Australia: Deepstar likely favorite in Monday handicap at Scone

Deepstar has been a busy mare in Australia the last month and seems to be thriving on the activity.

Deepstar was third on July 23, first on July 30 and second on Aug. 9, racing in sprint handicaps. Trained by Luke Pepper, Deepstar will have her sixth start of the year, all since June 24, in a handicap at 6 1/2 furlongs for fillies and mares at Scone Racecourse on Monday evening across American time zones.

Deepstar has been based with Pepper for her last three races, having previously been trained by Cameron Crockett for three starts from last November to early July.

A winner of 3 of 17 starts in her career, Deepstar is expected to be favored at Scone, a race she can win from her typical forward position. Deepstar has set the pace and raced prominently in recent starts.

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The outsiders Festivaa and Miss Kono are capable of setting the pace, which could force jockey Anna Roper to stalk the pace on Deepstar.

Deepstar’s recent span of races is a contrast to the 2022 campaign of Keen Contributor, the likely second choice. Trained at Scone by Scott Singleton, Keen Contributor has not raced since she finished 12 of 14 in a more difficult handicap at 7 1/2 furlongs at Scone on May 14.

The loss ended a span of three second-place finishes, all performances that would make Keen Contributor competitive in this field. During those second-place finishes, Keen Contributor was beaten at distances ranging from about three-quarters of a length to slightly more than a length.

Scone has an eight-race program that begins at 10:50 p.m. Eastern, or 7:50 p.m. Pacific, on Monday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

Deepstar and Keen Contributor start in the third race of the program.