The older horse division in Japan needs a new leader following the recent retirement of Equinox, the superstar who won the Grade 1 Japan Cup in his farewell start last month.
Sunday’s Grade 1 Arima Kinen at Nakayama Racecourse will establish some ranking for the group as 2024 approaches. Finding the winner in a field of 16 in the $6.7 million Arima Kinen will not be easy, but the season-ending classic should be a dandy betting race.
Paul Lally:
R1 2-1-9-3
R2 4-1-9-6
R3 1-10-8-11
R4 13-10-3-6
R5 6-2-4-8
R6 10-2-9-13
R7 4-10-2-8
R8 2-3-6-10
R9 3-4-7-1
R10 6-2-4-14
Best Bet R6 N10 Fighting Machine
Longshot R5 N6 Can’t Go Wong
Play R3 QQP 1-8-10
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By Leo Schlink
For almost as long as he can remember, David Eustace has craved an opportunity to train in Hong Kong. As of next season, a dream becomes reality for the well-travelled young Englishman, who boasts strong family links to the city’s racing community.
As the nephew of former Hong Kong-based horseman David Oughton, Eustace’s formative horse racing memories were filled almost as much by his uncle’s globe-trotting exploits as those of his Newmarket-based father, James, who was also a trainer.
The fashionably-bred colt Storm Boy will have his stakes debut in the Group 3 Magic Millions B.J. McLachlan Stakes for Southern Hemisphere 2-year-olds at Eagle Farm Racecourse in Brisbane, Australia, on Friday evening.
Expectations are high that Storm Boy is the sort of Southern Hemisphere 2-year-old that could appear in major stakes in coming months, notably the Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes, the richest race for juveniles in the world on March 23 at Rosehill Gardens in Sydney. The Golden Slipper will have a purse of approximately $3.36 million in 2024.
Course conditions and a light weight assignment may work in favor of the 5-year-old mare Dream Inherit in a one-mile handicap at Wagga Wagga Racecourse in Australia on Thursday evening.
Dream Inherit has won 2 of her last 4 starts, and 4 of 20 races in her career. The recent wins offer clues that Dream Inherit can score a minor upset in a field of nine at Wagga Wagga in the fifth race on a nine-race program that begins at 9:30 p.m. Eastern or 6:30 p.m. Pacific.
Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.
By Declan Schuster
Trainer Danny Shum will give Romantic Warrior a short break with a view to returning in the G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m) on 25 February, 2024 at Sha Tin, opting against a potential rematch with Golden Sixty in the G1 Stewards’ Cup (1600m) on 21 January.
Paul Lally:
R1 2-7-8-1
R2 9-6-10-3
R3 8-6-12-2
R4 12-9-6-1
R5 6-5-7-2
R6 2-4-10-8
R7 2-3-9-1
R8 1-8-7-5
Best Bet R3 N8 Gallant Valour
Longshot R8 N1 Power Koepp
Play R4 QQP 6-9-12
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Mark McNamara:
Geldings such as The Extreme Cat are one of the reasons jockey Ashley Morgan is near the top of the standings at tracks in the state of New South Wales in Australia.
Morgan, who rode very briefly at Santa Anita in the autumn of 2022, rides The Extreme Cat in a six-furlong handicap at Gosford Racecourse on Wednesday evening. Morgan knows The Extreme Cat well, having ridden the 4-year-old to a convincing win in a five-furlong maiden race at Coffs Harbour Racecourse on Nov. 30.
For The Extreme Cat, the race at Coffs Harbour was his fourth start, and first since April.
Edmond was an eager gelding midway through a handicap at 7 3/4 furlongs at Canterbury Park in Australia on Dec. 8.
Edmond raced closer to the front than expected and was unable to sustain the effort, fading to finish third by a little more than two lengths.
A six-time winner, Edmond will have his second start of December in a one-mile handicap at Warwick Farm Racecourse in Sydney on Tuesday evening. He is part of a field of nine.
While Edmond may again race near the front, he should have pace to follow from Lemaire, another contender.
