Australia: Semana key to handicapping Winter Challenge Stakes

The role of favorite in the $108,400 Winter Challenge Stakes at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in Sydney, Australia, on Friday evening depends on whether the talented filly Semana draws into the big field from the also-eligible list.

The Winter Challenge Stakes, run at 7 1/2 furlongs, will have a maximum field of 14. Semana is the first entrant on the also-eligible list and was the 5-2 favorite in early betting on Thursday over Resonator and Barbie’s Fox, who were both 7-2.

The odds may change significantly after scratches.

Semana, a 3-year-old filly who has won 5 of 11 starts, will have her stakes debut in the Winter Challenge Stakes. Trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, Semana has won three of her five starts since early April in handicaps ranging in distance from six to seven furlongs.

:: Get free past performances, analysis, and picks for Australian racing

Semana was second by a nose in a handicap at 7 3/4 furlongs at Canterbury Park in January in the longest race of her career. She is quick enough to lead and has won from slightly off the pace.

Barbie’s Fox is winless in four starts since a handicap at 6 1/2 furlongs at Sandown Park in Melbourne in April. She was fourth by slightly more than 1 3/4 lengths in the Winter Stakes at seven furlongs at Royal Randwick Racecourse on July 8, closing from 10th in a field of 12.

Barbie’s Fox raced in traffic in the stretch and closed well once clear in the final sixteenth. A 6-year-old mare, Barbie’s Fox could be well positioned as a closer in the Winter Challenge Stakes.

Resonator may set the pace. A winner of 4 of 12 starts, Resonator is a nose away from a three-race winning streak. He won a seven-furlong handicap at Rosehill Gardens on June 3 and another handicap at the same track at 7 1/2 furlongs on July 1 before finishing second by a nose in a seven-furlong handicap at Randwick on July 8.

In each of those races, Resonator was part of the pace.

The Winter Challenge Stakes is part of a 10-race program that begins at 9:15 p.m. Eastern or 6:15 p.m. Pacific. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.