Australia: Devine Miss cuts back to five furlongs in Canberra handicap
The Australian 3-year-old filly Devine Miss has a kick that has led to top three finishes in all six of her starts.
Twice a winner, Devine Miss is most effective in shorter sprint distances, leaving her in a good position for a third career win in a five-furlong handicap at Canberra Racecourse on Friday.
Trained at Canberra by Norm Gardner, Devine Miss won a five-furlong handicap as a stalker at Canberra on March 13 in her first start since November, but was beaten a half-length when second in a six-furlong handicap there April 8, racing closer to the front.
On May 6 at Wagga Wagga, Devine Miss closed from eighth of 12 to finish second by a little more than a half-length as the 9-5 favorite in a five-furlong handicap. Jockey Alysha Collett was aboard for that race and rides Devine Miss for the second time in this race.
Devine Miss is part of a field of 13 at Canberra. Of them, 12 have raced at Canberra, and many on several occasions. The course is a good fit for Affinity Beyond, a 5-year-old mare who won at Canberra in December 2019 and in January 2021 in five-furlong races.
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The win in January 2021 was Affinity Beyond’s sole win in five starts last year, a season divided into three parts. Affinity Beyond ran twice in January, once in September and October, and once in November and December. Affinity Beyond, who often sets the pace, was sixth of 10 in a five-furlong handicap in December against a slightly better field than she will face in this race.
Affinity Beyond may face an early challenge from Distillate, who won a five-furlong handicap at Canberra on April 8, but was 12th of 15 in a six-furlong handicap at Wagga Wagga on May 6. She has never won beyond 5 1/2 furlongs, suggesting this five-furlong race is a better distance.
Canberra has an eight-race program beginning at 10:25 p.m. Eastern, or 7:25 p.m. Pacific, on Thursday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.