Thespian Waters was so impressive in a recent schooling race from the gate that the 2-year-old is rated as a contender for his debut in the Elwick Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs at Hobart Racecourse on Saturday.

Thespian Waters is one of four first-time starters in a field of eight, but the only one to finish first in a training race, winning at 3 1/2 furlongs by seven lengths on Jan. 4. Thespian Waters is the rare runner who will be ridden by his trainer, Sigrid Carr, a circumstance that surfaces occasionally in Australia.

Tom Wood:

R1: 3-1-4-2

R2: 6-2-3-8

R3: 6-3-2-4

R4: 3-12-10-13
R5: 7-2-8-3

R6: 11-5-6-3

R7: 2-9-8-6

R8: 10-9-2-5

R9: 4-2-10-8

R10: 4-10-1-7

BEST: R9 N4 FIVE G PATCH (WIN)

VALUE: R7 N8 GOLD STERLING (EW)

PLAY: R7 QQP 2,8,9

Nick Child:

R1: 3-1-2-5

R2: 2-7-3-1

R3: 6-3-2-1

R4: 3-12-4-2

R5: 2-8-3-7

R6: 8-6-5-9

R7: 6-2-9-3

R8: 2-10-7-13

R9: 4-8-2-10

R10: 7-4-1-10

The Australian gelding Nicolini Vito could only manage a sixth-place finish after he failed to settle early in the Chester Manifold Stakes at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne on Jan. 1.

A different rider and a new venue in the Carrington Stakes at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on Friday evening may lead to a better result.

SHA TIN SELECTIONS
(Saturday, January 21, 2023)

The old saying, “Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me,” doesn’t mention a third incident in the series of fooling actions. But here we are with the featured Group 2, $180,000 Zabeel Mile on Friday at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, where, for the third week in a row, bettors might assume that William Buick, nominally the top rider for the Charlie Appleby-trained wing of Godolphin, is riding Appleby’s top hope in the race.  

The third race at Flemington Racecourse in Australia on Thursday evening is a six-furlong handicap restricted to runners who have yet to win at a track located in the Melbourne area.

Anilla has certainly earned a start at a prestige venue such as Flemington, the home of the Melbourne Cup.

Two races into the 10-race Magic Millions program at Gold Coast Racecourse last weekend, the jockeys and stewards decided to postpone the program on the West Coast of Australia because of excessive rain.

The races have been rescheduled at Gold Coast on Wednesday evening, with two seven-figure races headlining an eight-race program that begins at 10:20 p.m. Eastern or 7:20 p.m. Pacific.

Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

The leading runners entered last weekend are back in the rescheduled races.

Tom Wood:

R1: 9-4-11-3
R2: 9-4-7-1
R3: 10-5-11-7
R4: 6-2-1-8
R5: 7-2-1-10
R6: 3-4-6-8
R7: 11-9-6-5
R8: 2-4-5-1

BEST: R8 N2 CALIFORNIA DEEPLY (WIN)
VALUE: R7 N11 MASTER TORNADO (EW)
PLAY: R8 QQP 2,4,5

Mark McNamara:

R1 5.9.1.3
R2 4.9.7.11
R3 11.10.3.5
R4 6.4.2.7
R5 10.2.7.1
R6 4.8.3.6
R7 9.6.3.11
R8 2.4.5.1

Best Bet: R7 N9 Jumbo Legend
Longshot: R5 N10 Oversubscribed
Play R7 Q/QP 3.6.9

HAPPY VALLEY SELECTIONS
(Wednesday, January 18, 2023)

When Miso has lost in his brief career, it has been against good horses or by a narrow margin.

Miso has won two of his four starts, a promising start to a career by any measure and why the 4-year-old gelding will be a strong favorite to win a seven-furlong handicap at Sandown Racecourse in Melbourne on Tuesday.