Australia: Don't Thinkaboutit goes from longshot to favorite

The opportunity for a surprise win came and went for the Australian gelding Don’t Thinkaboutit when he finished a close second at 30-1 in a handicap at Queanbeyan Racecourse on Sept. 4.

The 5-year-old gelding’s backers must settle for a drastically shorter price when Don’t Thinkaboutit starts as a likely favorite in a seven-furlong handicap at Nowra Racecourse on Saturday evening.

Don’t Thinkaboutit was 3-1 in early betting, a slight choice over Lady Tabloid and Snappy Jim at 7-2 and Cartography at 4-1.

Don’t Thinkaboutit beat maidens in June at Sapphire Coast in a five-furlong race, his eighth start. The loss at Queanbeyan, by less than a half-length, was his best result in four subsequent races.

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At Nowra, Don’t Thinkaboutit will be ridden by apprentice jockey Jess Del Frari, who most recently rode a winner on Sept. 1. Del Frari’s booking on Don’t Thinkaboutit reduces the weight assignment from 125.6 pounds to 121, much lower than topweight Snappy Jim at 137.7 pounds or Lady Tabloid at 133.

Lady Tabloid is winless in three starts since a seven-furlong handicap at Sapphire Coast in January. This is Lady Tabloid’s third start after a five-month rest. She was 11th of 12 on the synthetic track on the Acton course at Canberra on July 21, and followed with an eighth-place finish by 3 2/3 lengths in a seven-furlong handicap at Goulburn Racecourse on Aug. 7.

Despite the role of topweight, Snappy Jim will play an important role as a likely pacesetter. A winner of 3 of 20 starts, Snappy Jim was seventh by 3 1/2 lengths in a seven-furlong handicap at Forbes on Aug. 6. His last appearance at Nowra was more encouraging, a third by a half-length in a seven-furlong handicap at this level on June 20.

Nowra has a seven-race program beginning at 11:27 p.m. Eastern or 8:27 p.m. Pacific. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

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