Pair of Group 3's highlight action in Australia

Two Group 3 races for Australian middle distance horses highlight racing on Saturday – the $110,080 Strickland Stakes at 1 1/4 miles at Belmont Racecourse and the $86,000 Premiers Cup at 1 3/8 miles at Doomben Racecourse. Both race have drawn competitive fields without strong favorites.

Perfect Jewel, unbeaten in three starts at Belmont, in Perth, may be a slight favorite in the Strickland over a course she adores. A 5-year-old Australian-bred mare, Perfect Jewel has won two Group 3 races at Belmont in recent weeks – the Belmont Sprint at seven furlongs at 30-1 on May 30 and the Hyperion Stakes at a mile on June 13.

The Strickland Stakes is a new distance for Perfect Jewel, who is a closer.

In the Hyperion, Perfect Jewel finished three-quarters of a length in front of The Velvet King, who is part of the Strickland field.

Mississippi Delta, third in the Hyperion, is also rated as a contender for the Strickland and is a major threat to Perfect Jewel. Mississippi Delta won the Group 2 Ascot Cup at 1 1/2 miles in January. The Strickland is his third race following a layoff of nearly five months.

First post time at Belmont is 11:58 p.m., Eastern, or 8:58 p.m., Pacific, on Friday. First post time at Doomben is 9:43 p.m., Eastern, or 6:43 p.m., Pacific, on Friday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

Trainer Chris Waller has five of the nine runners in the Premiers Cup, including top contenders Alward, Another Dollar and Le Juge. Doomben Racecourse is located in Brisbane.

Le Juge won the Group 3 Chairman’s Stakes at 1 1/4 miles at Doomben on May 30, and was fourth in the Group 3 Tattersall’s Cup at 1 1/2 miles behind the Waller-trained Brimham Rocks at Eagle Farm on June 13. Another Dollar was seventh in the Tattersall’s Cup as the 3-1 favorite, and won the Gosford Cup at 1 1/4 miles at Royal Randwick in May.

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Waller had six runners in the Tattersall’s Cup and saddled the first four finishers.

Alward was fourth in the Chairman’s Stakes, beaten only 1 1/2 lengths.

The Premiers Cup distance is a good fit for La Pulga, trained by Michael Costa. La Pulga won a handicap at 1 3/8 miles on turf at Gold Coast Racecourse on April 17 and was sixth in the Group 3 Green Eagle Farm Mile on June 13 in his only subsequent start.