GLORIA LAUS (1) is the clear horse to beat after his second at this track three weeks ago, when beaten a neck by Today Is The Day after travelling close enough and fighting hard late. That was a sharp turnaround from his Nakayama failure, and his two wins and one place from five starts at this venue give his case extra substance. KAIKO (5) resumes from eight months away but brings credible Mdn Steeplechase form, having run fifth at Nakayama and Kokura before the break, and he has placed at this track and twice at the distance. SEIFU SATSUKI (4) was only fifth first-up at Tokyo, beaten over 14 lengths, yet the market respected him there and his repeated placings around this trip keep him in the mix. LAPIN RAPIDE (9) was disappointing as favourite at Niigata and has to rebound from two plain runs, but his broader turf record and one placing from five attempts around 2910m leave him with a realistic place profile.