Australia: Lightly weighted Phemonoe has big shot in handicap at Warwick Farm
The addition of blinkers appeared to aid the 4-year-old filly Phemonoe when she won for the first time in more than 13 months in a handicap at 6 1/2 furlongs at Hawkesbury Racecourse in Australia on March 16.
A low weight assignment of 124.5 pounds in a seven-furlong handicap at Warwick Farm Racecourse in Sydney on Wednesday could give Phemonoe a fourth career win in her 12th start.
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Trained by James Cummings for Godolphin Racing, Phemonoe ended a seven-race losing streak with the recent win, her second start following a four-month layoff. Phemonoe closed from fourth in a field of six to win the race at Hawkesbury by a short head, suggesting that the seven-furlong distance at Warwick Farm is within her current range. Phemonoe won a seven-furlong handicap at Newcastle Racecourse in February 2020.
Jockey Hugh Bowman, one of Australia’s leading big-race riders, has the mount on Phemonoe. Bowman rode Phemonoe to her first win in 2020.
Phemonoe will carry the lowest weight in a field of 12. First post time for the eight-race program at Warwick Farm is 10:30 p.m., Eastern, or 7:30 p.m., Pacific, on Tuesday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.
The handicap is a class drop for Le Gai Soleil, a winner of 4 of 7 starts who has not raced since a fourth-place finish in a lucrative handicap at 1 1/8 miles at Rosehill Gardens in November. Trained by John O’Shea, Le Gai Soleil is unbeaten in two starts at seven furlongs, the most recent of which was a handicap at Kembla Grange last June.
Le Gai Soleil, who will carry 127.8 pounds, tends to run as a stalker.
Saigon, who will carry 129 pounds, runs from well off the pace, and is well suited to these conditions for her second start of the year. Saigon was second by a nose to The Irishman in a seven-furlong handicap at Warwick Farm on March 3 in her first start since Dec. 19.
The Irishman returned to finish second in the Group 2 Phar Lap Stakes at Rosehill Gardens on March 13.