Australia: Red Beryl starts outside in Narromine Cup
The last time Red Beryl appeared in a cup race at a minor track in Australia he closed from 11th of 14 to finish second by a head in the Beef Week Cup at Inverell Racecourse in late May.
Three races later, including a recent win, Red Beryl runs Sunday in the Narromine Cup at Narromine Racecourse in the New South Wales countryside.
Cup races at minor tracks are often the leading races of the year at the venue and tend to be run at seven furlongs or a mile, often drawing large fields.
The one-mile distance of the Narromine Cup may be an ideal fit to aid Red Beryl’s late kick, which has led to a record of five wins in 22 starts.
Trained by Jane Clement, Red Beryl ended a five-race losing streak with a win by a head in a minor handicap at Moree Racecourse at six furlongs on July 19.
Matthew Palmer was aboard for that win and has the mount in the Narromine Cup.
:: Get free past performances, analysis, and picks for Australian racing
The Narromine Cup drew a field of 11. Red Beryl drew the outside post, which should not be a major issue since the 5-year-old gelding runs from off the pace.
Red Beryl is part of a fascinating field that includes Dubai Centre, who has won his last three starts, and Island Press, already a winner this month.
Dubai Centre, a winner of 4 of 22 starts, has won at distances ranging from 6 1/2 furlongs to 7 1/2 furlongs in minor handicaps since late June. This is a tougher class of runners than his previous races. Similar to Red Beryl, Dubai Centre is best suited to a tracking role.
Island Press, a winner of 4 of 14 starts, tends to run closer to the front. A 4-year-old gelding, he showed that style in a win at seven furlongs at Dubbo Racecourse on Aug. 7, his second win in his last five starts. Island Press could prove difficult to catch in a race that does not have many other front-runners.
Narromine has an eight-race program beginning at 10:15 p.m. Eastern, or 7:15 p.m. Pacific, on Saturday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.