to that run, and his rider Leigh Roche can intelligently use that new level of fitness to offer a stiff fight to Raees.

To me it looks like a toss of the coin, and I call Sacred Roman as winner.