Australia: Debut winner Tread Softly switches to synthetic at Pakenham

Tread Softly won a maiden race at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf at Kyneton Racecourse in Australia in her debut on May 3, a performance that may translate favorably in her first race against winners in a six-furlong handicap for fillies and mares on the synthetic track at Pakenham Racecourse on Friday.

Tread Softly does not face a tough field and is expected to be a solid favorite. Of the other 10 fillies and mares, three are unaced on a synthetic track and seven are winless on the surface.

Tread Softly breaks from post 5, which should be an advantage considering she stalked the pace in her debut before pulling clear to win by 1 1/4 lengths. A 3-year-old Australian-bred filly, Tread Softly is trained by the partnership of Tom Dabernig and Ben Hayes.

Of the fillies and mares who have raced on synthetic surfaces, La Zola holds promise.

:: Get free past performances, analysis, and picks for Australian racing

La Zola, a winner of 2 of 15 starts, was a good third in a handicap at 5 1/2 furlongs on the synthetic track at Ballarat Racecourse last June, losing by about a neck as the 2-1 favorite. La Zola later won a five-furlong handicap on turf at Bendigo.

This will be La Zola’s first start on the synthetic track at Pakenham and her first start since a last-place finish against a tougher field at Sandown Racecourse in Melbourne in January.

There is an interesting American angle with race contender So Far Away. A 3-year-old Australian-bred filly, So Far Away is by Snitzel and is out of Tara From the Cape, who won the Thomas Greene Memorial Stakes at Delaware Park in 2012 for trainer Todd Pletcher.

Later that year, Tara From the Cape was fourth in the Grade 1 Alcibiades Stakes at Keeneland and fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita in her final start.

So Far Away is winless in her last five starts, but is taking a notable drop in class from a seventh-place finish in a tougher field in a handicap at 6 1/2 furlongs on the Kensington course at Royal Randwick on April 25.

Similar to Tread Softly, So Far Away races as a stalker.

Pakenham has an eight-race program, beginning at 11 p.m. Eastern, or 8 p.m. Pacific, on Thursday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.