Australia: Riding the Wave drops into handicap at Swan Hill
Since early January, Riding the Wave has lost five consecutive races in listed and group-level stakes at tracks in Melbourne and southern Australia.
A much-needed drop in class into a competitive handicap at Swan Hill Racecourse on Friday could put an end to the slump and give the 5-year-old gelding his first win since Jan. 1.
Riding the Wave is part of an excellent field of 13 in the $77,300 Golden Topaz Handicap. Several horses with recent stakes experience should make the Golden Topaz an honest test.
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Riding the Wave was seventh of 15 in the six-furlong Straight Six Stakes at Flemington Racecourse on May 22, finishing 2 1/2 lengths behind race winner Romancer, a 100-1 shot.
Riding the Wave has won 6 of 21 starts, including three races at six furlongs, and will start at Swan Hill for the first time in the Golden Topaz.
The Golden Topaz is part of an eight-race program that begins at 10:15 p.m., Eastern, or 7:15 p.m., Pacific, on Thursday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.
All Too Royal, a winner of 8 of 23 starts, will start for the first time since November in the Golden Topaz. All Too Royal was fourth in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate in February 2020 and was a minor stakes winner at six furlongs at Caulfield Racecourse in December 2019.
Open Minded, a 4-year-old gelding, has won 7 of 13 starts, and was 15th of 16 in the $155,000 Wagga Town Plate at six furlongs at Wagga Wagga Racecourse on May 6, a loss that ended a four-race winning streak. The wins were all in six-furlong races in which Open Minded was prominent from the start, or set the pace.
Open Minded is expected to have the same strategy in the Golden Topaz.
The six-furlong distance is ideal for Inn Keeper, who has won his last two starts, both at six furlongs. Inn Keeper won the Wangoom Stakes at Warrmanbool on May 5 over Dexelation, who is part of the Golden Topaz field.
Inn Keeper, who tends to run as a stalker, has a mixed history in the Golden Topaz, winning the race in 2018, finishing last of 13 in 2019, and third last year.