Hot-riding Marquand aboard Major Murphy in Easter Monday Handicap at Warwick Farm

There are several appealing Southern Hemisphere 2-year-olds in the Easter Monday Handicap at Warwick Farm Racecourse in Sydney, Australia, and the presence of a very promising rider in the country on a short-term basis.

Tom Marquand, a 22-year-old Englishman, rode two winners at the all-stakes program at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on Saturday. Marquand has been based in Australia for the last month and rode there for a few weeks in early February. Marquand had won 10 races from 50 mounts in Australia from Feb. 12 through Saturday.

Marquand did not ride in Australia from mid-February to mid-March and has done so of late despite being kicked on a knee in morning training shortly after returning to Australia last month, according to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald.

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Marquand is scheduled to return to England in the next week. Racing in England is not expected to start until May at the earliest because of the coronavirus outbreak. Marquand, who rode a career-best 136 winners in England in 2019, has mounts in all eight races at Warwick Farm on Monday.

The $34,290 Easter Monday Handicap is the first race at Warwick Farm, which has a first post time of 10:45 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, or 7:45 p.m. Pacific. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

In the Easter Monday Handicap, Marquand rides Major Murphy, a colt trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace who won his debut in a six-furlong maiden race at Wyong on March 28. Marquand has the mount for the first time on Monday.

The training partnership of Maher and Eustace had a good weekend, winning the Group 1 Sydney Cup at Randwick on Saturday with the longshot Etah James.

Major Murphy is part of a field of 12 that includes three other runners who won their last starts.

Spokesman led throughout a maiden race at 6 1/4 furlongs at Canterbury Park in January in his second start, Rock My Wand won a six-furlong maiden race at Rosehill Gardens on April 1 in his fifth start, and the filly Glaciers won her debut in a maiden race at 4 1/2 furlongs at Newcastle on March 31.

Glaciers is one of four fillies in the field.

Spokesman, trained by Chris Waller, could face an early challenge from Rock My Wand. Major Murphy rallied from the back of the field in his maiden race win.

Waller has three other runners in the field, including Achiever, who was second by 4 1/2 lengths to Rock My Wand on April 1.