A well-mannered T O Keynes benefited from recent gate schooling to take Sunday’s Grade 1 Champions Cup on dirt at Chukyo Racecourse in Japan for his second graded stakes win of the year.
T O Keynes pulled clear from 15 rivals to win the $1.7 million Champion Cup at 1 1/8 miles by six lengths.
Winter Moon was 10 races into his career before he won a maiden race at tiny Warren Racecourse in Australia in September.
The win appears to be part of a career revival for the 4-year-old gelding, who has won 2 of 14 starts. Following the maiden-race win, Winter Moon was eighth in his debut against winners on Oct. 16, but rebounded to finish second in a one-mile handicap at Mudgee on Oct. 23. Winter Moon won for the second time in a one-mile handicap at Warren on Nov. 7.
Battle Guardian, a 5-year-old gelding, was one stride away from a win in the Taree Cup at 1 1/4 miles at Taree Racecourse in Australia on Nov. 21, closing from eighth in a field of 10 to lose by a nose.
Monday, Battle Guardian starts in a longer race, in the Tuncurry-Forster Cup at 1 5/16 miles at Tuncurry Racecourse, located on the coast well north of Sydney.
Battle Guardian is part of a field of 12 in the marathon race, the sixth race on a seven-race program that begins at 9:40 p.m. Eastern or 6:40 p.m. Pacific on Sunday. Wagering is available through DRF Bets.com.
Paul Lally:
R1 9 2 5 3
R2 11-5-8-6
R3 2-1-3-11
R4 8-7-5-4
R5 6-1-9-8
R6 2-7-1-6
R7 3-9-7-1
R8 11-2-3-6
R9 1-7-12-14
R10 1-13-2-5
Best Bet R1 N9 Yes We Can
Longshot R10 N1 The Irishman
Play R10 QQP 1-2-13
Andrew Le Jeune:
R1: 5-1-9-7
R2: 1-5-6-11
R3: 2-3-1-8
R4: 8-1-4-11
R5: 1-3-6-2
R6: 2-7-12-9
R7: 3-5-1-4
R8: 2-11-6-10
R9: 7-1-10-4
R10: 4-3-1-7
The older horses Highly Desired, Invincible Dash, and Prince of Arragon cannot get rid of each other in Australia these days.
The trio was scratched from Friday’s Mudgee Cup at Mudgee Racecourse, only for all three to reappear in the entries for Sunday’s Nowra Cup at Nowra Racecourse. They all three rate as contenders in the one-mile turf race.
Highly Desired and Invincible Dash are recent winners who were later beaten in restricted stakes.
After a win in the Grade 1 Champions Cup on dirt at Chukyo Racecourse in Japan last December, Chuwa Wizard spent the early months of 2021 on the road in other parts of Asia.
Chuwa Wizard was ninth in the $20 million Saudi Cup at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in February, and a more encouraging second to the American-trained Mystic Guide in the Group 1 Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse in the United Arab Emirates in March.
Mankayan was less than a length from earning a berth in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup in Australia in late October.
Mankayan was beaten three-quarters of a length by Great House in the Group 3 Hotham Handicap on Oct. 30 at Flemington, a race that provided the winner with an automatic berth to the Melbourne Cup.
Three days later, Great House finished 13th of 23 in the Melbourne Cup. Mankayan won a handicap at about 1 9/16 miles at Cranbourne Racecourse at 4-5 on Nov. 13, a consolation of sorts.
Ready to Humble has not raced in Australia since a win in the Snake Gully Cup at Gundagai Racecourse on Nov. 12, although that was not the intended plan for November.
Ready to Humble was scratched from the Wodonga Cup on Nov. 26 in favor of Friday’s Mudgee Cup at a mile at Mudgee Racecourse. Ready to Humble was an early favorite for the Wodonga Cup. He is likely to have a similar role in a competitive running of the Mudgee Cup.
