Australia: Know Thyself brings solid form to Group 3 Winx Guineas

The lightly-raced 3-year-old gelding Know Thyself has won three of his first four starts in Australia leading to his stakes debut in the Group 3 Winx Guineas at Sunshine Coast Racecourse on Friday evening.

Know Thyself will be favored because of the promising start to his career, his stalking style and a win by 5 1/4 lengths in a seven-furlong handicap at Rosehill Gardens in Sydney on June 15 in his most recent race.

The $201,800 Winx Guineas, named for the Australian Horse of the Year for four consecutive seasons from 2015-2016 through 2018-2019, is run at a mile and will be Know Thyself’s longest race. Rachel King has the mount for the first time, replacing Aaron Bullock.

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Know Thyself is part of a field of 11 in the Winx Guineas, and was the 6-5 favorite in early betting on Thursday.

The multiple group stakes winner Cifrado (7-2) and the stakes winner Xidaki (5-2) have appealing credentials despite recent losing streak.

Cifrado, a winner of 4 of 17 starts, was second by a length in the T.L. Cooney Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs at Ipswich Racecourse on June 22. He was sixth in his only preceding start at a mile, in the Group 1 J.J. Atkins Stakes for Southern Hemisphere 2-year-olds last June, and has since won a Group 3 at six furlongs by closing from well off the pace.

Xidaki, a winner of 2 of 8 starts, is easy to like. The gelding closed from ninth in a field of 15 to finish second by a short head in a seven-furlong handicap at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on June 8. This is Xidaki’s first start at a mile. He won the Canberra Guineas at seven furlongs in March from off the pace.

Sunshine Coast has a nine-race program beginning at 10:23 p.m. Eastern or 7:23 p.m. Pacific. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

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