Australia: Outreach Belle faces familiar conditions

A rain-soaked turf course at Coffs Harbour Racecourse in Australia will be familiar conditions for Outreach Belle in a five-furlong handicap for fillies and mares Monday.

The Coffs Harbour turf course is expected to be heavy, and Outreach Belle has performed well on such going in the recent past. A winner of 1 of 13 starts, Outreach Belle was beaten a head in a five-furlong handicap on heavy turf at Coffs Harbour on April 1. More recently, Outreach Belle was second again in a five-furlong handicap at Taree Racecourse on April 10.

Trained by Ross Stitt, Outreach Belle is expected to be prominent from the start at Coffs Harbour in a race that drew a field of eight and is the opening race on an eight-race program that begins at 10:40 p.m. Eastern, or 7:40 p.m. Pacific, on Sunday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

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Outreach Belle may face early pressure from Super Slick, who won her debut in a five-furlong maiden race last October, but is winless in four subsequent starts. Super Slick has not raced since a fifth-place finish in a five-furlong handicap at Coffs Harbour last November.

Outreach Belle is likely to be the second choice behind the promising filly Free Dawn, who has not raced since a win in a six-furlong maiden race at Port Macquarie on Nov. 12. Trained by Kris Lees, Free Dawn will have her third start at Coffs Harbour. She was third of five in her debut, on heavy turf, at Gosford Racecourse last October.

In recent months, Free Dawn has finished fifth and first in schooling races from the gate, or barrier trials, at four furlongs.

Free Dawn is a stalker, and that could be an advantageous position, even in this short race, if she can handle the conditions.