Australia: Mark the Horse has chance to steal Warrnambool handicap on front end
The speedy gelding Mark the Horse and the closer Rudhyar will start in a handicap at 1 1/16 miles at Warrnambool Racecourse in Australia on Thursday on the strength of brief winning streaks.
Mark the Horse is unbeaten in three starts this year - handicaps since June 19 at distances ranging from a mile to 1 1/16 miles. Mark the Horse led throughout those races, and won a handicap at 1 1/16 miles at Warrnambool by five lengths on July 4. More recently, Mark the Horse won a one-mile handicap by a neck at Ballarat Racecourse on July 11.
Mark the Horse is trained by Michelle Payne, well known as a jockey who won the Melbourne Cup in 2015 on Prince of Penzance. Payne has a small stable with Mark the Horse responsible for the stable’s three wins from its last 50 runners from Nov. 1 through Monday.
Jockey Lucinda Boyd, who rode Mark the Horse in two of his recent wins, has the mount at Warrnambool.
:: Get free past performances, analysis, and picks for Australian racing
Mark the Horse has a chance to steal this race, particularly if the 6-year-old mare If At First takes a stalking position. It At First has raced from the front at times in recent starts, including a win at 1 1/16 miles at Warrnambool in March.
Rudhyar has won his last two starts, the only victories in his four-race career. Trained by Lindsey Smith, Rudhyar won a maiden race at 1 1/4 miles last December and his lone start this year in a 25-1 upset in a handicap at about 1 1/16 miles at Geelong on July 3. Rudhyar closed from 11th in a field of 12 to win by a nose.
Mark the Horse and Rudhyar are part of a field of 11 that includes Irish Playboy and Bowing.
Irish Playboy is winless in his last five starts, a span that includes a second in a lucrative handicap at a mile at Moonee Valley in March. This is a noticeable drop in class from his recent starts.
Bowing closed well to finish fourth behind Mark the Horse at Ballarat on July 11, beaten a length in his third start of the year.
Warrnambool has an eight-race program beginning at 11:30 p.m. Eastern, or 8:30 p.m. Pacific, on Wednesday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.