Australia: Mad as Zariz the one to catch in Narromine handicap

The 6-year-old Australian gelding Mad as Zariz is the sort of veteran that has adapted to racing on a variety of surfaces at many venues.

The flexibility may serve Mad as Zariz well when he starts in a handicap at 6 1/2 furlongs at Narromine Racecourse, located northwest of Sydney, on Monday. The seven-race program was scheduled to be run at Wellington Racecourse, but was transferred to nearby Narromine because of wet conditions at Wellington. Mad as Zariz will start at Narromine for the first time in his 29th start.

Mad as Zariz, trained by the team of Ron Weston and John Nesbit, has won two of his last three starts – a handicap at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the synthetic track at Canberra on May 21 and a handicap at 6 1/2 furlongs on turf at Wagga Wagga Racecourse on July 5. In between those wins, Mad as Zariz was second by a length in a seven-furlong handicap at Wagga Wagga on June 4.

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The consistent form will make Mad as Zariz the favorite in a field of 11 at Narromine. The gelding is expected to take his typical position near the front under jockey Kayla Nisbet, John Nisbet’s daughter.

Mad as Zariz, who carries 122.3 pounds, has the most consistent recent form in the Narromine sprint field.

Reward Seeker will carry top weight of 135.5 pounds on the basis of his win in the $76,300 Wellington Cup at 1 1/16 miles at Wellington on March 28 in his most recent start. A winner of 6 of 15 starts, Reward Seeker will have his debut at Narromine in this sprint. Reward Seeker has won at distances ranging from seven furlongs to 1 5/16 miles, so this shorter race will be a test for a gelding who comes from off the pace.

Wild Rocket and Redemption Road are better suited for sprints, despite a recent string of losses.

Wild Rocket, a 4-year-old filly, is winless in five starts, but has faced much tougher competition since mid-April. Redemption Road is winless in 22 starts since February 2019, but has been second or third in his last four starts by a combined 2 1/4 lengths, including a nose loss in a seven-furlong handicap at Tamworth on May 17.

The Narromine program begins at 10:50 p.m. Eastern, or 7:50 p.m. Pacific, on Sunday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.