The Mercury and Eight Thirty Sprint races will officially kick-start the native-bred three-year-old Classic campaign at Caymanas Park today.

The Mercury Sprint, which is confined to colts and geldings, and the Eight Thirty Sprint, for fillies only, are both maiden special weight events and will be run over five furlongs (1,000m) straight for a purse of $870,000 each.

The Mercury Sprint is the third event on the 11-race programme with a post time of 12:40 pm while the Eight Thirty Sprint follows next at 1:15 pm. First race is at 11:40 am.

Seven runners, including three first-timers, will contest the Mercury Sprint. All three first-timers — Halls of Justice, Adoration and ­Creating Chaos — look good to take home this trophy race, but all will have to come good to beat the Richard Azan-trained Dracarys from the experienced lot.

Dracarys ditched his rider on last, shortly after the start of the seven-furlong event on January 18. However, before that, he finished a good third behind stable companion Voytek and DenDen in a five-furlong round event on December 21. With this being his third start and with the experience there and a much more bustling rider in the saddle in Dane Nelson, it is going to take a smart performance to deny Dracarys victory here.

Halls of Justice comes from a stable which is red-hot with the three-year-olds this season. The Ian Parsard charge has been training really well coming into this race and, having shown good speed in his gallops as well, he is confidently expected to give Dracarys most to do and could win based on the nature of this race.

Adoration from the Philip Feanny barn also looks good in his gallops at exercise, and a favourable first-time impression is expected.

The Alford Brown-conditioned Creating Chaos is perfectly drawn on the outside of runners, and having also looked good at the exercise period in the mornings should give a good showing of himself.

The Eighty Thirty Sprint should be decided among the trio of Attorney General, first-timer Make Up Artist, and Native Gold.

Attorney General, trained by Spencer Chung, missed the break on last but was able to finish in third place behind Glock and Elitist in a six-furlong (1,200m) event on January 1. With the run under his girth and Lasix administered for the first time, Attorney General, with a sharper start this time, could be unsaddled in the winners’ enclosure when this race is finished.

Wayne DaCosta’s Make Up Artist looks exceptionally well in her preparation for her debut run. The bay filly had breezed five furlongs on the round course in 1:00.4 on January 11 before clocking 1:07.0 for five and a half furlongs (1,100m) with the last five furlongs in 1:00.0 flat last Saturday. Based on those gallops Make Up Artist should be the winner, but first-time runners are unpredictable and so let’s hope for the best here.

Native Gold is a very fast runner who is going to love the outside post at nine and is expected to make her presence felt to the end.

Ones to watch

Race 1) Prince Charles/My Elle Belle/Anaso

Race 2) Truly Amazing/Trevor’s Choice/Soul Cure

Race 3) Dracarys/Halls of Justice/Adoration

Race 4) Attorney General/Make Up Artist/Native Gold

Race 5) Kiss of Love/Northern Ridge/Shesaysyes

Race 6) Flowers Thirty/Five Star/Flying Machine

Race 7) Fifty Cents/Luana/Musketoon

Race 8) Jason’s Gold/Poker Star/Kimberly Gold

Race 9) Storm Born/Miss Elaine/Herecomestheboss

Race 10) Casual Peach/Bloodsweatandtears/Chief Diplomat

Race 11) El Cliente/Elal/Sly Stalloon