A week later than expected, the 8-year-old gelding Private Eye will be favored to win a Group 2 sprint in Australia in Friday’s $196,300 P.B. Lawrence Stakes at Caulfield. He faces a field that includes three former North American-based mares. Moira, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Del Mar last November and the champion turf female of 2024; Anisette, a three-time Grade 1 winner in California; and Full Count Felicia, winner of the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes at Woodbine last September, are part of the Lawrence field. All three were beaten in their first starts in Australia in March and April and have not raced since. Moira and Anisette were 14th and last in a field of 20 in the Group 1 Doncaster Mile at Royal Randwick Racecourse in April, one of the country’s toughest races of the year at the distance. Full Count Felicia finished fourth behind the star mare Via Sistina in the Group 1 Ranvet Stakes at Rosehill Gardens in Sydney last March in her first start since a seventh in the 2024 BC Filly and Mare Turf. Chris Waller trains the three former North American-based mares. In April in Sydney, Waller told Daily Racing Form that the trio would be given time to acclimate to Australian conditions during the Southern Hemisphere winter in advance of comebacks this month. :: Get free past performances, analysis, and picks for international racing, including Australia Speaking specifically about Moira, Waller said, “She just needs time to adapt. She’ll be better when she’s gotten into our seasons.” As of Wednesday, Private Eye was the 5-2 favorite with bookmakers in early betting for the seven-furlong Lawrence, while Moira was 13-1. Full Count Felicia was 20-1 and Anisette was 50-1. The Lawrence is Moira’s first start in a sprint since she won in the Fury Stakes at seven furlongs on the synthetic track at Woodbine in June 2022, the start of a three-race winning streak that included the Woodbine Oaks and Queen’s Plate. Moira was honored with Sovereign Awards as Canada’s Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old filly in 2022. The Lawrence is the sprint debut for Anisette, who has never raced at a distance of less than a mile. Full Count Felicia was ninth of 12 in a seven-furlong maiden race on turf at Belmont Park in June 2022 in her last start at the distance. Private Eye was entered for the Group 2 Missile Stakes at Randwick last weekend but the race was canceled because of excessive rain. Trained by Joe Pride, Private Eye has not raced since he finished third by 1 3/4 lengths in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm in Brisbane on June 14. Private Eye, a winner of six group stakes in a 43-race career, has run well following layoff in the past, including wins in a Group 3 in August 2021 and a Group 2 in September 2023 after rests of more than four months. The Lawrence is part of a nine-race program that begins at 10:25 p.m. Eastern or 7:25 p.m. Pacific. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.