Australia: Ringside early favorite in 7-furlong Sunday handicap
After three near-misses from late October to early December, Ringside ended a five-race losing streak on Dec. 17 with a win in a seven-furlong handicap at Moree Racecourse in Australia.
The consistent recent record has made Ringside the early favorite to win for the eighth time in his 50th start in a seven-furlong handicap at Dubbo Racecourse on Sunday evening.
A 7-year-old gelding, Ringside is part of a full field of 14 that had three horses on an also-eligible list as of Saturday. The handicap is part of a seven-race program that begins at 9:45 p.m. Eastern, or 6:45 p.m. Pacific. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.
Ringside led throughout the race at Moree and raced as a stalker in his three previous starts, which included two third-place finishes and a second in handicaps at distances ranging from 6 1/4 furlongs to seven furlongs. He lost by as little as a neck and as much as slightly more than 1 1/2 lengths in that span.
There is not a standout favorite in the Dubbo race. Ringside will be challenged by Mirandelle and Hemsted, among others.
Mirandelle, a 5-year-old mare, has not raced since she finished second in a seven-furlong handicap at Bathurst in late May. Mirandelle tends to run from off the pace. She won her career debut in March 2021, suggesting she can play a leading role after a layoff.
Hemsted won three consecutive starts in handicap at seven furlongs from October and early November, closing from off the pace in each start. The middle win in that series was a race at Dubbo in which the 7-year-old gelding won by slightly more than 1 1/2 lengths.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.