Australia: Perth distance should pose no problem for Truly Great

In the last two months, Truly Great has developed into a multiple group stakes winner in Australia by consistently handing longer distances.

A 5-year-old Australian-bred gelding, Truly Great won his first Group 1 race in the Kingston Town Stakes at 1 1/8 miles at Ascot Racecourse in Perth on Dec. 5 and followed two weeks later with a victory by 1 1/2 lengths as the 1-2 favorite in the Group 2 Ted Van Heemst Stakes at Ascot at 1 5/16 miles at Ascot.

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Truly Great will start at 1 1/2 miles for the first time in the Group 2 Perth Stakes at Ascot on Saturday. Considering the style of his last two wins, stalking the pace to the final furlong, there is little reason to believe the longer trip in the Perth Stakes will be an issue.

Truly Great was 6-5 in early betting on Thursday.

Trained by the husband and wife team of Grant and Alana Williams, Truly Great will understandably carry top weight of 132 pounds in a full field of 16. Truly Great will be ridden by William Pike, who was aboard in the Van Heemst Stakes, and will start from post 12.

Truly Great has won 8 of 13 starts. Pike has been aboard for seven of those races, including four wins.

If Truly Great is beaten, it could be by another horse trained by the Williamses in Midnight Blue, who was second and third behind Adornment in handicaps at Ascot in recent weeks. Midnight Blue, who will carry the minimum weight of 116.8 pounds, will have his first start in a group stakes since April in the Perth Cup.

Midnight Blue, a two-time winner at Ascot in November, was 7-1 in early betting on Thursday while Adornment was 25-1

Adornment, a 5-year-old mare, ended a 12-race losing streak, since March 2019, with a win in a handicap at 1 3/8 miles at Ascot on Dec. 5. She won a minor handicap at the same distance at Ascot on Dec. 19.

The Ascot program begins at 11:24 p.m., Eastern, or 8:24 p.m., Pacific, on Friday. Wagering and viewing is available through DRFBets.com.