Australia: Eva's Deel can end lengthy skid in Sunday handicap

Eva’s Deel ran out of ground in pursuit of a rival in a handicap at 1 1/8 miles at Bathurst Racecourse in Australia on Dec. 6, finishing second by slightly more than three-quarters of a length.

A start in a longer handicap at 1 3/8 miles at Dubbo Racecourse on Sunday evening across American time zones may help the 6-year-old Eva’s Deel end a 20-race losing streak since December 2020.

Eva’s Deel is part of a field of 11 in the third race on a seven-race program that begins at 9:45 p.m. Eastern or 6:45 p.m. Pacific. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

The Dubbo race will be Eva’s Deel’s first start at 1 3/8 miles since an eighth-place finish at Scone in April, a loss that led to a six-month layoff and a stable change. Eva’s Deel was transferred from Brett Robb to Michael Mulholland during that break.

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For Mulholland, Eva’s Deel has started six times and has been third in three of those races at distances ranging from seven furlongs to 1 1/8 miles. Eva’s Deel won her career debut in a maiden race at six furlongs at Dubbi in 2019.

An extended distance should not be a problem for Eva’s Deel, who was third in the Orange Cup at 1 5/16 miles at Orange Racecourse in April 2021.

A greater concern is the presence of Yallah Sunrise, who won consecutive starts at 1 1/4 miles in November before finishing fourth by three lengths in a handicap at the same distance at Queanbeyan Racecourse on Dec. 8. Yallah Sunrise was well placed in a stalking position in early stretch at Queanbeyan, but could not keep pace with winner Tornac in the final furlong.

Of the others, Dream Lad is capable of a top-three finish, but hard to endorse as a potential winner. A winner once in 40 starts, Dream Lad often sets the pace and has been second in his last two starts in handicaps at 1 5/16 miles and 1 3/16 miles.

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