Australia: Lighthouse hot as the weather for Chester Manifold Stakes at Flemington

A forecast for scorching temperatures in Melbourne, Australia, on Saturday has led racing officials to push the program at Flemington Racecourse to a late-morning start.

The earlier card makes watching an intriguing nine-race program easier for North American viewers. First post time is 6:35 p.m. Eastern or 3:35 p.m. Pacific on Friday. Temperatures could reach 100 degrees in Melbourne.

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There is an American influence in one of the two stakes on the Flemington program.

Lighthouse, a 5-year-old Kentucky-bred mare owned by the Roth family’s LNJ Foxwoods, will be favored in the $115,900 Chester Manifold Stakes at seven furlongs.

Lighthouse began her career with trainer Simon Callaghan in the United States. Her best result in this country was a win in the $360,385 Music City Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs on turf for 3-year-old fillies at Kentucky Downs in September 2020.

Lighthouse was fifth in the Wishing Well Stakes for turf sprinters at Santa Anita last February in her most recent start in the United States.

In Australia since early November, Lighthouse is unbeaten in three starts, all for the top training team of Ciaron Maher and David Eustace. On Dec. 11, Lighthouse closed from third in a field of 12 and won a seven-furlong handicap at Flemington,.

Lighthouse was the 7-5 favorite in early betting as of Thursday for the Chester Manifold Stakes.

Two winners of handicap races at Flemington on Dec. 18 pose a threat to Lighthouse - Second Slip, the winner of a seven-furlong race that day, and Not to be Mist, a winner at six furlongs.

The Maher-Eustace team will start Smokin’ Romans and High Emocean in the $144,900 Bagot Handicap at 1 3/4 miles at Flemington on Saturday. This is a new distance for Smokin’ Romans, who has won four of his last six starts in races ranging from 1 5/16 to 1 9/16 miles.

High Emocean was second in the handicap at 1 5/8 miles at Flemington on Dec. 18, losing by three lengths.

Second Slip and Smokin’ Romans will be ridden by former Melbourne leading rider Jamie Kah, who returned to action earlier this month after serving a suspension for attending a house party in late August that was in violation of Covid quarantine rules set forth by the government of the Australian state of Victoria and racing officials.

Mark Zahra was also suspended for attending the same function, and will have his return to riding at Flemington on Saturday. Zahra is booked to ride Yulong January in the Chester Manifold Stakes.

Wagering on Australian racing is available through DRFBets.com.