Australia: Sir Clooney has all the upside in Tamworth feature

Compared to his 13 rivals in a handicap at Tamworth Racecourse in Australia on Monday, Sir Clooney is at the start of his career.

A winner of 1 of 5 starts, Sir Clooney is the most lightly raced runner in the field, and seems capable of improvement, judging from a second in a handicap at about seven furlongs at Quirindi Racecourse last Monday.

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Sir Clooney (7-1) stalked the pace throughout and was beaten 1 1/2 lengths by the longshot Sadler’s Rest. Sir Clooney was a length clear of third-place finisher Jahbath, the 2-1 favorite.

In Monday’s handicap at Tamworth, Sir Clooney will carry 123 pounds, far less than topweight Our Joyeux at 140 pounds. Our Joyeux, 8, is winless in six starts since winning a handicap at Happy Valley Racecourse in Hong Kong in June 2015. A winner of 2 of 17 starts, Our Joyeux had three more starts in Hong Kong in 2015, one in Australia in 2018, and two earlier this year.

Sir Clooney, trained by John Ramsey, beat maidens in his second start last October. The recent second-place finish at Quirindi was his second start of 2020, preceded by a fourth in a handicap at about 6 1/2 furlongs at Muswellbrook on April 13.

Sir Clooney is the lone 3-year-old in Monday’s race, but that is not as significant at the end of the Southern Hemisphere racing season as it would be at this time of year in North America.

Race tactics could work for Sir Clooney, who could have a target if Bluesbro takes his customary position on the front. Bluesbro, who will carry 127.8 pounds, is winless in nine starts since a handicap win at 1 5/16 miles at Tamworth last June.

Similar to Sir Clooney, the 4-year-old Blazing Tycoon is lightly raced, having won 2 of 8 starts. Blazing Tycoon won a handicap at seven furlongs at Tamworth on April 26, closing from the middle of a 13-horse field.

The Tamworth program begins at 10:20 p.m. Eastern, or 7:20 p.m. Pacific on Sunday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.