Australia: Gold Rhapsody will end layoff in Kempsey handicap

Heavy turf at Kempsey Racecourse in Australia on Monday may benefit the mare Gold Rhapsody when she starts for the first time since August in a five-furlong handicap on turf.

Rain is forecast at Kempsey, which is on the Australian east coast, north of Sydney.

Gold Rhapsody, a 5-year-old Australian-bred mare, has won 5 of 21 starts in her career. She has won 3 of 5 starts on soft turf and has won 1 of 3 starts on heavy turf. Trained by Margaret de Gonneville, Gold Rhapsody has not raced since finishing last of 14 in a five-furlong handicap at Taree Racecourse in August.

The loss was a reversal from her form in April, when she won consecutive starts in five-furlong handicaps on heavy or soft turf at Port Macquarie and Taree.

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On Monday, Gold Rhapsody will be ridden by Jeff Kehoe, who has been aboard for the mare’s last four starts and for three of her five wins, including the two April races.

Monday’s race drew a field of 13, but will be limited to 12 starters. Gold Rhapsody breaks from post 2 and is handy enough to be well positioned behind the pace in the first half of the race.

Conditions should suit several other runners, notably topweight Removal, She’s Choosie, Aheadofhistime and Fair Dinkum.

Removal has been assigned 141 pounds, far more than Aheadofhistime and Fair Dinkum, who are next at 122.3 pounds. This is a significant drop in class for Removal, who was 15th of 16 in the Keith Noud Stakes at Doomben Racecourse on Nov. 14. The weight assignment, however, is so high that Removal could be rerouted to another race.

She’s Choosie won her only previous start at Kempsey, in a five-furlong handicap last December. She is winless in 10 starts since a five-furlong handicap at tiny Inverell Racecourse on Jan. 1, but does have wet turf form that catches the eye.

The five-furlong handicap is the last of seven races at Kempsey on a program that begins at 9:50 p.m. Eastern, or 6:50 p.m. Pacific, on Sunday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.