The benefit of a recent prep race may help October Revolution overcome a hefty weight assignment in a five-furlong handicap at Tuncurry Racecourse in Australia on Sunday evening.

A winner of 3 of 19 starts, with six second-place finishes, October Revolution finished third by slightly more than a half-length in a handicap at 6 1/4 furlongs at Taree on Nov. 27 in his first start since late August.

October Revolution fought for the lead in the final sixteenth, but could not keep pace with race winner Obelius, who carried 11 fewer pounds.

The foundations are in place. The Japanese 2-year-old fillies Ascoli Piceno, Corazon Beat, and Culture Day have all won at least twice, and are graded stakes winners.

One of them could become a Grade 1 winner in Sunday’s $863,300 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies at a mile on turf at Hanshin Racecourse. The race drew a full field of 18, all Japanese-breds.

The French-bred gelding Aristonous has had a diverse career in 11 starts since October 2021.

Aristonous won his fourth start in France in early 2022 and later that year was third in a hurdle race at about 2 1/4 miles at Fontwell Park in Britain.

Since June, Aristonous has run in flat races in Australia, with success. He won his first two starts in the country in June, and appears well-placed in his first start since early August in the Nowra Cup at tiny Nowra Racecourse on Saturday evening.

Paul Lally:

R1 6-10-8-13

R2 9-7-5-11

R3 9-7-1-6

R4 3-8-9-5

R5 3-1-2-8

R6 12-2-3-1

From one lucrative mile handicap to another, the New Zealand-bred gelding Detonator Jack is finishing 2023 in the best form of his career in Australia.

A 5-year-old, Detonator Jack won the richest race of his career in the $650,600 The Gong Stakes at a mile at Kembla Grange Racecourse on Nov. 25 by 2 1/4 lengths.

He can win a bigger prize in the Group 2 Ingham Handicap, a $1.32 million race at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on Friday evening.

A smile spread across the face of trainer Danny Shum and the connections of Romantic Warrior the instant the barrier draw was revealed for Sunday’s (10 December) G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup (2000m).

Seven has been a particularly lucky number so far.

“Last year in the Hong Kong Cup we drew seven. Also in the Cox Plate, we drew seven.” said owner Peter Lau, who had picked the slot at random at the ceremony in Sha Tin’s parade ring.

Golden Sixty must overcome the widest draw of all in stall 14 if he is to reclaim his G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile (1600m) crown on Sunday (10 December), in a turn of events which drew audible gasps from the assembled audience at Thursday morning’s (7 December) barrier allocation ceremony in Sha Tin’s iconic parade ring. 

Golden Sixty won his first LONGINES Hong Kong Mile in 2020 from box seven of ten and 12 months later he followed up when peeling to the outer after an inside trip from stall two. 

Ireland’s champion trainer Aidan O’Brien readily agrees he has brought his best team ever to attack the four Group 1 races in Sunday’s (10 December) LONGINES Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) at Sha Tin.

He is the only trainer this year to have runners in all four of the big races.

O’Brien’s assault kicks off with Warm Heart in the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Vase (2400m); Aesop’s Fables in the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m); Cairo in the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile (1600m) and four-year-old colt Luxembourg in the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup (2000m).