Amor Victorious had a perfect August in Australia, winning two handicaps at tracks in Sydney. The wins may be a precursor of greater accomplishments in coming months. A winner of 3 of 7 starts, Amor Victorious starts in the Dubbo Cup at a mile at Dubbo Racecourse on Saturday evening in what could lead to a start in the $1.91 million Big Dance Stakes at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on Nov. 7. Horses gain consideration for berths to the 20-runner Big Dance Stakes with top two finishes in a series of qualifying races in the preceding year. The Dubbo Cup is part of the series, and an important race for Amor Victorious. He needs a win to increase his handicap rating, one of the tiebreakers to determine the 20-horse field. :: Get free past performances, analysis, and picks for Australian racing Trained by Bjorn Baker, Amor Victorious is part of a full field of 16 in the Dubbo Cup. Amor Victorious drew post 14, which will require jockey Jay Ford to hustle his mount forward early to save some ground. Amor Victorious should be quick enough to gain that position. He raced near the front in his two recent wins at 7 1/2 furlongs and seven furlongs in August. Ford has been aboard Amor Victorious for two of the gelding’s wins. Amor Victorious is one of six runners in the Dubbo Cup field with wins in their last starts, a group that includes contenders such as Chicago Bear and Iknowastar. Chicago Bear, a winner of 4 of 17 starts, ended a seven-race losing streak with a win by 1 1/2 lengths in a one-mile handicap at Morphettville Racecourse in Adelaide on July 29, the gelding’s first win in Australia. A closer, Chicago Bear won twice in Ireland in the spring of 2022 before he was sent to Australia later that summer. Iknowastar, trained by Baker, won a seven-furlong handicap at Mudgee Racecourse on Sept. 3 for his fifth win in 12 starts. Iknowastar has won three times at a mile in his career. Iknowastar will play an important role in the Dubbo Cup as a likely pacesetter, but could face some pressure from Amor Victorious. Dubbo has an eight-race program beginning at 11:17 p.m. Eastern or 8:17 p.m. Pacific. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.