Australia: Pandemic may prove hard to stop

He will not be Horse of the Year, but he has the Name of the Year.

Pandemic, a 4-year-old Australian-bred gelding, has not raced since a fourth-place finish in the Fireball Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia, on March 7. Way back then, most of the world was days away from the start of the coronavirus lockdown.

Pandemic was given an extended rest after the Fireball.

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Trained by James Cummings for Godolphin Racing, Pandemic was part of two schooling races in September, and will return from a layoff of seven months for his fourth start of 2020 in a five-furlong handicap on Wednesday at Warwick Farm Racecourse on the outskirts of Sydney.

The handicap drew a field of eight, but there are three principal runners. Aside from Pandemic, California Zimbol and Villami have excellent credentials.

The handicap is the fourth race on an eight-race program that begins at 10:20 p.m., Eastern, or 7:20 p.m., Pacific, on Tuesday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

California Zimbol won the Darby Munro Stakes at six furlongs at Rosehill Gardens on March 21, but was last of 10 in the Group 2 Arrowfield Stakes at six furlongs at Randwick on April 11 in her most recent start.

A winner of 4 of 9 starts, California Zimbol, a 4-year-old filly, has won at 5 1/2 furlongs. Trained by Peter and Paul Snowden, California Zimball was third in the Fireball.

Vallami, also a 4-year-old filly, has not started since a ninth-place finish of 12 in the Ortensia Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs at Rosehill Gardens on May 16. A winner of 2 of 11 starts, she is likely to set the pace in her first start in nearly five months.

Vallami won the Fireball Stakes in March.