Australia: Eagles Crag looks tough in Swan Hill Cup

With the benefit of a recent prep race, Eagles Crag will start in the richest race of his career in Sunday’s $124,600 Swan Hill Cup at a mile at Swan Hill Racecourse.

Eagles Crag, a 5-year-old Irish-bred, is well-suited to the distance and well-drawn in post 2 in a full field of 14 for a potential fourth win in his eighth start.

Trained by Archie Alexander, Eagles Crag won 3 of 5 starts in 2021 and ended the season with a fifth in a field of 10 in a lucrative handicap at 1 1/16 miles at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne last October.

In his first start this year, Eagles Crag finished a fast-closing second as the 7-5 favorite in a one-mile handicap at Morphettville Racecourse in Adelaide on May 7, missing by slightly less than a length. Eagles Crag was seventh of 13 in the stretch and flying near the wire.

The Swan Hill Cup is the top race on the third and final day of the track’s annual June festival. Swan Hill, well north of Melbourne in the Victorian countryside, has a nine-race program beginning at 9:40 p.m. Eastern, or 6:40 p.m. Pacific, on Saturday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

:: Get free past performances, analysis, and picks for Australian rac-ing

Eagles Crag was an interesting price at 5-1 in early betting on Thursday behind Proconsent (5-2), and a slightly lower price than Beltoro (7-1).
Proconsent, trained by Lindsey Smith, is a 6-year-old gelding who has won 7 of 26 starts. All the wins have occurred at tracks in the state of Western Australia.

Proconsent joined Smith’s stable in the state of Victoria earlier this year and finished second and fourth in his first two starts for the new trainer in May. Proconsent was fourth by a length in a lucrative handicap at a mile at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne on May 21, losing to the stakes winner Le Von de Vie.

Beltoro is winless in his last four starts, but has been competitive of late. On May 7, Beltoro closed from ninth in a field of 11 to be second in a one-mile handicap at Caulfield Racecourse, losing by a head.