Australia: Heavy favorite unlikely in Tuesday handicap at Scone

There is unlikely to be a heavy favorite in a handicap at 6 1/2 furlongs at Scone Racecourse in Australia on Tuesday.

Berruti, Chomeur, and Empowerment were all 5-2 in early betting Sunday. If all three start in a field of 10, they are likely to be similar prices.

Berruti is winless in six starts, but has been second in two of his last three appearances, both at Scone. Trained by Kris Lees, Berruti closed from last of 12 to miss by a length in a handicap at seven furlongs at Scone on July 18.

Lees finished second to Chris Waller in the trainers' standings by wins at tracks in the state of New South Wales in the season that ended Saturday. The Lees stable struggled through the second half of July, winning with 6 of 50 starters from July 16 through Saturday.

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Chomeur won for the second time in his seventh career start in a seven-furlong handicap at Dubbo Racecourse on June 4, and followed with a good second against a better field at Rosehill Gardens in Sydney on June 26. A repeat of the race at Rosehill Gardens may be good enough to beat this field.

Empowerment, a 4-year-old filly, won a six-furlong handicap at Scone on July 26 and will have her fourth start within a month at Scone. She tends to run near the front, a style that has led to two wins in nine starts for red-hot trainer Tracey Bartley. Through Saturday, Bartley had won with four of his previous 10 runners.

The handicap is the fifth race on a seven-race program that begins at 11:10 p.m. Eastern, or 8:10 p.m. Pacific, on Monday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.