Australia: Consistent Art Cadeau tries to qualify for Country Championship

Art Cadeau has never been worse than second in nine career starts in Australia, a consistent record that can serve the gelding well in Sunday’s $116,370 Newhaven Park Country Championship qualifier at Nowra Racecourse.

A top-two finish in the seven-furlong handicap will earn Art Cadeau a berth in the $387,850 Country Championship final at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on April 3. There are eight qualifying races run at tracks throughout the state of New South Wales this weekend through March 21.

Art Cadeau, trained by Terry Robinson, has won three races, including his only start of 2021 in a handicap at 5 1/2 furlongs at Randwick on Jan. 21. Art Cadeau will be favored on Sunday while making his first start at seven furlongs since a second by a half-length at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse last May.

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A 4-year-old, Art Cadeau has an effective style as a stalker and a familiar rider on Sunday in Tommy Berry, who has been aboard for the last four starts.

Sunday’s qualifier will have a full field of 14. Aside from Art Cadeau, Exotic Deel and Rothenburg are the only other runners likely to be single-digit odds.

Exotic Deel, also a stalker, won three consecutive handicaps at six furlongs to a mile last October and November and was a game third in a handicap at 6 1/4 furlongs at Canterbury Park on Jan. 29 in her lone start this year, losing by less than a half-length.

Rothenburg is winless in six starts, but was beaten only a neck in a handicap at 6 1/2 furlongs at Goulburn Racecourse on Jan. 25. Rothenburg did finish first in a handicap at Rosehill Gardens last July, but was later disqualified for testing positive for a banned anti-inflammatory, according to reports in the Australia racing press. The gelding was transferred to current trainer Joe Cleary later in 2020.

Nowra Racecourse, a two-hour drive south of Sydney, has an eight-race program on Sunday, beginning at 8:55 p.m. Eastern, or 5:55 p.m. Pacific, on Saturday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.