Australia: Oksal fresh for Gosford handicap

Race conditions appear to favor Oksal when the 5-year-old mare has her first start since February in a six-furlong handicap Tuesday at Gosford Racecourse in Australia.

Oksal won a handicap for fillies and mares at 6 1/2 furlongs at Kembla Grange Racecourse on Jan. 29 in her third start of that month, and was second, beaten 7 1/4 lengths by Positive Peace, in a handicap for fillies and mares at 7 3/4 furlongs on the Kensington course at Royal Randwick on Feb. 5.

There was no shame in the comprehensive loss to stablemate Positive Peace, who followed with three consecutive wins, including the Group 2 Emancipation Stakes for fillies and mares on March 28 at Rosehill Gardens.

In preparation for her comeback, Oksal ran in two barrier trials, or morning workouts from the gate, with eight other runners at Warwick Farm Racecourse in July, finishing third and fourth.

Oksal and Positive Peace are trained by Bjorn Baker, who finished the 2019-20 Australian racing season on July 31 ranked fifth in the trainer’s standings with 128 wins in the state of New South Wales. Gosford Racecourse is located north of Sydney, in New South Wales.

The win at Kembla Grange suggests Tuesday’s distance should be a good fit for Oksal, who has won 4 of 12 starts.

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On Tuesday, Oksal will be ridden for the first time by apprentice jockey Louise Day, who has won with 4 of 22 mounts this month through Sunday.

Because of Day’s apprentice claim, Okal will carry 127.8 pounds, slightly less than topweights Classic Gaming and Mo the Great, at 129.

Mo the Great, a 7-year-old Australian-bred gelding by Uncle Mo, is winless in two starts this year, a third in a handicap at 6 3/4 furlongs on May 14 at Wyong Racecourse and a second in a handicap at a mile by a head on June 15 at Taree.

Tuesday’s race will be the first at six furlongs for Mo the Great since a second at Scone last September.

The race drew a field of nine who are likely to be in pursuit of pacesetter Cassy’s Sister, who won a six-furlong handicap on July 24 at Tamworth, but was 10th of 12 against a tougher field in a handicap Aug. 1 at Randwick.

The Gosford program begins at 10:55 p.m. Eastern, or 7:55 p.m. Pacific, on Monday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.