Australia: Marshall Dillon will gun it from the gate at Wyong Racecourse

Marshall Dillon will take charge of a handicap at 5 1/2 furlongs from the start at Wyong Racecourse in Australia on Thursday, and is likely to show the speed that has led to top three finishes in all five of his career starts.

The concern for trainer Matthew Dunn and jockey Tommy Berry is whether Marshall Dillon can sustain his early advantage through the race.

The strategy worked when Marshall Dillon won a five-furlong maiden race at Grafton Racecourse in February. The pacesetting role was not as successful in Marshall Dillon’s return from a seven-month layoff at Hawkesbury on Sept. 9 when he faded in the final furlong to finish third by 1 1/4 lengths.

A 5-year-old gelding, Marshall Dillon is part of a field of 13 in the race at Wyong. First post is 11:10 p.m. Eastern, or 8:10 p.m. Pacific, on Wednesday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

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Marshall Dillon will break from post 2 in the large field, which will require a clean start to grab an early position. Marshall Dillon could face pressure from other contenders such as Centro Storico or Russbuss.

Centro Storico can race close, as evidenced by a maiden race win at five furlongs at Gosford Park on Aug. 27 in which she led throughout. Earlier this year, Centro Storico was fifth in the Group 2 Embrace Stakes at Royal Randwick and Group 3 Magic Night Stakes at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse, stakes for Southern Hemisphere 2-year-olds.

Russbuss is likely to be a solid favorite at Wyong on the basis of consecutive wins in April and early May followed by a 14th place finish in a field of 16 in the Denise’s Joy Stakes at Rosehill Gardens on May 15.

This is a more realistic placing for Russbuss, who has not raced since mid-May and is yet another runner capable of leading.

Too much pace will work in favor of Longbottom, a 5-year-old mare who has won 4 of 23 starts. Longbottom was sixth by four lengths against a higher class of handicap runners at 5 3/4 furlongs on the Kensington course at Randwick on Sept. 15.