Australia: Last Quest back quick for Goulburn handicap

The last time the Australian gelding Last Quest ran a distance anywhere near 1 5/16 miles, he was beaten a head when third in a handicap at 1 1/4 miles at Moruya Racecourse on June 21.

The race may have only been two weeks ago, but Last Quest is having a busy mid-year span in Australia. Last Quest finished second by a head in a handicap at a mile at Moruya on Friday and starts in a handicap at 1 5/16 miles at Goulburn Racecourse on Tuesday.

Trained by Colbey Hill since the start of the year, Last Quest has won 2 of 19 starts and has been in the top three in three of his last four starts. Both of the wins have come in an 11-race campaign this year.

This is the first time in Last Quest’s career that he has had so many races in close proximity.

Last Quest is part of a field of nine and tends to run from a tracking position. In the race on June 21, Last Quest closed from fourth in a field of five in the final furlong to just miss catching Ivira, who led throughout.

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At Goulburn, Last Quest figures to be a slight favorite over Taliano, who is starting at 1 5/16 miles for the first time. A winner of 2 of 36 starts, Taliano was beaten a head in a handicap at 1 1/16 miles at Gundagai on June 25, closing from 10th in a field of 12 at 6-1.

The narrow loss was the closest Taliano has come to a win in six starts this year. Last December, Taliano won a handicap at 1 1/4 miles at Queanbeyan Racecourse, closing from seventh in a field of nine.

Goulburn has a seven-race program that begins at 10:30 p.m. Eastern, or 7:30 p.m. Pacific, on Monday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.