Australia: Penshurst can win right back in Ballina Cup

A six-month layoff was not an issue for Penshurst in a handicap at 7 3/4 furlongs at Murwillumbah Racecourse in Australia on Dec. 28.

An 8-1 chance, Penshurst closed from sixth in a field of eight to win by 1 1/2 lengths for his second victory in three starts. The sharp record – back in June and more recently – has left the gelding Penshurst with a leading chance in Friday’s Ballina Cup at about a mile at Ballina Racecourse.

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Penshurst, trained by Matthew Dunn, will break from post 9 in a race that will have a maximum of 14 runners. Penshurst tends to run as a stalker, so the post position should be in his favor.

The Ballina Cup is the seventh race on an eight-race program that begins at 9:20 p.m. Eastern, or 6:20 p.m. Pacific, on Thursday. Wagering and viewing is available through DRFBets.com.

Penshurst will be in pursuit of expected leader Lord Heron, who was third in a tough handicap at seven furlongs on the Kensington course at Royal Randwick on Jan. 2 in his third start after a layoff of nearly a year. Lord Heron set the pace in the Jan. 2 race and led into the stretch before finishing 2 3/4 lengths behind Boyles.

Sea Raider, who may go favored, starts from post 12. Sea Raider ended a four-race losing streak in a seven-furlong handicap at Eagle Farm Racecourse on Dec. 16 and followed that victory with a third against a better field in a seven-furlong handicap at the same venue on Jan. 3.