Australia: Waller, Lees load up for Grafton Cup

There is an excellent chance a trainer named Kris, or Chris, will win Thursday’s $139,200 Grafton Cup at Grafton Racecourse in Australia.

As of Tuesday, Kris Lees had expected favorite Sixties Groove and leading contender Frankly Awesome as his two hopes in the race at about 1 7/16 miles.

Chris Waller starts three horses, including Carzoff and The Lord Mayor, both capable of wins. Satono Rasen will be a longshot for Waller.

Sixties Groove will carry top weight of 134.4 pounds. A 7-year-old Irish-bred gelding, Sixties Groove was third in the Group 1 Doomben Cup in May 2019, but is winless in four starts since the Group 2 Brisbane Cup at 1 1/2 miles at Eagle Farm Racecourse in June 2019.

Sixties Groove was second by three-quarters of a length to Frankly Awesome in the McKell Cup at 1 1/4 miles on June 27 at Rosehill Gardens. Sixties Groove carried 132 pounds, 13 more than Frankly Awesome.

In the Grafton Cup, Frankly Awesome has been assigned 123 pounds. A 4-year-old mare, Frankly Awesome was third by four lengths in the Group 1 Australian Oaks at 1 1/2 miles in April 2019, her only previous start at anything close to Thursday’s distance.

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Carzoff, who will carry 127.8 pounds, and Frankly Awesome were 5-1 on Tuesday, higher than Sixties Groove at 3-1. Carzoff, third in the McKell Cup, is a 7-year-old French-bred gelding. Carzoff should handle the Grafton Cup distance, having won the Group 3 Newcastle Cup at 1 1/2 miles in September 2018.

The Lord Mayor, fourth in the McKell Cup, will carry 123 pounds. He has more to prove, going winless in seven starts since a handicap at 1 1/4 miles at Flemington Racecourse in January.

The Grafton Cup is part of an eight-race program that begins at 10:15 p.m. Eastern, or 7:15 p.m. Pacific, on Wednesday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

The Grafton Cup will have a field of 16. The most prominent runner not trained by Lees or Waller is La Pulga, trained by Michael Costa. A capable runner, La Pulga was second by a neck to the Waller-trained Another Dollar in the Group 3 Premiers Cup at 1 3/8 miles on June 27 at Doomben.