Australia: Favored Ausbred Flirt needs scratch to draw into Belle of the Turf

The filly with the best chance in the Group 3 Belle of the Turf Stakes at Gosford Racecourse in Australia may be stuck in the barns when the race is run on Tuesday evening across American time zones.

Ausbred Flirt was on the also-eligible list for the one-mile race as of Monday morning, needing one defection from the main body of 14 to earn a berth in the field.

Early betting on Monday indicated that Ausbred Flirt will be favored if she draws into the field. She was the 3-1 favorite over Elle Te Ama (5-1) and Nothinsweetaboutme (6-1).

If she starts, Ausbred Flirt will have a rapid turnaround, having finished second by slightly less than a half-length in a one-mile handicap at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on Saturday.

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Ausbred Flirt has won 3 of 8 starts and will have her stakes debut in the $161,300 Belle of the Turf Stakes. Trained by Brad Widdup, the 4-year-old Ausbred Flirt won handicaps at 7 1/2 furlongs and a mile at Kembla Grange Racecourse on Nov. 26 and Dec. 10.

Aside from her solid credentials, Ausbred Flirt would also influence the race considering she tends to race near the front.

Nothinsweetaboutme has won 6 of 14 starts and was third in a seven-furlong handicap at Randwick on Dec. 17, beaten slightly more than a half-length. She is capable of tracking the pace.

Similar to Ausbred Flirt, Elle Te Ama is lightly raced, having won 3 of 8 starts for trainer Kris Lees. Elle Te Ama won a 15-runner regional handicap final at a mile at Hawkesbury Racecourse on Dec. 15.

Horses qualified for that race by running in handicaps in the preceding month. Elle Te Ama was only fourth in a qualifier at Kembla Grange in November her second start after a six-month layoff, but much sharper at Hawkesbury on Dec. 15.

Gosford has a seven-race program beginning at 10:05 p.m. Eastern or 7:05 p.m. Pacific. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

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