SHA TIN SELECTIONS

(Saturday, July 01, 2023)

From an inside post, the 4-year-old filly Adelsun is likely to race from the back of the field in a one-mile handicap at Scone Racecourse in Australia on Thursday evening.

Considering the rally she has shown at times in her 11-race career, Adelsun will not be trailing for too long. In each of her three wins, Adelsun has closed well from off the pace, including in her last start in a seven-furlong handicap at Tamworth Racecourse on June 9.

Baroque Road, the Australian-bred gelding with an American pedigree, has had an unlucky series of races since returning from a three-month layoff in May.

Baroque Road had troubled trips in sprints on May 17 and June 12, finishing second by less than a length in the latter race.

The near misses leave Baroque Road as a solid favorite to win for the second time in his seventh start in a handicap at 6 1/2 furlongs at Hawkesbury Racecourse outside of Sydney on Wednesday evening.

The 4-year-old gelding Growl, who has been raced sparingly in Australia in the last few years, will have the difficult job of playing spoiler against the odds-on favorite Green Shadows in a seven-furlong handicap at Warwick Farm Racecourse in Sydney on Tuesday evening.

HAPPY VALLEY SELECTIONS
(Wednesday, June 28, 2023)

The Everest Stakes at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia, already the world’s richest turf race, will surpass the historic Dubai World Cup as the world’s second-richest race later this year with a purse increase to approximately $13.35 million at current exchange rates.

The race will be worth $20 million Australian dollars, an increase from $15 million Australian dollars last October, which at the time was equivalent to $9.3 million American dollars.

No matter which side of Asia he races, Equinox has been brilliant in 2023.

Equinox, the 2022 Japanese Horse of the Year, won his first start of the year in the Group 1 Sheema Classic in Dubai in March. On Sunday, Equinox won his fourth consecutive race at the highest level in the Grade 1 Takarazuka Kinen at 1 3/8 miles on turf at Hanshin Racecourse in Japan.

The lightly raced Australian filly Two Aye has developed a sharp closing style that could lead to a career with multiple wins.

Two Aye, who starts in a handicap at 7 1/2 furlongs at Kembla Grange Racecourse on Monday evening, closed well to beat maidens as the 1-2 favorite at Goulburn Racecourse on May 26 in her third start.

In her debut against winners, Two Aye closed from 12th in a field of 13 to finish third by a length in a handicap at 7 1/2 furlongs at Hawkesbury on June 11. Two Aye broke slowly at Hawkesbury and made up more than nine lengths through the stretch.

Smooth Esprit nearly scored a 40-1 upset in a handicap at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia, on June 10, and will have an easier assignment in a one-mile handicap at Dubbo Racecourse on Sunday evening.

The race could be even more straightforward for Smooth Esprit, depending on whether the 4-year-old filly Amarantz starts.

Amarantz was entered in a handicap at Narrandera on Saturday evening. If she scratches from the race at Dubbo, Smooth Esprit will be an odds-on favorite in a field of 11.

Paul Lally:
R1 12-14-2-4

R2 5-7-10-8

R3 2-4-1-6

R4 7-6-5-4

R5 3-6-9-5

R6 2-7-8-6

R7 5-4-8-2

R8 5-12-3-6

R9 2-6-8-10

R10 7-3-9-10

Best Bet R9 N2 Dragon’s Luck

Longshot R1 N12 Copartner Pudong

Play Race8 QQP 3-5-12

Tom Wood:
R1:          2-4-10-7

R2:          5-8-4-1

R3:          2-1-4-6

R4:          7-5-6-14

R5:          6-9-8-2

R6:          2-8-7-5

R7:          5-4-6-8