Soft ground a difference-maker in Longchamp stakes
One slight favorite prevailed and a pair of odds-on betting choices floundered as spectator-free racing returned to Longchamp on Monday.
Marcus HershMay 11, 2020
One slight favorite prevailed and a pair of odds-on betting choices floundered as spectator-free racing returned to Longchamp on Monday.
German racing restarted last week, which was cool, but England, Ireland, and France are the most important European racing jurisdictions, so Monday marks the return of major European flat racing with several cards across France. Easily the best of them is a 10-race program at Longchamp that includes three stakes.
Lauda Sion, a 28-1 outsider who was second and third in graded stakes in September and March, recorded a surprise win in Sunday’s Grade 1 NHK Mile at Tokyo Racecourse, catching the champion pacesetter Resistencia in the final furlong.
The Irish-bred colt Russian Camelot won his Group 1 debut in Saturday’s South Australian Derby at Morphettville creating Australian history as the first Northern Hemisphere-bred to win a derby in Australia.
For an eighth-place finish, Ashman was not beaten far in the Tamworth Cup in Australia on April 26, finishing 2 1/4 lengths behind Ligulate in the seven-furlong race. The loss extended Ashman’s losing streak to four races, but the 4-year-old gelding has every chance to rebound against an easier group in an open handicap at 7 3/4 furlongs at Murwillumbah Racecourse.
Think We’re Due starts in a handicap at 1 1/4 miles Sunday at Ballarat Racecourse, northwest of Melbourne. Conditions appear to be in his favor.
Owner Peter Brant and his American trainer Chad Brown are playing a waiting game right now. No Keeneland, no New York, and no spring action for elite performers like Sistercharlie. In France, Brant is back in business. Spectator-free racing is set to resume across France on Monday, and at Longchamp, Brant's 2019 Prix du Jockey Club hero, Sottsass, is expected to make his 4-year-old debut in the Prix d'Harcourt.
Ballistic King convincingly outfinished Beauty Legacy getting a 19-pound weight break in a Class 2 handicap on April 12 at Sha Tin. Things aren't changing much Saturday.
Declan Schuster's Hong Kong selections and analysis for Saturday, May 9, 2020 at Sha Tin.
Inquiry, a 5-year-old Southern Hemisphere gelding, has been a well-traveled sort since his career debut in October 2016 at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia.