An all metropolitan-stabled field will lock horns in the opening maiden at Monday’s Goulburn meeting as the first steps for the new three-year-old season are taken.

Leading the charge in a set-weights battle over 1100m is promising colt Written In Munny for the Richard and Will Freedman stable, which landed a double at Rosehill on Saturday to open the new season.

A talented son of Written Tycoon, Written In Munny hasn’t started since finishing just behind the placegetters in the Group 3 Canonbury Stakes as a two-year-old in January.

He returns for his third start behind two city trials, and opened around $2.70 favourite well ahead of Stronghold ($4.40) from the Bjorn Baker stable, and debutants Savvy Diamond (Waterhouse-Bott) and Visna (Gary Portelli), both around $6.50 in early betting.

Meanwhile, picking up from where they left off the previous season, a swag of Canberra stables will hike up the freeway aiming to claim a large piece of the prize pool.

Yet, Canberra’s leading trainer for 2025-26 Luke Pepper will saddle up only one runner when last-start winner The Eyes Have It attempts to go back-to-back at the track stepping up to a Class 3 BM 66 Handicap over 1200m.

The consistent and still-improving five-year-old mare claimed a second career win at Goulburn 17 days ago finishing best in a BM 58 over the same trip.

That was Pepper’s penultimate win in the previous season before closing out July with a maiden win at Albury.

The Eyes Have It was around $6.50 in early betting, despite having twice won at the course from three starts, in what is likely to be the most robust betting race on the program.

She was well behind market leader and Kembla-based four-year-old Dancer’s Delight ($3.40), which is shooting for a third win from only five starts third-up, with another Canberra visitor Midnight Moose ($4.20) on the next line.

In the closing race – BM 58 Handicap over 1100m – the resuming Bosco ($3.90) from the Rob Potter yard heads a three-horse Canberra assault, along with last-start winners Superior Style, trained by Anthony Warren, and Flywire from the Matthew Kelley camp, both priced about $6.

Supplied by Racing NSW