HAPPY VALLEY SELECTIONS
(Wednesday, February 22, 2023)

Military Mission and Spirit Ridge have become familiar foes this year in Australia, and meet for the third time in 2023 in the Group 3 Launceston Cup at Launceston Racecourse on Tuesday evening.

Spirit Ridge and Military Mission were second and third behind Chalk Spirit in the Australia Day Stakes at 1 1/2 miles at Warwick Farm Racecourse on Jan. 26. In the Group 3 Hobart Cup at Hobart Racecourse on Feb. 12, Military Mission won by 2 1/2 lengths over Travelling Gigolo. Spirit Ridge was third, beaten three lengths as the 2-1 favorite.

The 5-year-old Australian mare Condrieu had a late start to her career, finishing third in her debut in September.

A win in her second start, a maiden race at seven furlongs at Goulburn Racecourse on Feb. 5, was widely expected. Condrieu was the 3-5 favorite.

The victory has led to a new distance for Condrieu in a one-mile handicap at Wyong Racecourse on Monday evening.

Condrieu, trained by John O’Shea, should handle the extra furlong. At Goulburn, Condrieu rallied from fifth in a field of seven to win by slightly more than a half-length.

From a maiden race in late 2020 to his Grade 1 debut in Sunday’s $1.73 million February Stakes, Lemon Pop has been nearly unstoppable on the dirt track at Tokyo Racecourse in Japan.

Lemon Pop ($4.20) won the February Stakes by 1 1/2 lengths as the favorite, closing from fifth in a field of 16 under jockey Ryusei Sakai to take the lead from the longshot Helios with more than a furlong remaining. Lemon Pop had enough of an advantage to hold off 8-1 Red le Zele, who closed from 15th.

Ugly Nicos has not won since he beat maidens in March 2021, a drought that is not as severe as it seems.

Ugly Nicos is winless in six starts in that span, one race after his win in 2021 and five starts since mid-December. The losing streak could easily end in a seven-furlong handicap at Armidale Racecourse on Sunday evening.

Paul Lally:

R1: 10-6-5-14

R2: 7-8-12-3

R3: 6-1-7-2

R4: 3-9-2-4

R5: 1-6-8-5

R6: 3-5-12-6

R7: 3-7-5-4

R8: 6-2-1-3

R9: 8-6-3-10

R10: 4-2-6-8

Best Bet: R4 N3 Innoconstruction

Longshot: R7 N3 Winning Dreamer

Play: R6 QQP 3-5-12

Mark McNamara:

R1 - 6.10.5.8

R2 - 12.3.2.7

R3 - 6.7.1.2

R4 - 3.2.9.8

R5 - 1.9.6.4

R6 - 3.5.6.10

R7 - 8.7.4.5

R8 - 6.1.3.2

R9 - 6.8.10.2

In her brief career, Soul Choice has thrived in marathon races on the Australian island of Tasmania.

After finishing a game second in the Launceston Guineas at 1 5/16 miles at Launceston Racecourse on Jan. 27 in her stakes debut, Soul Choice won the Strutt Stakes for 3-year-old Southern Hemisphere fillies at the same distance by 2 1/2 lengths at Hobart Racecourse on Feb. 10.

Nations Pride, fifth as the 5-2 favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland last November, won his 4-year-old debut in Friday’s Group 3 Dubai Millennium Stakes at Meydan Racecourse in the United Arab Emirates.

The win leaves Nations Pride on schedule for an expected start in the Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic, a $6 million race at 1 1/2 miles on turf on March 25 on the same program as the $12 million Dubai World Cup on dirt.

A game second in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Keeneland in November showed that Shirl’s Speight can be competitive in an international race.

Owner Charles Fipke is out to prove that point in a spectacular manner this weekend.

Shirl’s Speight will start outside of North America for the first time in Sunday’s Grade 1 February Stakes at a mile on dirt at Tokyo Racecourse in Japan. Shirl’s Speight, a 6-year-old horse trained by Roger Attfield, is the only foreign runner in a field of 16 in the $1.73 million February Stakes.

Nature Strip, the two-time Australian Horse of the Year, won the ninth Group 1 of his fabulous career in the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot in Britain last June.

A potential 10th win at the highest level could occur Friday evening in the $690,000 Lightning Stakes at five furlongs on the straightaway course at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne.

The Lightning Stakes is a familiar stop on Nature Strip’s schedule.