Australia: Forbidden Love the class of Missile Stakes at Royal Randwick
In the last 18 months, Forbidden Love has won three Group 1 races for sprinters in Australia. Another such assignment is likely in coming weeks if Forbidden Love performs to expectations in Saturday’s Group 2 Missile Stakes at six furlongs at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.
A winner of 8 of 24 starts, Forbidden Love will be favored in a field of 12 in the $174,500 Missile Stakes, the first group-level stakes of the new Australian season, which began on Monday.
Forbidden Love’s main rivals are Bellucci Babe, a Group 3 winner in March who was third in the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes at six furlongs at Royal Randwick in April, and Count de Rupee, who won the Group 2 Victory Stakes at six furlongs at Eagle Farm on April 30, but was 10th of 12 in the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 at six furlongs at the same track in May.
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The distance will be a test for Nimalee, who won the Group 1 Queen of the Turf Stakes for fillies and mares at a mile at Randwick in April, and has never started at six furlongs in her 22-race career.
Bellucci Babe, Count de Rupee and Nimalee race from a tracking position, while Forbidden Love tends to run closer to the front.
Trained by Michael Freedman, Forbidden Love utilized that style to win consecutive Group 1 races in March – the Canterbury Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs and the George Ryder Stakes at 7 1/2 furlongs.
Forbidden Love has not started since she finished eighth of 14 as the 3-1 favorite in the Group 1 All Aged Stakes at seven furlongs on April 16 at Randwick, fading to lose by more than 8 3/4 lengths. The loss was Forbidden’s Love’s first finish outside of the top four in six starts this year.
The Missile Stakes is the eighth race on a 10-race program that begins at 9:20 p.m. Eastern or 6:20 p.m. Pacific on Friday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.