Tavion Prince should be comfortable at the distance in Lismore Cup

The Lismore Cup at 1 5/16 miles in Australia on Thursday is run at a familiar distance, though at a new venue, for the 5-year-old Southern Hemisphere gelding Tavion Prince.

On Sept. 11, Tavion Prince won the Tuncurry Gold Cup at 1 5/16 miles at tiny Tuncurry Racecourse, a coastal racecourse in New South Wales located north of Sydney.

The Lismore Cup is run at Lismore Racecourse, south of Brisbane. Tavion Prince will have career debut at Lismore on Thursday.

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The Tuncurry Cup was Tavion Prince’s fourth win in his 17th start and his second win in his last three races. He won a minor handicap at 1 1/8 miles at Rosehill Gardens in Sydney on Aug. 8.

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In those races, Tavion Prince led or disputed the pace and could have the same role against 10 rivals in the Lismore Cup. Ambitious Prince, third in the Tuncurry Cup and the winner of a handicap at 1 3/8 miles at Grafton on Aug. 17, can race as a stalker. Ambitious Prince was beaten 8 1/4 lengths by Tavion Prince at Tuncurry.

A greater danger is Top Prospect, who is winless in nine starts but was beaten only a head in a handicap at about 1 1/4 miles at Doomben on Sept. 12. Apprentice jockey Dylan Gibbons has been booked to ride Top Prospect, reducing the weight assignment from 140 pounds to 133 pounds. Articus has therefore inherited the role of topweight at 136.6 pounds, but is winless in his last 12 starts since a handicap at 1 1/4 miles at Randwick last September.

Tavion Prince will carry a more competitive weight of 122.3 pounds and will be ridden by Andrew Gibbons, who was aboard at Tuncurry.

First post time for the eight-race program at Lismore is 10:55 p.m. Eastern, or 7:55 p.m. Pacific, on Wednesday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.