Australia: Look for Delacour near front in Tuesday handicap
A second-place finish in a six-furlong handicap at Queanbeyan Racecourse in Australia on Aug. 21 was practically as good as a win for the 4-year-old filly Delacour.
Delacour set the pace, but could not sustain the advantage, losing by 2 1/4 lengths to Island Bay Boy, the odds-on favorite.
Delacour returns to Queanbeyan on Tuesday for a start in a five-furlong handicap. A winner of 5 of 15 starts, Delacour is expected to take her typical prominent position near the front. She has a leading chance in a field of 11.
Trained by Norm Gardner, Delacour was a winner as recently as Aug. 6 on the all-weather surface at Canberra Racecourse in her only career start on that surface. Gardner is based at Canberra, Australia’s capital. Queanbeyan is located on the outskirts of Canberra, but is in the state of New South Wales.
Delacour breaks from post 8 and will be ridden by Brendan Ward, who has been aboard the filly for her last three starts.
Delacour has a familiar rival in Exaggerate and a red-hot competitor in Washington Towers.
Exaggerate, a winner of 8 of 68 starts, was second to Delacour in the synthetic track race on Aug. 6 in his latest start. An 8-year-old gelding, Exaggerate has won at Queanbeyan in the past and can be a factor from off the pace.
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Washington Towers is on a two-race winning streak, but ran against softer company back in March. A 5-year-old gelding, Washington Towers won handicaps at five furlongs at Canberra on March 8 and at Wagga Wagga Racecourse on March 25.
In both races, Washington Towers raced from a stalking position. Trained by Todd Smart, Washington Towers has raced well after a layoff at times in his career.
The Queanbeyan program begins at 11:05 p.m. Eastern, or 8:05 p.m. Pacific, on Monday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.