Australia: Temple of Artemis has British class to recommend him at Warwick Farm

Temple of Artemis, who once was being considered for the 2022 English Derby, will have his Australian debut in a handicap at 1 3/8 miles at Warwick Farm Racecourse in Sydney on Tuesday.

The handicap will be the first start for Temple of Artemis since a seventh-place finish as the 8-1 favorite in a 23-runner handicap at 1 5/8 miles in Ireland last September.

Earlier in 2022, Temple of Artemis was trained by Aidan O’Brien and won a handicap at 1 ½ miles at Chester Racecourse in Britain. Temple of Artemis did not start in any classic races for 3-year-olds last year, but did finish fourth in the Group 3 Irish St. Leger Trial at the Curragh last August while trained by Joseph O’Brien, Aidan’s son.

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Joseph O’Brien continues to train Temple of Artemis, who will be ridden by the high-profile jockey James McDonald at Warwick Farm. Joseph O’Brien has sent a few runners to Australia for major stakes in coming weeks.

Temple of Artemis was the 2-1 favorite in early betting as of Monday morning, and will carry top weight of 130 pounds. A 4-year-old gelding by Galileo, Temple of Artemis is part of a field of 12 that includes Miracle Spin, Yarrawonga, and Oceanic Flash.

They are all capable of beating Temple of Artemis.

Miracle Spin, a winner of 2 of 6 starts, will be tried at 1 3/8 miles for the first time at Warwick Farm. A closer, he finished second in a handicap at 1 1/8 miles at Eagle Farm Racecourse on March 11.

Yarrawonga, a 5-year-old Irish-bred gelding, was trained by Aidan O’Brien at the start of his career, and has been based in Australia for the last year. Yarrawonga was second in a handicap at 1 1/4 miles at Canberra Racecourse on March 12 in his first start since July and can be a factor from the front at Warwick Farm.

Oceanic Flash has been second or third in his last three starts at 1 1/2 miles, always closing from well off the pace. He has won 4 of 24 starts.

Warwick Farm has an eight-race program beginning at 10:45 p.m. Eastern or 7:45 p.m. Pacific. Wagering is available through DRBets.com.

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