In 2019, Shuffle Up was good enough to finish second in a Group 3 at a mile in Australia. This year, the focus is on longer races, such as a first-ever attempt at 1 1/2 miles in a handicap on the Kensington course at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on Wednesday.

Shuffle Up has won 2 of 12 starts and has essentially had two careers. A 5-year-old gelding, Shuffle Up won races at 6 1/2 furlongs and a mile in 2019, but did not start for 25 months after finishing second in the Group 3 Carbine Stakes at a mile on the main turf course at Randwick in April 2019.

The comeback of the promising February maiden race winner Princess Amira highlights a seven-race program at Scone Racecourse in Australia on Monday.

Princess Amira, trained by the prominent Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott partnership, will have her debut against winners in a handicap at 6 1/2 furlongs. A 3-year-old filly by Written Tycoon, Princess Amira won her second career start by a little more than three-quarters of a length as the even-money choice against maidens at seven furlongs at Goulburn Racecourse on Feb. 7.

Super Yulong will have a much-needed drop in class for his second start of 2021, which comes in a handicap at about seven furlongs at Sale Racecourse in Australia on Sunday.

Last year, Super Yulong was fourth in the Taj Rossi Series Final Stakes at Flemington and third and second in two tough handicaps in November and December. He lost those races by a combined 1 3/4 lengths.

When he sets the pace, The Astrologist is dangerous in Australian sprints. Without an early lead, The Astrologist is not as effective.

The Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes at six furlongs at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne on Saturday may develop in favor of The Astrologist, who tries to build on a two-race winning streak. The Astrologist appears to be the pacesetter in a field of 12.

The $118,100 Bletchingly Stakes is part of a nine-race program that begins at 10:05 p.m. Eastern, or 7:05 p.m. Pacific, on Friday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

Even six can pack a punch, as you can plainly see from the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes on Saturday at Ascot.

Last Saturday, Sierra Sue finished fourth in a lucrative one-mile handicap at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia, the first time this year the 4-year-old filly had not raced in a group-level or listed stakes in six starts in 2021.

The drop in class nearly worked. Sierra Sue closed from last to miss by 1 3/4 lengths. Sierra Sue gets another chance in a lesser race in Friday’s $73,500 Mildura Cup, a handicap at seven furlongs at Mildura Racecourse, west of Adelaide.

A trio of 3-year-olds who have not raced in several months are expected to dominate the betting in a five-furlong handicap at Cranbourne Racecourse on Thursday.

Yulong Phelps, who was 8-5 in early betting Tuesday, has not started since a comprehensive win in his debut in a maiden race at 4 3/4 furlongs at Swan Hill Racecourse last October. Trained by Danny O’Brien, Yulong Phelps was always near the front in that short race and pulled clear by 3 1/4 lengths, a solid margin.

A longer race and a slight improvement in turf conditions may help Peekays Legacy win for the third time in four starts in a handicap at 1 1/8 miles on the Kensington course at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia, on Wednesday.

The 6-year-old Australian gelding Mad as Zariz is the sort of veteran that has adapted to racing on a variety of surfaces at many venues.

The flexibility may serve Mad as Zariz well when he starts in a handicap at 6 1/2 furlongs at Narromine Racecourse, located northwest of Sydney, on Monday. The seven-race program was scheduled to be run at Wellington Racecourse, but was transferred to nearby Narromine because of wet conditions at Wellington. Mad as Zariz will start at Narromine for the first time in his 29th start.

Six weeks after a record 16-length win in the Group 1 English Oaks, Snowfall won Saturday’s Group 1 Irish Oaks at The Curragh by only 8 1/2 lengths. No matter the margin, Snowfall’s impressive win on Saturday left her at the fore of the future-book market for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in Paris in October.