Proletariat cuts back for Australian debut

Proletariat, a winner of 4 of 10 starts in New Zealand, will have his debut in Australia in a seven-furlong handicap Wednesday on the Kensington course at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.

Proletariat will need a sharp effort to win his first start since January at a distance shorter than his recent successes. Proletariat won three consecutive handicaps in New Zealand last November and December at 1 5/16 miles and 1 3/8 miles.

In preparation for his Australian debut, Proletariat has had three training races in recent weeks at a half-mile and six furlongs at Warwick Farm Racecourse against five to nine rivals.

Proletariat, a 5-year-old New Zealand-bred, will carry joint top weight of 131.5 pounds along with Convinced, a 3-year-old gelding who has won 2 of 8 starts. Similar to Proletariat, Convinced has not raced since December when he finished fifth of seven at 5-2 in a handicap at 1 1/8 miles at Rosehill Gardens.

This distance should work for Convinced, who has won at 6 1/2 furlongs and seven furlongs.

Wednesday’s handicap has a field of 11, including three mares – Kedah, Zourhea, and Maggie Miss.

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Zourhea, unraced since November, will carry 134.4 pounds. She has a favorable draw in post 8 for her stalking style and has experience at Kensington, having won a handicap at 7 3/4 furlongs in February 2019.

Maggie Miss, who will carry 122.3 pounds, is likely to set the pace. She was third in a seven-furlong handicap on May 20 at Kensington, leading to the final furlong before finishing a half-length behind the longshot Earth Song.

Maggie Miss was assigned 129 pounds, but has a reduced weight because of the booking of apprentice jockey Louise Day. Through Monday, Day had won with four of her previous 25 mounts.

The seven-race Kensington program begins at 10:50 p.m. Eastern, or 7:50 p.m. Pacific, on Tuesday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.