Mudlarks will be at the forefront of most punters thoughts when they invest on the $1,800,000, Group I, Emirates Doncaster Handicap (1600m) at Randwick this weekend.

After what seems like an endless stretch of wet weather in Sydney, runners with a strong record on a heavy track will be popular choices.

However, punters with TAB Sportsbet have still kept the Peter Snowden-trained Forensics (Nikolic) as race favourite despite being untried on a rain affected track.

Currently a $5.50 favourite, Forensics has impeccable form leading into Australia’s biggest mile test. The Flying Spur filly returned to racing with a top win in the Light Fingers Stakes then followed that with a brilliant win in the $1,000,000 Golden Rose and a dominant performance in the Group One Queen of the Turf Stakes against older mares.

Despite her dominance, the $5.50 on offer may be more to do with her lack of wet form as opposed to a question over her form lines. The wettest track Forensics has seen has been a dead track and her record is two from three, so she is still yet to be proven.

In contrast, the move into third favouritism by Eskimo Queen (Zahra) comes on the back of a brilliant win in the Coolmore Classic at Rosehill last weekend in heavy conditions.

Eskimo Queen is currently a $9 chance with TAB Sportsbet after her last start effort where she turned a somewhat mediocre campaign into a group one winning one when she rolled the unbeaten Hot Danish (Clark) in the wet. Her only defeat in the wet came in the Queensland Derby on a slow track, but on that occasion she lost her rider so her wet form should really read one from one.

Hot Danish’s defeat in the Coolmore was only the second of her career, but she showed in her prior six consecutive wins that she is definitely of group one standard and was far from disgraced in the heavy conditions. It would not surprise to see her return to the winners stall this time around, and at $6 with TAB Sportsbet there should be plenty of punters out there who would agree.

Melbourne visitor Valedictum (King) was an impressive last to first winner in the Royal Parma Stakes at Rosehill a week ago in heavy conditions so he must be considered. That win was his first since 2005; however that was in the Group One Emirates Stakes over a mile during the Melbourne spring.

Currently a $26 chance with TAB Sportsbet, Valedictum only has one victory from eight starts over a mile but he has finished with 4 lengths of the winner in every group one mile he has contested since his 2005 win.

Forensics aside, the next best chance for a three-year-old victory looks to be the Chris Waller-trained Triple Honour (Boss). The gelding finished a nose second behind Weekend Hussler two starts back and comes in to this race with only 51kg on his back and with one win from one start on a heavy track.

“Every year you always look for that young horse that is coming through,” Boss told 2KY this morning.

“Three-year-olds with light weights are always in the finish.”

“He pushed Weekend Hussler right to the brink in the Randwick Guineas so you would have to consider him very strongly on that run,” Boss said.

Triple Honour is at $11 with TAB Sportsbet.