Australia: Hollywood Hero to play leading role in Coonamble Cup

Hollywood Hero had a tough September in Australia, finishing fourth in the Dubbo Cup and third in the Bathurst Cup. He missed second by a half-length and a nose.

Had Hollywood Hero finished first or second in those one-mile handicaps he would have earned a qualifying berth for the $1.91 million Big Dance Stakes at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on Nov. 7.

Instead, Hollywood Hero starts in the Coonamble Cup at a mile at Coonamble Racecourse on Saturday evening, the second-to-last of a yearlong series of 29 qualifying races for the Big Dance Stakes.

The Big Dance Stakes, run at a mile, is restricted to horses who finish first or second in qualifiers throughout the state of New South Wales. The final field of 20 will be determined by handicap ratings. A win in the Coonamble Cup would boost Hollywood Hero’s rating, but also means he must carry more weight in future starts.

:: Get free past performances, analysis, and picks for Australian racing

In the Coonamble Cup, which drew a field of 14, Hollywood Hero carries just 119 pounds, with a deduction of slightly more than three pounds because of the booking of apprentice jockey Anna Roper.

High Court, rated as a longshot, will carry top weight of 134.4 pounds.

As of early Friday, Hollywood Hero was the 7-2 second choice behind 2-1 Strombus, who will carry 130 pounds. Strombus won a seven-furlong handicap on the infield Kensington course at Randwick on Aug. 23, but was seventh by 2 1/2 lengths in a seven-furlong handicap at Randwick on Sept. 16.

In his two starts in September, Hollywood Hero raced wide and from off the pace. He was beaten 1 3/4 lengths for the win at Dubbo and slightly more than a length at Bathurst.

Hollywood Hero breaks from post 12 in the Coonamble Cup, which could lead to another wide trip if Roper is unable to save ground. The layout of the course may help Hollywood Hero. One-mile races at Coonamble begin from a backstretch chute, leading to a lengthy run to the turn. The stretch covers a quarter-mile.

Aside from Strombus and Hollywood Hero, Irish Kisses is held in high regard. A 6-year-old mare, Irish Kisses raced near the front throughout a handicap at a mile at Warwick Farm last Monday to end a five-race losing streak.

Coonamble has a nine-race program beginning at 9:45 p.m. Eastern or 6:45 p.m. Pacific. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.