Australia: Irememberwhen takes on winners at Moe

Slightly more than three weeks after an impressive debut, Irememberwhen will face winners for the first time in a five-furlong handicap at Moe Racecourse in Australia.

Post positions in a full field of 13 appears to favor Irememberwhen over his principal, and more experienced, rival Smytzer.

Moe Racecourse has a circumference of approximately 1 1/16 miles and a box-like layout, with five-furlong races beginning on the backstretch. In the final half-mile, there is a sharp turn onto a side of the course and another turn leading into a stretch of about 330 yards. Position will be key in the last half of the race.

Irememberwhen drew post 6, which should give jockey Billy Egan a chance to place the 3-year-old gelding in a stalking position. Smytzer drew the rail, which could prove to be a tricky position in a large field for a gelding who races from off the pace.

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Irememberwhen, trained by Patrick Payne, won his debut by two lengths as the 6-5 favorite at Mildura Racecourse on May 29, stalking the pace before taking the lead in deep stretch under Egan.

Smyzter, trained by Peter Moody, has not raced since he finished 14th of 16 as a longshot in the Springtime Stakes at seven furlongs at Flemington last November. Smyzter’s only win in seven starts occurred in his debut in a maiden race for Southern Hemisphere 2-year-olds at 5 1/2 furlongs at Werribee Racecourse in April 2021.

The fact that Smytzer won his first start bodes well for his chances at Moe in his 2022 debut, suggesting he can run well at the start of a season. The key will be for jockey Luke Nolen to produce a favorable trip on the gelding.

Beau Night and Founex are two other prominent runners at Moe and are returning from layoffs.

Beau Night, a stalker who breaks from post 4, has started twice, both at six furlongs, winning a maiden race in January and finishing third by four lengths in February.

Founex won his lone start as the 5-4 favorite in a maiden race at five furlongs at Yarra Valley Racecourse last October. Founex closed from fourth with a quarter-mile remaining to win by a length. He has drawn in post 11 at Moe and will need a forward position in the opening furlongs to avoid a wide trip.

Moe has a nine-race program beginning at 10:30 p.m. Eastern or 7:30 p.m. Pacific on Wednesday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.