Australia: Fell Swoop gets class relief in Wagga Town Plate

Earlier in his career, Fell Swoop was a four-time stakes winner good enough to place in Group 1 sprints in Australia.

The 8-year-old Southern Hemisphere gelding had a rough 2019, going winless in four starts, and has not had much success of late, finishing 10th in the Group 3 Kingdom Stakes on March 28 at Rosehill Gardens. Trainer Matthew Dale has selected an easier race for Fell Swoop in Thursday’s $103,840 Wagga Town Plate at six furlongs at Wagga Racecourse.

Feel Swoop, a winner of 10 of 38 starts, is the 136-pound topweight in the Wagga Town Plate, which will have a maximum of 16 runners. For a race with a sizable purse at a smaller venue, the Wagga Town Plate has drawn a competitive field.

Ashlor, who may set the pace, won the Eldorado Stakes on March 1 at Wangaratta Racecourse, but is winless in three subsequent starts, including a fourth in the $130,000 Gold Sprint on April 18 at Caulfield Racecourse.

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The Wagga Town Plate will be a class test for Mount Horeb, who has won three of his last four starts in the last 14 months. He was last of nine in a handicap at 4 3/4 furlongs on Feb. 28 in his first start in 11 months, but rebounded to win a handicap at about six furlongs on March 19 at Albury Racecourse.

Mount Horeb will carry 121 pounds.

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Dale also has entered Man of Peace, a speedy 7-year-old gelding who has won 10 of 46 starts. Man of Peace was 10th in the 2018 Wagga Town Plate, beaten 4 1/4 lengths.

Man of Peace has had two starts this year, winning a handicap at 7 1/2 furlongs on Jan. 11 at Royal Randwick Racecourse and finishing second by a head in a slightly tougher handicap there at a mile on Jan. 25.

The Wagga program begins at 10:35 p.m. Eastern, or 7:35 p.m. Pacific, on Wednesday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.