Nimbostratus, claimed for a Santa Anita record $150,000 last May, will have her Australian debut in a handicap at 5 1/2 furlongs at Canterbury Park on Wednesday.

Nimbostratus started once for trainer Leonard Powell after being claimed, finishing 10^th of 11 in the Grade 2 San Clemente Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at a mile on turf at Del Mar last July. A French-bred filly by Wootton Bassett, Nimbostratus was sent to Australia last year and is now trained by Annabel Neashem.

HAPPY VALLEY SELECTIONS
(Wednesday, April 06, 2022)

Potager ended a six-race losing streak, all in graded stakes, with a shocking win in Sunday’s Grade 1 Osaka Hai at 1 1/4 miles at Hanshin Racecourse in Japan.

Potager ($147) closed from fifth in a field of 16 to win by a neck over 9-1 Lei Papale, a 5-year-old mare who won the Osaka Hai in 2021. Efforia, the 2021 Japanese Horse of the Year, could manage only ninth as the 1-2 favorite in his first start of the year.

After a bronze and a silver, Golden Sixty climbed back atop the podium Sunday at Sha Tin Racecourse, dominating the Group 2, $606,000 Chairman’s Trophy.  

Hong Kong’s best horse won for the 20th time in his career while slamming the door on his first two-race losing streak.  

Golden Sixty might have had slim chance in the Hong Kong Gold Cup on Feb. 20. The 2,000-meter distance probably is farther than ideal, a yielding course definitely was less than ideal, and Golden Sixty had a tough draw in post 10. Circumstances aligned to produce a third-place finish.

Chimes was rested after she finished 10th of 14 in the Group 3 Quezette Stakes for Southern Hemisphere 3-year-old fillies at Caulfield Racecourse in Australia last August, her second loss in a span of two weeks.

Through the Australian spring and summer, Chimes was sidelined, returning a game second by about 1 3/4 lengths in a handicap at 5 3/4 furlongs on the infield Beaumont course at Newcastle. The comeback should serve as an ideal prep race for her second start of the year in a handicap at 5 1/2 furlongs at Hawkesbury Racecourse on Tuesday.

As recently as September, the Australian 7-year-old gelding Fast Talking was a game third in a six-figure handicap at a mile.

Monday at Doomben Racecourse in Brisbane, Fast Talking is well-placed to win his first race of 2022 in his second start of the season in a handicap at about a mile.

Trained by David Vandyke, Fast Talking was second by three-quarters of a length in a six-furlong handicap at Ipswich Racecourse on March 17, closing from sixth of eight.

Nature Strip, the 2020-21 Australian Horse of the Year, is being strongly considered for a trip to the Royal Ascot meeting in England in June after winning Saturday’s Group 1 T.J. Smith Stakes for sprinters for the third consecutive year at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.

Paul Lally:

R1 2-8-10-6

R2 4-6-10-1

R3 5-3-7-1

R4 3-1-9-4

R5 6-7-3-1

R6 2-8-10-3

R7 1-7-2-8

R8 3-8-2-6

R9 4-2-1-3

R10 7-2-4-1

Best Bet Race10 7 Super Fortune

Longshot Race9 4 More Than This

Play Race10 QQP 2-4-7

Mark McNamara:

R1 – 8.2.6.10

R2 – 4.5.7.6

R3 – 7.3.5.1

R4 – 4.3.9.1

R5 – 11.3.7.6

R6 – 8.3.5.2

R7 – 1.2.8.7

R8 – 8.3.6.2

R9 – 2.1.4.3

For two whole seasons and through his emphatic victory Dec. 12 in the Group 1 Hong Kong Mile the talk always was about Golden Sixty’s winning streak.

Now, for the first time in his career, Golden Sixty comes into a race having suffered two straight defeats, but there’s every reason to believe Golden Sixty can get back into the win column Sunday at Sha Tin in the Group 2, $606,000 Chairman’s Trophy.

Efforia was the 2021 Horse of the Year and outstanding 3-year-old in Japan, and is expected to live up to those titles in his 2022 debut in Sunday’s Grade 1 Osaka Hai at 1 1/4 miles at Hanshin Racecourse.

Efforia is expected to be an odds-on favorite in his first start since a win in the Grade 1 Arima Kinen at 1 9/16 miles at Nakayama Racecourse on Dec. 26, his sixth victory in seven career starts. The only blemish on Efforia’s race record is a second by a nose in the Japanese Derby at Tokyo Racecourse last May.