After winning four races in a row, the 3-year-old Big Rock found one better in the French Derby and then again in the Jacques Le Marois, but after finishing second in his first two Group 1 starts, he looks like the horse to beat Sunday at Longchamp in the Group 1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp. 

Nature Strip is 9, farther removed each day from his Horse of the Year seasons in Australia in 2019-2020 and 2021-2022.

Winless in four starts since last September, Nature Strip has not raced since he finished fourth in the Group 1 T.J. Smith Stakes at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney in April.

There was little between Hosier and Kalapour when they finished first and third in the Group 3 Premier’s Cup at 1 1/4 miles at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia, on Aug. 23.

Hosier won by 1 1/4 lengths, with Bois d’Argent carrying five more pounds.

There will be little difference in the weights between them when the start in a field of 16 in the $155,300 Wyong Gold Cup at 1 5/16 miles at Wyong Racecourse on Thursday evening.

Facing a largely inconsistent field, the 4-year-old filly Deep Shimmer has a leading chance to win for the third time in her last four starts in a five-furlong handicap at Wagga Wagga Racecourse in Australia on Wednesday evening.

Deep Shimmer won a maiden race in her third start in April and followed two weeks later with a third-place finish in her debut against winners. Rested for nearly four months, Deep Shimmer returned to racing with a win by a head in a handicap at 4 1/2 furlongs at Goulburn Racecourse on Aug. 14.

A vital class drop may propel the Australian filly Infatuation to a second career win in a six-furlong handicap at Warwick Farm Racecourse in Sydney on Tuesday evening.

Infatuation, who has had seven starts, finished last of eight in the Rosebud Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs at Rosehill Gardens Aug. 12 in her most recent appearance. Infatuation was as close as third early, but faded through the stretch.

Infatuation won the fourth start of her career last December in a six-furlong maiden race at Royal Randwick Racecourse, racing near the front throughout.

After a narrow loss at 12-1 in her late-July debut, the filly Scholl Deep dominated a field of maidens at Gunnedah Racecourse in Australia in mid-August, pulling clear to win by nearly four lengths as an odds-on favorite.

She will be favored to record another win in her first start against winners in a seven-furlong handicap at Newcastle on Monday evening.

Scholl Deep, trained by David Atkins, was the 8-5 favorite in early betting on Sunday in a field of 10. This will be the longest race of her career after the win against maidens at 6 1/4 furlongs.

In early July, the Australian filly Our City finished a fast-closing third in her first start against winners in a handicap at 1 5/16 miles.

On Sunday evening, she starts in a highly competitive handicap at 1 1/4 miles at Bathurst Racecourse with a chance to show distance races can be the focus of her career.

Live In the Dream, a 40-1 shot, made all the running and won the Group 1, $630,000 Nunthorpe Stakes on Friday at York Racecourse in England. 

It was a first top-level success for the horse, 23-year-old jockey Sean Kirrane, and trainer Adam West. Living the dream, indeed. 

The last five weeks have been a career-changing span for the Australian geldings Bullbarrow and Vincenzo, with both winning consecutive starts for the first time.

The mini winning streaks have led to their first meeting in a handicap at 1 5/16 miles at Wyong Racecourse on Saturday evening.

There is no shortage of Southern Hemisphere 3-year-old sprinters in Sydney, Australia this month, judging from the entries for two Group 3 stakes worth $160,525 at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse on Friday evening.

The San Domenico Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs and the Up and Coming Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs each drew a field of 12. They are the leading races on a 10-race program that begins at 9:45 p.m. Eastern or 6:45 p.m. Pacific. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.