Australia: Unzaga gets distance he should like

In recent months, the Australian gelding Unzaga has shown an affinity for distance races.

A Southern Hemisphere 4-year-old, Unzaga won a handicap at 1 5/16 miles on Nov. 29, finished fourth by slightly more than 2 1/4 lengths in a race at 1 3/8 miles on Dec. 20, and was a fast-closing fourth in a handicap at about 1 1/16 miles on Jan. 3.

For his second start of 2023, Unzaga starts in a handicap at 1 3/8 miles at Dubbo Racecourse on Sunday evening. Even though Unzaga was beaten in his debut at the distance last month, the race at Dubbo should suit the gelding, who has won 2 of 11 starts.

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Trained by Paul Messara, Unzaga will be favored in a field of 10 in the third race on an eight-race program that begins at 10:10 p.m. Eastern or 7:10 p.m. Pacific. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

Unzaga runs from off the pace. The race at Dubbo may not have a fast pace since none of the entrants are confirmed front-runners.

Colville House, a winner of 2 of 20 starts, starts at 1 3/8 miles for the first time. A 6-year-old gelding, Colville House finished second by 3 1/4 lengths in a handicap at 1 3/8 miles at Dubbo on Dec. 19, and followed with a win at 1 1/8 miles at Gilgandra on Dec. 31, a day he closed from seventh.

On Tuesday, Colville House was fifth of eight in a handicap at 1 1/8 miles at Bathurst, closing some ground in the stretch. In this race at Dubbo, Colville House is likely to race from off the pace, since he has drawn the rail and is not the sort of runner to press an early pace.

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