A staggeringly deep field in Saturday’s Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes at a mile at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia can be divided into two groups – contenders set for a peak effort and those returning from layoffs who are pointing for upcoming major races.
The $737,200 Maykbe Diva Stakes drew 13, with 10 Group 1 or Grade 1 winners – Aegon, Colette, Explosive Jack, Fifty Stars, Inspirational Girl, Johnny Get Angry, Keiai Nautique, Mo’unga, Sir Dragonet, and Tofane.
Tarnawa, winner of the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland, and St. Mark’s Basilica, the winner of the French Derby in June and two other Group 1 races this year, make up half the field in Saturday’s Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown Racecourse.
St. Mark’s Basilica, trained by Aidan O’Brien, is expected to be even-money, while Tarnawa will be around 2-1 against 3-1 Poetic Flare, winner of the Group 1 St. James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot in June, and Patrick Sarsfield, a Group 3 winner in Ireland last year who will be an outsider.
A break during the Southern Hemisphere winter in recent months may be what Rainbiel needs to return to her form from this time last year.
Friday at Swan Hill Racecourse, Rainbiel starts for the first time since May in a minor handicap at six furlongs that appears much easier than her appearances in high-level handicaps and group-level stakes earlier this year.
Last summer, the New Zealand-bred gelding Jukila won and finished second in two handicaps at the elongated distance of 1 15/16 miles in Australia.
A durable sort, Jukila is winless in 18 starts in the last 13 months since that marathon win, but has finished second six times in that span, mostly in shorter races.
Thursday at Mornington Racecourse, not far from Melbourrne, Jukila is back in a handicap at about 1 15/16 miles with a longshot’s chance for an upset in a full field of 12.
Paul Lally:
R1 5-6-1-10
R2 2-9-5-6
R3 2-6-7-3
R4 9-8-1-4
R5 4-10-3-11
R6 6-2-1-4
R7 12-3-10-2
R8 4-3-8-1
Best Bet R8 N4 Decisive Twelve
Longshot R2 N2 Yoo Yoo King
Play Race R2 2 5 9
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Mark McNamara:
By Declan Schuster
Riding high off the back of an opening day treble, Karis Teetan is heading to Happy Valley this Wednesday, 8 September eager for what his full book of engagements has in store and primed for his reunion with the Tony Millard-trained Gallant Crown.
“It’s early in the season but it’s nice to get a treble on the first day - I’m just grateful for all of the support I get,” Teetan said.
Gallant Crown ended his last campaign hitting hard and might be able to do some real damage in his first start of the 2021-22 Hong Kong racing season.
Gallant Crown starts in race 6 on Wednesday at Happy Valley, the first of three Class 3 handicaps – all at different distances – that cap the first Happy Valley racing program of the season. As usual, the midweek offerings are complex and challenging, with a quintet of Class 4 races starting the program.
First post is 6:15 a.m. Eastern and you can catch all the action at DRFBets.com.
Snapper will race outside of his age group for the first time in a five-furlong handicap at Sandown Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia, on Wednesday. Snapper’s form against 3-year-olds in February and March leaves him well positioned to make a mark in a new stage of his career.
Trained by Michael Moroney, Snapper has won 2 of 8 starts, with the wins in consecutive outings at six furlongs at Moonee Valley earlier this year – a maiden race on Feb. 5 and a handicap on Feb. 26. In both races, Snapper took his customary position on the lead.
