Australia: Leather Jacket Lew stretching back out and facing easier company

The Australian gelding Leather Jacket Lew had the best results of his career last December and January, winning consecutive starts at 1 5/16 miles and 1 3/8 miles.

In shorter distances of seven furlongs to 1 1/8 miles from February to as recently as last Saturday, Leather Jacket Lew was unable to replicate those wins.

A return to a distance race, and a drop in class from his last start, may help Leather Jacket Lew end the losing streak in a handicap at 1 9/16 miles at Wagga Wagga Racecourse on Thursday evening across American time zones.

A winner of 3 of 14 starts, Leather Jacket Lew finished third in a lucrative handicap at 1 1/8 miles at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney last Saturday, losing by a half-length at 25-1. Race winner Socrates extended his winning streak to three races that day.

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Leather Jacket Lew figures to be a strong favorite in the first race at Wagga Wagga, which begins at 10:35 p.m. Eastern or 7:35 p.m. Pacific. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

Trained by Danielle Seib, Leather Jacket Lew is likely to race near the front in a field of eight. He could face some pressure from Whiskey Jack, who won a handicap at 1 1/4 miles against a lower-class of runners at Wagga Wagga on Oct. 1 to end a nine-race losing streak dating to February 2021.

More likely, Leather Jacket Lew must contend with Alloway, who was 12th of 13 behind Socrates at Randwick last Saturday. Alloway won as recently as Sept. 20 in a handicap at 1 1/8 miles at Forbes Racecourse against an easier field than he will face at Wagga Wagga.

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