Australia: Bow faces tough class test in handicap sprint

The Australian gelding Bow was unbeaten in two starts in June, leading to a start in a tougher handicap at Grafton Racecourse on Saturday evening.

The class hike will test Bow, who won consecutive starts for the first time in his nine-race career in handicap sprints at tiny Bowraville Racecourse at five furlongs on June 3, and at a slightly higher profile venue at six furlongs at Port Macquarie on June 18.

Bow, a three-time winner, runs from off the pace and will start from the outside post in a handicap at 5 1/2 furlongs in a field of 12 at Grafton. Bow was assigned topweight of 133 pounds, but the booking of apprentice jockey Braith Nock reduces the assignment to 129 pounds.

Noble Missile, a well-regarded runner who won at Grafton in January but has not raced since April, has inherited topweight of 131 pounds.

Nock rode Bow for the first time at Port Macquarie, guiding the gelding from 10th in a field of 14 to win by a neck. A former bull rider, Nock, 21, has been in demand in recent weeks. He won with 6 of 50 mounts from May 25 through Thursday.

Bow, trained by Donna Grisedale, may go favored, although there will be support for October Revolution, a 3-year-old who has won three of his last six starts.

October Revolution won a five-furlong handicap at Port Macquarie on May 29, and finished second by slightly more than a half-length in a five-furlong handicap at Taree on June 6. In both races, October Revolution stalked the early pace, which is likely to give the gelding first run against a closer such as Bow.

The 4-year-old filly She’s Contrary is respected as a potential pacesetter. A winner of 2 of 14 starts, She’s Contrary has been second in her last two appearances, including a handicap at 5 1/2 furlongs at Lismore on June 20 in which she was beaten three-quarters of a length after leading in the stretch.

Grafton has a seven-race program beginning at 10:15 p.m. Eastern or 7:15 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.