Australia: Rustic Steel makes fast turnaround for Scone Cup

Rustic Steel improved his record to 6 for 12 by winning the $347,700 The Coast Stakes, a handicap for Southern Hemisphere 3- and 4-year-olds at Gosford Park in Australia last Saturday.

On Friday, less than a week later, Rustic Steel is expected to be a slight favorite to win his group stakes debut in the Group 3 Scone Cup at a mile at Scone Racecourse.

Trained by Kris Lees, the 4-year-old Rustic Steel led throughout The Coast Stakes, winning the one-mile race against 12 rivals by slightly less than a half-length. The $139,700 Scone Cup will have a maximum field of 16.

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Rustic Steel, who will be ridden by Kerrin McEvoy, will carry minimum weight of 119 pounds in the Scone Cup, which is run under handicap conditions. Berdibek, the mount of high-profile jockey Hugh Bowman, is the 130-pound highweight on the basis of his two consecutive stakes wins last August and September.

Berdibek was eighth of 15 in the Group 3 Hawkesbury Cup at a mile at Hawkesbury Racecourse on April 30 in his first start since November, finishing eight lengths behind Kirwan’s Lane, another contender in the Scone Cup.

Kirwan’s Lane, who will carry 127.8 pounds, has won three of his last four starts and could gain the role of favorite from Rustic Steel, judging from advance betting on Wednesday. Rustic Steel was 9-2, while Kirwan’s Lane was 5-1.

Kirwan’s Lane, trained by John O’Shea, tends to run as a stalker, but could be hampered if Rustic Steel does not face an early challenge. There are not many confirmed front-runners in the Scone Cup field other than Rustic Steel.

Scone has a nine-race program beginning at 9:50 p.m. Eastern or 6:50 p.m. Pacific on Thursday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

In the race preceding the Scone Cup, Gossip Torque will be favored in a field of 16 in the $139,700 Inglis 2-year-old Challenge at 5 1/2 furlongs.

Gossip Torque, a filly by Capitalist, won her lone start, taking a four-furlong handicap at Ipswich Racecourse on Feb. 24. Capitalist won the Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes for 2-year-olds in March 2016.

Gossip Torque will be a stronger favorite in the Inglis 2-year-old Challenge if the well-regarded first-time starter Vegas Raider fails to draw into the field from the also-eligible list. Vegas Raider, trained by David Pfieffer, finished first in a schooling race from the gate at 4 1/2 furlongs, or barrier trial, at Rosehill Gardens on May 6.

The filly Seaside Sandy, who won her lone start in a handicap at 5 1/2 furlongs at Bathurst Racecourse, is another fancied runner among the 11 entrants with race experience, a group that includes three winners.