Australia: Vienna Princess being bet following troubled trip

The Australian filly Vienna Princess will be a popular selection to win for the second time in three starts in a seven-furlong handicap at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on Friday evening.

Vienna Princess won a handicap for fillies and mares at 6 1/2 furlongs at Rosehill Gardens on June 17, closing from seventh in a field of 13. A similar closing style ended with a sixth-place finish by a length in a handicap at 7 1/2 furlongs at Rosehill Gardens on July 1.

Vienna Princess closed well to reach contention in the July 1 race, only to be caught in traffic at a pivotal time in the final furlong. Vienna Princess was the 2-1 favorite in that race, and was 5-2 in early betting on Thursday for the Randwick race.

Vienna Princess starts in the sixth race on a 10-race program that begins at 9:10 p.m. Eastern or 6:10 p.m. Pacific. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

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The seven-furlong handicap drew a field of eight, including Zoushack, who was second in the same race as Vienna Princess on July 1; Battleton, the winner of a seven-furlong handicap at Randwick on July 8; and the well-regarded Cosmic Minerva, second in a handicap at 6 1/2 furlongs at Randwick on July 1.

Cosmic Minerva carries just 114.6 pounds, far below top weight Brutality at 136.6 pounds. Brutality is rated as an outsider in an attempt to end a 21-race losing streak since a win in a Group 2 stakes at a mile in December 2021.

Brutality ran without success in group-level stakes as recently as March, which has kept his handicap rating considerably higher than his rivals at Randwick on Friday.

Battleton has a jump in class from his win last weekend on a good course at Randwick. He has won twice on courses rated good in his career and should have similar conditions for this race. Battleton is another runner who races as a closer.

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