Australia: Quatre Zip part of field of 13 in Scone handicap

Earlier this year, the Australian gelding Quatre Zip was transferred from trainer Bjorn Baker to Brett Cavanough after two 11th-place finishes in his first two career starts in 2021.

For Cavanough, Quatre Zip was third and fourth in his first two starts of the year in July before the 4-year-old’s form changed for the better. Quatre Zip won a maiden race at seven furlongs at Tamworth on Aug. 2 in his third start of 2022 and was beaten a nose in a seven-furlong handicap at Scone on Aug. 15.

The recent results have led to a start in another seven-furlong handicap at Scone on Monday evening across American time zones.

Quatre Zip is part of a field of 13 and will be ridden by Grant Buckley who has been aboard the gelding in all of his starts this year except for a fourth-place finish in July.

Breaking from post 10, Qautre Zip is likely to be near the front, his customary style.

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Whispering Cate, a 4-year-old filly who has won 2 of 18 starts, will be favored, judging from early betting on Sunday. This will be Whispering Cate’s 16th start of the year and sixth in the last two months. Nearly all of those races were in higher handicap classes than Whispering Cate will face in this field at Scone.

Trained by Cheryl Groute, Whispering Cate was fourth by slightly less than a half-length in a lucrative handicap at seven furlongs at Rosehill Gardens on Aug. 27, racing near the front throughout.

If the extensive campaign has not taken a toll, Whispering Cate figures to play a leading role in this field.

The 6-year-old mare Bridges to Babylon is a threat from off the pace, although a placing seems more likely than a win considering her race record of a single win in 22 starts. Bridges to Babylon has been second or third in nine starts, including second-place finishes in her last three starts.

Bridges to Babylon was second by about 1 1/2 lengths in a handicap for fillies and mares at 6 1/2 furlongs at Scone on Aug. 23 in her first start since early May.

Scone has a seven-race program beginning at 11:20 p.m. Eastern or 8:20 p.m. Pacific. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.