Australia: Youngblood takes on winners at Gold Coast

Seven races into his career, Youngblood had a breakthrough win in a maiden race at 1 3/8 miles on turf on June 12 at Gold Coast Racecourse in Australia.

Two weeks later, Youngblood is the expected favorite in a handicap over the same course and distance Friday in his debut against winners. This time, Youngblood will be a better price than the odds of 3-10 on June 12 when he led throughout to win by 4 1/4 lengths.

Friday, Youngblood is part of a field of 12 and the only runner with a last-race win. The 3-year-old Australian-bred gelding is from the red-hot barn of trainer Tony Gollan, who had a three-win day at Doomben last Saturday and three more wins at Ipswich on Wednesday.

Gollan has four runners at Gold Coast on Friday. First post time is 9:12 p.m. Eastern, or 6:12 p.m. Pacific, on Thursday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

Youngblood will be ridden by Ryan Maloney, a replacement for Jim Byrne, who is serving a seven-day suspension through Saturday for a recent riding infraction.

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Maloney is likely to have Youngblood near the front. The gelding raced at 1 3/8 miles for the first time on June 12, the fourth consecutive race in which he was favored.

Youngblood will carry 131 pounds, one less than topweight Speaking Bad, a 6-year-old mare who is winless in 16 starts since February 2019.

The extended distance should work for Lady Solerno, who was second in a handicap at 1 3/8 miles at Doomben Racecourse on March 28. A 6-year-old mare, she has since finished eighth, fourth, and third in handicaps at distances ranging from 1 1/8 miles to 1 3/8 miles.

Lady Solerno will be ridden by apprentice jockey Sheriden Tomlinson and will carry 124.5 pounds. Tomlinson won with 3 of 11 mounts from June 18 through Monday.