DNN2

"Good morning, everyone, hope you're up bright and early, you've got your coffee ready, breakfast on the stove and so on if you're in Occidens, I know it's a bit early over there. I promise it's worth getting up early for, though. Welcome to Guicheng, the economic and cultural heart of Shu Han, for the start of the sixteenth race weekend of the 1454 IL season. You're watching DNN Sport 2, I'm Sam Tinbru, here with Bob Anmo as always, and we'll be bringing you all the action from the practice sessions over the next six hours, plus all the gossip and news from around the stables. Bob, what are you on the lookout for today?"

"Well, Sam, this is a fascinating place to race, we're right in the centre of this amazing city, surrounded by two thousand years of history but also billions of Royals of new developments and high technology. And the course has a bit of that split nature, too, with all the tight, twisty bits you'd expect from a city course in the first half of the lap, but then the spectacular, fast return to the stadium here in Tianfu Square along the Shudu Boulevard."

"A balanced course, then?"

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"It could be. Feran Andoal's won here two years in a row but it's always been close."

"If Corredeira's been strong here recently, do you expect a repeat performance this year?"

"That's been the question for the last few races, hasn't it? Only two points finishes from the last four, a fourth and a third, he's slipped to fourth in the championship. We know he can do it, it's a case of where Feran's head is at, I think."

"Will we see clues on that front today?"

"Maybe. Feran's hard to read at the best of times. Better to watch the other riders, especially the rookies. He hates trailing them, and if they look like they're on good form, especially young Phoebe Tenryuu, that's going to wind him up again."

"Wind him up to compete, or wind him up to get frustrated and make mistakes?"

"It's been the latter since the midpoint of the season, hasn't it?"

"It does seem a bit that way. So a lot hangs on the rookies, then. We haven't seen them really go head-to-head since Circo Caria, Niki and Phoebe, could we see a repeat here? They're similar courses, in a way."

"Well let's hope we don't see a complete repeat, it would be terrible if Incandesia took another injury."

"Very true, sorry, didn't mean to give that impression. But the contrast between long, smooth, fast stuff and intricate infield holds, right?"

"Odd to think about it that way, but yeah. We'll have a better sense of their form by the end of today, but I think we're set for a great weekend."