Australia: Freeze'emoff back in Geraldton Gold Cup

The Geraldton Turf Club is located in the Indian Ocean beach town of the same name north of Perth in Western Australia. The small venue has become the home course for Freeze’emoff, a 5-year-old Southern Hemisphere mare trained by Graeme Hammarquist in nearby Walkaway.

Freeze’emoff has won 7 of 23 races in her career and 6 of 21 starts at Geraldton, the venue of all of her starts since she joined Hammarquist’s stable in January 2018.

Freeze’emoff will be back in familiar surroundings for Sunday’s $62,300 Geraldton Gold Cup at 1 5/16 miles against males. While she was sixth in the same race last year, and faces a tougher field than in recent starts, Freeze’emoff has a few factors in her favor Sunday.

Freeze’emoff won a minor handicap at Geraldton at 1 3/16 miles on March 29, ending a three-race losing streak. She won the minor Walkaway Cup at 1 5/16 miles there in January.

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For Sunday’s race, Freeze’emoff will carry 123 pounds, a hefty 11 pounds less than topweight Push to Pass, who rates as a danger in a field of 13.

The program at Geraldton is one of several tracks in operation in Australia on Sunday, or late Saturday night and early Sunday morning across American time zones. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

Jockey Kyra Yuill will ride Freeze’emoff for the sixth consecutive race Sunday. Alan Kennedy will ride Push to Pass for the first time since November. The Geraldton Gold Cup will be the 86th start for the 9-year-old Push to Pass, who has won 14 races and is trained by Ashley Maley.

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Push to Pass has won 5 of 14 starts at Geraldton, but was 10th of 12 in a handicap at about 1 1/4 miles there April 8, finishing behind Defiantly, who is part of Sunday’s field.

A 6-year-old mare, Defiantly is a closer, a style similar to Freeze’emoff. Mycroft and Freedom by Choice, second and third to Defiantly, also are in the Geraldton Gold Cup field.

The longshot Ruby’s Legacy is likely to set the pace. He was eighth behind Defiantly on April 8, fading in the stretch.