Australia: Spirit Ridge favored in January Cup at Royal Randwick
Two weeks after his first group stakes win, Spirit Ridge will be favored to win a slightly lower quality race in Saturday’s listed $116,400 January Cup at 1 1/4 miles at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Australia.
Spirit Ridge won the Group 3 Summer Cup at 1 1/4 miles at Randwick on Dec. 26, his second win in four starts since he was transferred from England to Australia at this time last year. Trained by Mark Newnham, Spirit Ridge displayed his customary style as a stalker and won the Summer Cup by about a neck over Best of Days.
In the January Cup, Spirit Ridge is part of a field of 11 and was 2-1 in early betting on Thursday, a strong choice over Laure Me In and Fulmina.
Laure Me In was second in the listed ATC Cup at 1 1/4 miles at Rosehill Gardens on Nov. 28 and fourth in the Summer Cup. Fulmina, one of two fillies or mares in the January Cup field, was fourth as the 8-5 favorite in the Group 3 Belle of the Turf Stakes for fillies and mares at a mile at Gosford Park on Dec. 29.
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Fulmina is also trained by Newnham, who won with a very strong 14 of 50 starters from Nov. 26 through Wednesday.
The January Cup is part of a nine-race program at the Sydney track that begins at 9:15 p.m. Eastern, or 6:15 p.m. Pacific, on Friday. Wagering and viewing is available through DRFBets.com.
Manifold Stakes tops Flemington card
The leading race on the Flemington Racecourse program on Saturday is the $108,640 Chester Manifold Stakes at seven furlongs, which drew a field of nine.
Riding the Wave, who has won four of his last seven starts in handicaps, will have his stakes debut. Riding the Wave’s assignment was made slightly easier by the scratch of the group stakes-placed gelding King of Hastings, who was sixth in the Christmas Stakes at Caulfield Racecourse on Dec. 26.
Riding the Wave won a six-furlong handicap at Flemington on Jan. 1 from the front, but often races from off the pace.
The field includes Brave Song and Blazejowski who were second and fifth in the Christmas Stakes behind the five-time winner Pandemic.
The Flemington program, available through DRFBets.com, begins at 10:05 p.m. Eastern, or 7:05 p.m. Pacific, on Friday.