Australia: Southern Chilli gets McDonald aboard as favorite in handicap sprint
Southern Chilli, a game second in a sprint at Sandown Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia July 12, will start favored to win for the third time in his eighth start in a handicap for fillies and mares at 6 1/4 furlongs at Canterbury Park in Sydney Tuesday evening.
Southern Chilli’s role as favorite in a field of 14 will be enhanced by the presence of top Australian jockey James McDonald, who has not ridden in the country since June 10. McDonald, who leads Australia’s riders in money earned, rode the Royal Ascot meeting in Britain in June and took a break from riding in recent weeks during the Australian winter.
McDonald was winless with 15 mounts at Royal Ascot, including a second in the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes on Lumiere Rock.
:: Get free past performances, analysis, and picks for Australian racing
McDonald has mounts on the first five races on a seven-race program at Canterbury that begins at 10:50 p.m. Eastern or 7:50 p.m. Pacific. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.
Southern Chilli is one of two expected favorites on the program for McDonald, along with Skip a Beat in the second race.
Southern Chilli, trained by the high-profile team of Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, is winless in four starts since a handicap at 5 1/2 furlongs at Ararat Racecourse in April. At Sandown on July 12, Southern Chilli closed from 11th in a field of 13 to finish 1 1/2 lengths behind Coriolis, who won for the second time in her last three starts in that race.
At Canterbury, Southern Chilli breaks from post 8, while her main rival, Memoria, starts from the rail.
Memoria, a winner of 2 of 9 starts, has been second in her last two races in sprints, losing by a head at Newcastle on June 14, and by slightly less than a length at Canterbury on July 12.
Memoria figures to race near the front and could give Southern Chilli a convenient target.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.