Australia: Decisive Move, Kyalla end layoffs in Tuesday handicap

The opening quarter-mile of a handicap for fillies and mares at 5 1/2 furlongs at Hawkesbury Racecourse in Australia on Tuesday may take a taxing toll on expected pacesetters Decisive Move and Kyalla.

They are expected to dominate the betting in a field of eight. Should one of them shake free, the race may be over. If the pace is too hot, a mare such as Honeysuckle Choice could be ideally placed from a tracking position.

Decisive Move, a 3-year-old Australian-bred by American Pharoah, beat maidens in a seven-furlong race at Warwick Farm in January in her seventh start on Jan. 12. She had one more start, finishing third in a race against winners in a one-mile handicap at Warwick Farm on Jan. 26, before she was rested for four months. Tuesday’s race at Hawkesbury is the first start of her comeback.

Kyalla has not raced since a third in a seven-furlong handicap at Canberra Racecourse on Jan. 12 in her fifth start and first race against winners. Kyalla, trained by Brad Widdup, won her fourth career start against maidens at 6 1/2 furlongs at Canberra in December, racing near the front throughout.

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Honeysuckle Choice has the benefit of recent races, but is winless in her last five starts. A 6-year-old mare, Honeysuckle Choice has won 4 of 37 starts, with the most recent victory in a five-furlong handicap at Canberra in November.

Trained by Todd Smart, Honeysuckle Choice is quick enough to set the pace, but has not raced with that style in recent starts. She closed from ninth in a field of 11 to finish fifth by 1 3/4 lengths in a handicap at 4 1/2 furlongs at Albury on May 23.

The sprint handicap for fillies and mares is the fifth race on an eight-race program at Hawkesbury that begins at 10 p.m. Eastern, or 7 p.m. Pacific, on Monday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.