Proper Rogue, Wilmot Pass re-engage at Sandown

Proper Rogue and Wilmot Pass have had similar careers in Australia in the last year.

They are both lightly raced 4-year-olds, excel in sprints, and have run well in recent starts. They meet for the third time in a six-furlong handicap on the Lakeside course at Ladbrokes Park in Melbourne on Wednesday.

So far, they have taken turns finishing in front of each other. In a five-furlong handicap at Caulfield Racecourse on June 27, Proper Rogue was second with Wilmot Pass fourth. At Flemington Racecourse on July 18, Wilmot Pass won a six-furlong handicap with Proper Rogue finishing fifth of nine.

In Wednesday’s race, Wilmot Pass will be favored in a field of 16 in the final race on an eight-race program that begins at 10:25 p.m. Eastern or 7:25 p.m. Pacific on Tuesday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

Ladbrokes Park is more commonly known as Sandown Racecourse.

Wilmot Pass, trained by the father-son team of Anthony and Sam Freedman, has won 3 of 9 starts. He followed the win at Flemington with a fifth-place finish in a field of eight in a lucrative six-furlong handicap at Moonee Valley on Aug. 1, losing by 1 1/4 lengths as the 3-2 favorite.

Proper Rogue, trained by Mike Price and Michael Kent Jr., has won 2 of 7 starts. He was second by a nose in a different race than Wilmot Pass at Moonee Valley on Aug. 1, closing from fifth to just miss.

Wilmot Pass and Proper Rogue have favorable weight assignments on Wednesday. Wilmot Pass will carry 129 pounds, compared to 125.6 pounds for Proper Rogue. Tried and Tired will carry topweight of 133 pounds in his second start following a 14-month layoff.

An 11-year-old gelding, Tried and Tired has won 11 of 64 starts. At Ladbrokes Park on July 22, Tried and Tired finished fourth of 14 in a five-furlong handicap, losing by 1 1/4 lengths at 100-1. Tried and Tired won a seven-furlong handicap in May 2019 before the lengthy break.