Australia: Yonkers favored in Wagga Wagga Gold Cup

The Kentucky-bred gelding Yonkers has excelled in distance races in Australia this year, winning minor handicaps at 1 1/4 miles against quality fields at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney and Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne.

A winner of 7 of 26 starts, Yonkers has yet to win a listed or group stakes. He finished fourth in the Mornington Cup at 1 1/2 miles at Mornington Racecourse on March 20.

Yonkers is back at 1 1/4 miles for Friday’s $154,860 Wagga Wagga Gold Cup at Wagga Wagga Racecourse where he figures to be favored in a field of 16. Trained by Chris Waller, Yonkers will start with solid recent form. At Caulfield on April 24, Yonkers was always near the front and won by 4 3/4 lengths as the 5-2 favorite. He will be a similar price on Friday, judging from early betting on Wednesday.

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Yonkers, by Medaglia d’Oro, never started in the United States. He was purchased for $575,000 as a yearling at Saratoga and began his career in Ireland, where he was winless in seven starts in 2018 and 2019.

Yonkers is the only American-bred in a field that includes runners bred in Argentina, France, Great Britain, Ireland, and New Zealand.

The race conditions are an ideal fit for Spirit Ridge, the winner of the Group 3 Summer Cup in December and the listed January Cup, both run at 1 1/4 miles at Randwick. A British-bred gelding, Spirit Ridge was beaten a nose in the Group 3 Sky High Stakes at 1 1/4 miles at Rosehill Gardens on March 13, and fifth and 11th in two Group 1 races in April at longer distances.

Spirit Ridge is quick enough to lead, but equally effective as a stalker. Spirit Ridge is out of Tates Creek, a millionaire and eight-time stakes winner who was trained by Bobby Frankel in the United States from 2001 to 2003.

Paths of Glory, another British-bred gelding, won the Group 3 JRA Plate at 1 1/4 miles at Randwick on April 24 as a stalker, prevailing by a head over Zaaki. Paths of Glory ended a seven-race losing streak in that race, all in group or listed stakes. He last won in the Wyong Cup at 1 5/16 miles last September.

Wagga Wagga has an eight-race program beginning at 10:40 p.m., Eastern, or 7:40 p.m., Pacific, on Thursday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.