Australia: Elteecee one to catch in handicap at Geelong
Six furlongs may be the maximum trip for the Australian 3-year-old Elteecee.
A front-runner, Elteecee won at that distance in February and won last year at 5 1/2 furlongs. His success at the shorter trip make Elteecee the runner to catch in a handicap at 5 1/2 furlongs at Geelong Racecourse outside of Melbourne on Sunday.
There will be plenty of contenders in pursuit of Elteecee, who is trained by Ben and J.D. Hayes and has won 2 of 10 starts. Elteecee was fourth by a little more than 2 1/2 lengths in a handicap at 6 1/2 furlongs at Sandown Racecourse in Melbourne on March 23. In his last start at Geelong, Elteecee was second by a nose in a handicap at 5 1/2 furlongs in January after setting the pace.
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Elteecee drew post 3 in a field of 12. Jockey Jye McNeil is likely to urge Elteecee forward to avoid traffic issues.
The speedy Elteecee was 5-1 in early betting on Friday, while Rights of Man was the 5-2 favorite. McKeever was the 3-1 second choice.
Rights of Man is opposite of Elteecee in that the 4-year-old colt races from well off the pace. The style worked when Rights of Man rallied from last of 14 to win a handicap at 5 1/2 furlongs at Warrnambool Racecourse on May 3, ending a six-race losing streak since a debut win in February 2021.
McKeever typically runs from a tracking position, a style that has led to three wins in 12 starts. He was fifth in a handicap at 5 1/2 furlongs at Flemington Racecourse on May 21, closing from an uncharacteristic 12th to miss by a little more than 1 3/4 lengths.
Mckeever is winless in three starts since winning a five-furlong handicap at Bendigo on March 1. He was near the front throughout and won by a head at 2-5.
Geelong has an eight-race program at 10:20 p.m. Eastern or 7:20 p.m. Pacific on Saturday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.