Australia: Lady Kermadec will try 1 1/4 miles for first time in Tuesday handicap

The Australian 4-year-old filly Lady Kermadec will start at 1 1/4 miles for the first time in a handicap at Albury Racecourse on Tuesday. The race will be a test of stamina on a course she obviously adores.

Lady Kermadec won consecutive starts at Albury in late October and early November – a maiden race at 7 1/2 furlongs and a handicap at a mile. Since then, Lady Kermadec has finished second in a handicap at about a mile at Wodonga, and a well-beaten sixth in a handicap at 1 1/8 miles against a tougher field at Sandown Racecourse in Melbourne on Dec. 15.

This field at Albury on Tuesday is technically a slight rise in class from the Sandown race, but a race at Albury does not typically draw the same depth as one at Sandown. Albury is located in the New South Wales countryside, north of Melbourne.

Lady Kermadec, trained by David O’Prey, has a favorable weight assignment, carrying 121.2 pounds compared to topweight Perfect Illusion at 131.

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Through Dec. 28, the date of his most recent runner, O’Prey had won four races at Albury since late July from 50 overall starters at any track in that span.

Lady Kermadec tends to run near the front, and will be tested through the stretch by Vintage Diesel, a 4-year-old New Zealand-bred gelding who has won 2 of 9 starts. Vintage Diesel has an experience edge on Lady Kermadec at the distance. On Christmas Eve, Vintage Diesel was third by a little more than a length in a handicap at 1 1/4 miles at Wangarrata Racecourse, his first attempt at the distance.

Vintage Diesel was 12th in the same race as Lady Kermadec at Sandown on Dec. 15.

Albury has a seven-race program beginning at 10:10 p.m. Eastern or 7:10 p.m. Pacific on Monday. The featured handicap is the second race on the program. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.