Australia: January Cup distance should suit Aleas

Aleas, the 5-year-old British-bred gelding racing in Australia, has a closing style that lends itself to a measure of drama with each start.

Will he get there or not? Aleas has won a respectable 5 of 18 starts in Britain and Australia, and seems best suited to races at 1 1/4 miles or more that help his stamina.

The conditions of the $108,100 January Cup at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in Sydney on Friday evening suit Aleas, who is part of a big field of 14. Trained by Chris Waller, Aleas was third in the ATC Cup at 1 1/4 miles at Rosehill Gardens on Nov. 26, closing from eighth in a field of 14 to finish less than a half-length behind Bonny Ezra.

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Aleas is winless in six starts since the Wagga Wagga Cup at 1 1/4 miles in May. The performance in the ATC Cup was his best result in the second half of 2022.

Aleas is one of several contenders in a wide-open running of the January Cup, which is part of a 10-race program that begins at 8:20 p.m. Eastern or 5:20 p.m. Pacific. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

Sam Clipperton, who was aboard in the ATC Cup, has the mount on Aleas in the January Cup. Aleas breaks from the inside, which is likely to lead Clipperton to position his mount at the back of the field for the first half-mile.

Bonny Ezra is part of the January Cup field after a busy December in which the 7-year-old gelding finished second in the Christmas Stakes at 1 1/2 miles at Royal Randwick Racecourse on Dec. 10 and seventh by 3 1/2 lengths in the Summer Cup at 1 1/4 miles at Randwick on Dec. 26.

Bonny Ezra races from off the pace as does Berdibek, who may go favored in the January Cup after finishing third in the Summer Cup.

Mission Phoenix, a winner of 4 of 13 starts, is the expected pacesetter in what will be a class and stamina test.

Mission Phoenix won handicaps at 7 1/2 furlongs and 1 1/8 miles in November before he finished third in a lucrative handicap at 1 1/4 miles at Randwick on Dec. 17, losing by slightly less than a half-length to January Cup entrant Global Ausbred.

Global Ausbred followed that win with an eighth-place finish in the Summer Cup.

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