Australia: Golden Breeze a good fit in Sunday's five-furlong handicap

With only five races of experience, the Australian gelding Golden Breeze has found his niche in five-furlong races.

Golden Breeze won his fourth career start in a maiden race at five furlongs at Port Macquarie on Oct. 7 and overcame a slow start to be second in his debut against winners at that distance on Feb. 5 in his only subsequent appearance.

Fittingly, Golden Breeze runs in a five-furlong handicap at Port Macquarie on Sunday evening. The small venue on the Australian East Coast is home to trainer Margaret de Gonneville’s stable.

Golden Breeze, the mount of jockey Jeff Kehoe, starts from the rail in a field of 11. Golden Breeze has not shown speed in his brief career, and can be a factor from off the pace, provided Kehoe can guide the gelding to a clean trip.

The other leading contenders are closers. The 4-year-old filly Snowdrop closed from eighth in a field of nine to win a maiden race winner at five furlongs at Dubbo Racecourse on Feb. 13 in her 11th start.

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Snowdrop is the only runner in the field with a last-race win.

Grandellie, also a 4-year-old filly, finished fourth in two six-furlong handicaps in August and September in her final two starts of 2022, and will have her 2023 debut at Port Macquarie on Monday evening.

Grandellie, trained at Port Macquarie by Jenny Graham, won a maiden race at five furlongs at Dubbo Racecourse in October 2021, but is winless in her nine starts. She was second in a handicap at 4 3/4 furlongs at Grafton last July and third in a five-furlong handicap at Port Macquarie in August, suggesting this shorter distance will be a better fit.

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

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Gold Trip, winner of the Group 1 Melbourne Cup at Flemington Racecourse in Australia last November, could manage only a second-place finish to stablemate Steinem in his first start of 2023 in Saturday’s Group 3 Peter Young Stakes at Sandown Racecourse in Melbourne.

Gold Trip (9-2 in American pools) closed from ninth in a field of 10 to finish slightly more than a neck behind Steinem ($10.60) who rallied from fifth to take a late lead in the race at 1 1/8 miles. Emissary, the 3-1 favorite and runner-up in the 2022 Melbourne Cup, finished fifth, beaten 2 1/4 lengths.

John Allen rode Steinem.

Steinem and Gold Trip are trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace. The $203,500 Young Stakes was the second stakes win for Steinem, a 5-year-old British-bred mare by Frankel, and it was the most prestigious victory in her 17-race career.

In Australia’s richest race on Saturday, Little Brose closed from seventh of 16 to record an upset in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes at Sandown, a $1.35 million race for Southern Hemisphere 2-year-olds at six furlongs.

Ridden by Michael Dee for trainers Ben and J.D. Hayes, Little Brose ($21.60) finished a length in front of 12-1 Don Corleone. Barber, the 5-2 favorite, finished ninth, beaten slightly more than 2 3/4 lengths.

Little Brose, by the Street Cry stallion Per Incanto, has won 2 of 4 starts. He was second to Barber in the Group 3 Diamond Prelude Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs in his first start of 2023 at Sandown on Feb. 11.

Little Brose gave the Hayes brothers their first win in the Blue Diamond. The family has a rich history in the race. Grandfather Colin Hayes won the race three times, while his son David won six runnings of the Blue Diamond.

Anamoe, a leading contender for Australian Horse of the Year for the 2022-2023 season, won the eighth Group 1 race of his career in Saturday’s $407,000 Chipping Norton Stakes at a mile at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.

Ridden by James Cummings, Anamoe ($2.80) closed from eighth of 12 to win by 1 1/4 lengths over 10-1 Fangirl to remain unbeaten in two starts this year. Anamoe won the Group 2 Apollo Stakes at seven furlongs at Randwick on Feb. 11.

Since the current racing season began on Aug. 1 in Australia, Anamoe has won six of seven starts, including five stakes. The most prestigious of those was the Group 1 Cox Plate in October, Australia’s leading weight-for-age race.

A 4-year-old colt by Street Boss, Anamoe has won 13 of 23 starts for Godolphin Racing.

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