Rise at Dawn an upset candidate in Kingsford Smith Cup

The speedy gelding Rise at Dawn may produce an upset in Friday’s Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup for sprinters at Eagle Farm Racecourse in Brisbane, Australia.

Rise at Dawn was 16-1 in early betting Thursday, an outsider compared to runners such as 2-1 favorite Joliestar or 9-2 Giga Kick, who are also easy to like.

Rise at Dawn, trained by Ben, Will, and J.D. Hayes, has yet to win at the highest level and has drawn the inside post in the $644,500 Kingsford Smith Cup at 6 1/2 furlongs. He has the speed to be an important factor.

The Kingsford Smith Cup is a shorter race than Rise at Dawn’s last two starts, both Group 1 races at a mile. He finished sixth by four lengths in the $1.58 million All-Star Mile at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne on March 8, and logged a fourth-place finish by slightly less than a half-length in the $2.51 million Doncaster Mile at Royal Randwick in Sydney on April 5.

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In his last sprint, Rise at Dawn won the minor Elms Handicap at seven furlongs at Flemington on Feb. 15, his third consecutive win.

Joliestar will be favored in the Kingsford Smith Cup on the strength of a good second by a half-length in the Group 1 All Aged Stakes at seven furlongs at Randwick on April 19. A closer, Joliestar won the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap at six furlongs at Flemington on March 8.

Giga Kick was third by 1 1/4 lengths in the Group 1 Goodwood Stakes at six furlongs at Morphettville Racecourse in Adelaide on May 10 in his first start since November. Giga Kick closed from 12th of 13 in the Goodwood Stakes and was the 11-10 favorite.

Eagle Farm has a nine-race program on Friday that includes the Group 1 Queensland Derby for Southern Hemisphere 3-year-olds. Run at 1 1/2 miles, the $644,500 Queensland Derby will have a full field of 18, and lacks a clear favorite.

Arguments can be made on behalf of Belle Détente, Femminile, King of Thunder, and Statuario.

Femminile and Statuario were first and second by three-quarters of a length in the Group 1 South Australian Derby at 1 9/16 miles at Morphettville on May 3. Femminile, a filly, was 18-1 in that race. She was 7-1 for the Queensland Derby on Thursday, with Statuario a modest favorite at 9-2.

Eagle Farm’s program begins at 9:43 p.m. Eastern. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

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