Australia: Blue Odyssey, The First of May put win streaks on line

The gelding Blue Odyssey and filly The First of May have two-race winning streaks at risk in a handicap at 5 1/2 furlongs at Ipswich Racecourse in Australia on Tuesday.

Blue Odyssey, winner of 5 of 16 starts, won a handicap at 5 1/2 furlongs at Ipswich on Feb. 3 and followed with a win in a five-furlong handicap at Sunshine Coast on Feb. 19. In both races, Blue Odyssey was ridden by Tiffani Brooker, who had the gelding in a stalking position. Brooker has the mount on Blue Odyssey at Ipswich.

The First of May has not raced in more than two months, having won a handicap at 5 1/2 furlongs at Armidale on Dec. 1 and a handicap against a tougher field at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on Jan. 23.

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The First of May stalked the pace at Armidale and led throughout the five-furlong race at Randwick.

The sprint handicap at Ipswich drew a field of 12, and is the eighth race on a nine-race program that begins at 10:22 p.m. Eastern, or 7:22 p.m. Pacific, on Monday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

The First of May, trained by Toby and Trent Edmonds, may be a slight favorite in a tight betting race over Blue Odyssey and Grand Zou, who has not raced since November. Grand Zou won consecutive starts in handicaps at 6 3/4 furlongs and a mile at Ipswich in late October and Doomben in early November.

A 4-year-old gelding, Grand Zou was given a rest after finishing 14th of 15 as the 2-1 favorite in a handicap at 1 1/4 miles at Doomben on Nov. 28. This is Ground Zou’s first start in four months.

Grand Zou has won 4 of 10 starts and has run well after layoffs in the past, strengthening his credentials in this field at a distance that is a better fit than his last start.