This has been a profitable post-Christmas period for the Australian filly Lady Laguna, who will start favored in the Group 3 Southern Cross Stakes at six furlongs at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in Sydney on Friday evening. Lady Laguna ended a three-race losing streak with a come-from-behind win in the $136,200 Nudgee Stakes at six furlongs at Doomben Racecourse on Dec. 30, and followed with the richest win of her career in the $668,500 Magic Millions Fillies and Mares Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs at Gold Coast on Jan. 13. The $163,000 Southern Cross Stakes is Lady Laguna’s first start at Rosehill Gardens since she finished 13th of 16 in the Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes in March 2022. Lady Laguna did win a maiden race at 5 1/2 furlongs at Rosehill Gardens in 2021 by leading throughout. Of late, Lady Laguna has raced from off the pace, a style that could be tested in the Southern Cross, which drew a field of seven. Malkovich, the winner of a five-furlong stakes at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne in 2022, is expected to set the pace. A winner of 8 of 32 starts, Malkovich has raced primarily at five furlongs and 5 1/2 furlongs. He is winless in two career starts at six furlongs. :: Get free past performances, analysis, and picks for Australian racing Hard to Say, fifth in a tough running of the $668,500 Magic Millions Sprint on Jan. 13, is a threat from a stalking position. There are three Group 3 races worth $163,000 at Rosehill Gardens on Friday evening, including two stakes for Southern Hemisphere 2-year-olds at 5 1/2 furlongs. In the Widden Stakes for 2-year-old fillies, Lady of Camelot will be a heavy favorite to win for the first time in her second start. She was fourth by slightly more than a half-length in the Group 3 Gimcrack Stakes at five furlongs at Royal Randwick Racecourse in September, one of the first stakes of the Australian season for juveniles. Lady of Camelot’s main rivals are Alinea, unraced since a fifth in the Gimcrack, and the highly regarded first-time starter Celerity, trained by James Cummings. Celerity is out of the multiple stakes winner Ellicazoom. Prost, third in the Group 3 Breeders’ Plate at Randwick on Sept. 30 in his lone start, will be favored to win the Canonbury Stakes for 2-year-olds at 5 1/2 furlongs. Prost is part of a field of six that includes Traffic Warden, the winner of a five-furlong handicap at Caulfield in December for Cummings. Rosehill Gardens has a 10-race program that begins at the convenient time of 8:30 p.m. Eastern or 5:30 p.m. Pacific. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com. The stakes are the third through fifth races. Post time for the third race is 9:40 p.m. Eastern. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.