For the second consecutive year, the Gundagai Cup at Gundagai Racecourse in Australia arrives at a good time for the 7-year-old Maid of Ore.
Last April, Maid of Ore ended a 13-race losing streak with a one-length win in the Gundagai Cup at 1 1/8 miles. Sunday, Maid of Ore is part of a field of 10 in the Gundagai Cup where she has a chance to end a 14-race losing streak dating to last year’s race.
The Australian filly Forbidden Love has had a busy campaign this year, compiling three stakes wins since late February.
The brilliant form has made Forbidden Love the 3-1 favorite in early betting for Saturday’s Group 1 Doncaster Mile against 19 rivals at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney.
The $2.24 million Doncaster Mile is one of the most competitive handicaps of the year, and could easily meet expectations. As of Thursday, 4-1 I’m Thunderstruck was the only other horse in the field with a single-digit price.
SHA TIN SELECTIONS
(Sunday, April 03, 2022)
Race 1: #14 Royal Agility, #10 Good Beauty, #8 Gallant Hero, #4 Sergeant Pepper
Race 2: #9 Towards Success, #4 Kung Fu Tea, #1 G One Excellent, #2 Light My Day
Race 3: #9 Double Six Pop, #5 California Sky, #7 Country Boy, #3 En Pointe
Race 4: #9 Precise Express, #3 Leading Fortune, #7 Total Power, #6 Super Oasis
Race 5: #3 Happy Forever, #7 Sakewin, #4 Spontaneous, #1 Rhapsody
Layoffs are not a hindrance for Regal Stage, the 7-year-old Australian gelding who has his first start since September in Friday’s $112,600 Muswellbrook Gold Cup at Muswellbrook Racecourse.
Twice in his career, Regal Stage has returned from layoffs of five and six months to win. Last year, Regal Stage was beaten in his first start of the year in June, when fourth against a tough field, but rebounded to later win a one-mile handicap against 14 rivals at Rockhampton Racecourse in his second start of the season.
Country Grammer came out of his Dubai World Cup win in good physical condition and will head to WinStar Farm in Kentucky for a freshening with no plans set for the rest of his 2022 campaign.
“He’ll do a little R and R. He deserves it,” Bob Baffert, who trains Country Grammer for Amr Zedan and WinStar, said Tuesday from California.
Country Grammer was scheduled to fly from Dubai to Kentucky on Wednesday.
Paul Lally:
R1 2-6-4-1
R2 2-10-7-12
R3 2-11-3-6
R4 5-7-2-6
R5 1-4-2-9
R6 3-4-8-6
R7 1-3-8-12
R8 7-5-11-8
Best Bet R7 1 Everyone's Delight
Longshot R4 5 Treasure Of Field
Play R7 QQP 1-3-8
Mark McNamara:
R1: 2.6.4.3
R2: 2.5.10.7
R3: 2.6.11.8
R4: 6.2.11.9
R5: 4.1.2.3
R6: 3.4.8.7
R7: 3.1.4.9
R8: 10.7.6.5
Best Bet R6 3 Thunderstrike
Longshot R8 10 Magic Supreme
The Australian filly Pippali was a nose away from earning a berth for the $360,200 Provincial Championship Stakes at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on April 9 when she finished third in a qualifying race at Newcastle on March 17.
The first two finishers from that race earned berths.
Pippali has one more chance to earn a spot in the final when she starts in a full field of 16 in the final qualifying race at Newcastle on Thursday. The first two finishers advance to the race at Randwick on a program of lucrative stakes.
With a prep race behind him, Military Mission looks poised for a first win in Australia in a handicap at 1 3/16 miles at Canterbury Park on Wednesday.
Trained by the high-profile stable of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, Military Mission was third by 1 1/4 lengths in a handicap at 7 3/4 furlongs at Canterbury on March 10, his first start since an eighth in his Australian debut last October. In the March 10 race, Military Mission was ridden by Rachel King, who has the mount on Wednesday.
Kurpany and Duke Wai were first and third, separated by 1 3/4 lengths, in a six-furlong handicap on the infield all-weather track at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong on Jan. 30.
The margin may have been closer if Duke Wai had not had a wide trip in his first start on the surface.
Since then, Kurpany is unraced, while Duke Wai was third and ninth in six-furlong handicaps on turf, plagued by trouble in both starts.
