A low weight assignment, and certainly the gelding’s recent race record, has given Another Wil the role of a strong favorite in Friday’s Group 1 Doncaster Mile at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia.
The $2.61 million Doncaster Mile is a handicap, and Another Wil is firmly toward the bottom of the list of weights in the field of 20. Trained by Ciaron Maher, Another Wil has been assigned 110.2 pounds, far below topweight Think About It at 125.6 pounds.
Golden Sixty took a crucial step towards his planned return in the HK$22 million G1 FWD Champions Mile (1600m) with a routine barrier trial this morning (Tuesday, 2 April).
Vincent Ho is also planning a return to competition following injuries and was in the plate at Sha Tin as Hong Kong’s champion readies for his second appearance this season in a race he has already won three times (2021, 2022 & 2023) on FWD Champions Day (Sunday, 28 April).
Paul Lally:
R1 | 12-1-3-8
R2 | 10-6-8-11
R3 | 10-3-11-5
R4 | 10-7-12-2
R5 | 5-3-8-4
R6 | 5-2-3-10
R7 | 1-6-8-3
R8 | 10-4-2-13
Best Bet R6 5 Sing Dragon
Longshot R8 10 Majestic Colour
Play R7 QQP 1-6-8
Mark McNamara:
R1 | 3.1.4.12
R2 | 6.10.8.3
R3 | 10.11.1.3
R4 | 10.2.9.4
R5 | 5.7.8.4
R6 | 3.2.5.1
R7 | 1.6.9.5
R8 | 4.6.8.12
Best Bet R4 10 High Rise Power
Longshot R7 1 Hakka Radiance
Play R4 Q/QP 2.9.10
Rebel’s Romance had an all but lost 2023 season after winning the Breeders’ Cup Turf in his 2022 finale, but trainer Charlie Appleby said the gelding had regained his confidence winning races this winter at Kempton Park in England and in Qatar – and he was right.
The Japanese connections of the 3-year-old colt Forever Young have made no secret of their desire to run the horse in the Kentucky Derby. The 100 qualifying points Forever Young earned winning the U.A.E. Derby on Saturday, a key cog in Churchill Downs’ Road to the Derby, assure him a spot in the field, and Forever Young leaves Dubai for Churchill on April 10.
Senor Buscador’s late surge carried him past Ushba Tesoro to win the Saudi Cup in late February, but on Saturday in the Dubai World Cup it was Ushba Tesoro’s stretch run that pushed him past Senor Buscador for second money, both horses well beaten by Laurel River.
It was a costly neck, the difference between place and show in the $12 million World Cup about $600,000.
“We’re very proud of him and a little disappointed he didn’t get second yesterday. He definitely wasn’t going to beat Laurel River,” trainer Todd Fincher said in a Sunday text message.
Laurel River made the first seven starts of his career in America and, as he showed winning the Dubai World Cup on Saturday by a record 8 1/2 lengths, is one of the world’s best horses on dirt, the surface where American racing reigns supreme. But do not expect to see Laurel River show up in America again anytime soon.
Laurel River was sent to trainer Bhupat Seemar by owner-breeder Juddmonte Farms last fall with the intention of keeping him in Dubai, Seemar said in a Sunday phone interview, and at this point, there has been no suggestion that plan has changed.
Beaten in two Grade 1 races for 3-year-olds last year, Bellagio Opera took advantage of the absence of several of Japan’s leading older horses to win Sunday’s Grade 1 Osaka Hai at 1 1/4 miles on turf at Hanshin Racecourse.
Several top Japan-based runners were in action on Saturday in Dubai.
Bellagio Opera, who paid $14.40 in American pools, was always near the front in the $2.54 million Osaka Hai and won by a neck over 5-1 Rousham Park, who was a nose in front of 31-1 Rouge Evil in a field of 16.
