Horse Talk with Simon Jackson:

Top horse racing tips and the latest news.

Australian jockey Corey Brown (centre), won the 2017 Melbourne Cup on Rekindling and is hoping to go back-to-back with Magic Circle this year. Japanese apprentice jockey Ryusei Sakai (left) and Ben Hayes (right) join him at Flemington.

CONNECTIONS have confirmed a big step up in class for the impeccably bred debut winner Too Darn Hot who contests the Group 3 188bet Solario Stakes at Sandown on Saturday.

The two-year-old son of Dubawi and triple Group 1 winner Dar Re Mi, was sent off the 4-5 favourite in the Class 5 mile maiden at his sole start on August 9 and justified the short price to score by seven lengths for Frankie Dettori.

Too Darn Hot, trained as dam was by John Gosden at Newmarket, was prominent throughout, leading after two furlongs, then chasing the new leader.

The Lord and Lady Lloyd-Webber-owned colt was pushed into the lead again over two furlongs out, before being shaken up by Dettori to draw right away from his rivals and is fancied to prevail over a boutique field of a maximum five rivals.

In other news UK-based horses head the betting for this year’s Lexus Melbourne Cup which has attracted 50 overseas runners from a total of 183 entries for this years contest which carries prize money of £4.1million.

The betting with Australian bookmakers is headed by the Roger Charlton-trained Withhold and Ian Williams’ Magic Circle, joint-favourites at odds of approximately 14-1. Each has won their last two starts, Withhold (Cesarewitch and Northumberland Plate) and Magic Circle (Chester Cup and Sandown Group 3).

Racing Victoria executive general manager Greg Carpenter said: “We’re delighted with the entries received today for the Stella Artois Caulfield Cup and the Lexus Melbourne Cup, which have both seen a significant year-on-year increase.

“There is tremendous depth among both the local and international entries, and we’re again pleased to receive the support of many of the world’s leading stables. The ingredients are set for two outstanding renewals this spring.”

Horse Talk with Simon Jackson. Showcasing horse racing in London and the south east.