Australia: Art Cadeau steps into open company in Goulburn Cup

Art Cadeau is unbeaten in four starts in Australia this year, including in three lucrative restricted races.

Sunday’s $150,400 Goulburn Cup at Goulburn Racecourse is an open race, and will test Art Cadeau’s ability against a different group of horses at a seven-furlong distance the gelding has shown to like.

Trained by Terry Robinson, Art Cadeau won the $381,900 Country Championship at seven furlongs at Royal Randwick Racecourse in April and the $971,360 Kosciuszko Stakes at six furlongs at Randwick on Oct. 16 in his only subsequent start. Both races were restricted to horses trained at stables based in the New South Wales countryside and not at prominent urban tracks.

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A winner of 6 of 12 starts, Art Cadeau has never been worse than second and won his only start at Goulburn, which came in a seven-furlong qualifier to the Country Championship in February.

The Goulburn Cup is a turn-back in distance for the prolific winner Steely, who has not raced since a victory in a handicap at 1 1/8 miles at Randwick in July. A winner of 7 of 18 starts, Steely has won 2 of 4 starts at seven furlongs and has run well after layoffs.

Kirwan’s Lane won once in five starts from early May to late July, with the win coming in a handicap at 7 1/2 furlongs at Rosehill Gardens in May. Kirwan’s Lane was rested after a seventh-place finish in the Winter Challenge Stakes at 7 1/2 furlongs at Rosehill Gardens in late July.

Earlier this month, Kirwan’s Lane appeared in two barrier trials, or gate workouts, against a small group of rivals, including one against group-stakes level horses.

They are all likely to be in pursuit of Prince Aurelius, a longshot who has set the pace in recent starts, but faces a tougher group at Goulburn.

The Goulburn program begins at 10:25 p.m. Eastern or 7:25 p.m. Pacific on Saturday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.