Darci Be Good held off the impressive Strike The Stars two weeks ago

This Saturday’s Ming Dynasty Handicap looms as one of the races of the day with all but one of the field having already started their spring campaigns meaning they should be coming close to their peaky racing condition.

This Listed race is a vital stepping stone for horses looking towards the bigger races later in the carnival so expect the trainers to present their chargers in a winning condition.

The star of the show is expected to be Darci Be Good for trainer Bede Murray.

The colt won the Fernhill Handicap at the end of the autumn before returning two weeks back and just holding on against the impressive Strike The Stars.

Strike The Stars is heading to open company in the Chelmsford Stakes this weekend showing just how big an opinion connections have of him, so the signs are certainly positive for Darci Be Good.

The shift in venues from Randwick to Warwick Farm is a new query he’ll have to deal with though, Murray saying he should be ok but they won’t know for sure until he gets out there.

“I think he’ll adapt to it quite ok, I think he’s more of a Randwick horse but what you’re confronted with you’ve got to deal with,” he said.

To date Darci Be Good has started twice at Randwick as well as once at Kembla Grange and Rosehill Gardens.

It will be yet another shift in venues after this weekend though, the colt set to head north for the Newcastle racing carnival before coming back down for his first shot at a Group 1 event.

“He’ll go to the Spring Stakes at Newcastle and then hopefully the Champion Stakes (at Randwick),” he said.

Murray says he’s given the horse a pretty easy time of it after his last run and he’s hoping that’ll keep a bit of zip in him over the final straight.

“After his 1400m win first up I backed off him a little bit,” he said.

“He’s just a very nice horse and hopefully he can keep on his good form.”