Australia: Distance may be problem for front-running Miss Scalini

What worked for Miss Scalini in late June was unsuccessful in July.

Miss Scalini, a 6-year-old mare who has won 6 of 29 starts, will start favored in a one-mile handicap at Newcastle Racecourse in Australia on Thursday. She will have a prominent role in the race as the expected front-runner.

The strategy worked when Miss Scalini led throughout at handicap at 6 3/4 furlongs at Newcastle on June 22, but failed when she set the pace at Newcastle on July 2 and on the infield Kensington course at Royal Randwick Racecourse on July 20. In those races at seven furlongs and 7 3/4 furlongs, Miss Scalini set the pace but could not sustain her lead, finishing second and third in small fields.

Apprentice jockey Jasper Franklin was aboard for the two recent races at Newcastle and has the mount in this week’s race. Miss Scalini drew the rail in a field of 11 and will have a prominent position from the start.

Winning may not be easy. Miss Scalini is winless in six career starts at a mile, with four second- and third-place finishes. Last November, Miss Scalini closed from third in a field of nine in a one-mile handicap at Wyong to finish second by three-quarters of a length.

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A decent pace would work in favor of Oakfield Warpaint, a 5-year-old gelding who has won two of his last four starts. A winner of 3 of 17 races, Oakfield Warpaint is a closer who was the sharp winner of a handicap at about seven furlongs at Port Macquarie Racecourse on Aug. 1 as the 8-5 favorite.

Jockey Rachel King rides Oakfield Warpaint for the first time at Newcastle. The race will test Oakfield Warpaint against a better handicap class than his recent stars.

This is a class drop for Green Reign, a 7-year-old gelding who is winless in his last 22 starts since May 2019 and is being dropped in class from a fourth-place finish in a handicap at seven furlongs at Warwick Farms on July 27.

This is Green Reign’s fourth start of the year, and first at a mile, after racing in Hong Kong from late 2019 to April 2021.

Newcastle has an eight-race program beginning at 10:35 p.m. Eastern, or 7:35 p.m. Pacific, on Wednesday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.