Australia: Fast Talking, Ready to Humble top contenders in Dubbo City and Gilgandra Gold Cup

Fast Talking and Ready to Humble are in the midst of similar careers, reliable geldings racing at venues in the Australian countryside more often than at tracks in metropolitan Sydney.

They meet for the first time in a race that is a good fit for both runners – Sunday’s $73,700 Dubbo City and Gilgandra Gold Cup at a mile at Dubbo Racecourse, about 250 miles from Sydney.

Fast Talking, a winner of 5 of 34 starts, is a 7-year-old gelding who won a one-mile handicap at Dubbo in 2019 and was sixth in this race last year, beaten 3 1/2 lengths. Trained by Dubbo-based Kody Nestor, Fast Talking won a handicap at 1 1/4 miles at Rosehill Gardens in Sydney last November.

This year, Fast Talking is winless in three starts, but was an encouraging third in a handicap at seven furlongs at Mudgee Racecourse on Aug. 29, closing from seventh to miss by 2 1/4 lengths in his first start since late March.

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Ready to Humble has won 5 of 13 starts. Sunday’s race will be his first outing for trainer Nick Olive, who takes over from Matthew Dunn. Similar to Fast Talking, Ready to Humble races from off the pace. A 5-year-old gelding, Ready to Humble was second by 2 1/4 lengths as the 6-5 favorite in the Murwillumbah Cup at 7 3/4 furlongs at Murwillumbah Racecourse on Aug. 20.

The Dubbo Cup will not have a heavy favorite, and is a tough betting race. Winning exacta and trifecta tickets should be lucrative.

From the Bush, a winner of 5 of 12 starts, has appealing credentials, and may be the public choice. From the Bush won a seven-furlong handicap at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney in July, and followed with a win in the Forbes Cup at Forbes Racecourse at a mile on Aug. 1.

More recently, From the Bush was second by 1 1/3 lengths as the 8-5 favorite in the Narromine Cup at a mile at Narromine Racecourse on Aug. 15.

Dubbo has a 10-race program that begins at 9:45 p.m., Eastern, or 6:45 p.m., Pacific, on Saturday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.