The 3-year-old filly Fancy Blue may be based in Ireland with trainer Donnacha O’Brien but her best results this year have been in England and France.

Fancy Blue won the Group 1 French Oaks at 1 5/16 miles at Chantilly on July 5 and the Group 1 Nassau Stakes at 1 1/4 miles against older fillies and mares at Goodwood Racecourse in England on July 30.

SHA TIN SELECTIONS
(Sunday, October 4, 2020)

Oisin Murphy, champion jockey in England during 2019 and on his way to another title in 2020, tested positive for a metabolite of cocaine this summer in France.

The Arc’s loss appears to be the Breeders’ Cup’s gain.

Love, the standout Ireland-based 3-year-old filly, wasn’t among the 15 entries Thursday for Sunday’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in Paris. That leaves Enable, seeking to become the first three-time Arc winner, as the favorite for the 1 1/2-mile fixture.

September was a very good month for Petaluma, a 5-year-old Australian-bred mare who starts in a handicap at Moruya Racecourse on Friday.

Petaluma was unbeaten in three starts in September, winning handicaps at Moruya on Sept. 1 and Sept. 14 and a handicap at Goulburn last Sunday. Those races ranged in distances from 7 1/2 furlongs to a little more than a mile. Understandably, Petaluma’s handicap rating has risen to an all-time high in her seven-race career.

Surprise Baby was fifth in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup last November, rallying from 20th in a field of 24 to lose Australia’s most famous race by less than a length.

All signs indicate Surprise Baby is moving forward to another appearance in the Melbourne Cup at Flemington Racecourse on Nov. 3. Saturday, Surprise Baby will have his second start of the year in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes at Flemington, a race with ramifications for the Melbourne Cup and the Group 1 Caulfield Cup on Oct. 17.

Paul Lally:

R1 1-3-2-8
R2 2-4-5-8
R3 2-4-6-5
R4 2-3-4-6
R5 1-5-3-4
R6 8-2-1-7
R7 4-7-5-2
R8 1-6-9-4
R9 2-4-8-12
R10 4-8-12-3

Best Bet R9 N2 Uncle Steve
Longshot R10 N4 Not Usual Talent
Play R10 QQP 4-8-12

Tom Wood:

R1: 1-2-3-8
R2: 1-5-2-7
R3: 6-2-1-4
R4: 2-4-3-6
R5: 1-3-4-2
R6: 2-7-8-1
R7: 4-6-2-5
R8: 1-6-4-9
R9: 5-2-11-8
R10: 8-1-3-4

The second running of the $20 million Saudi Cup has been scheduled for Feb. 20 of next year at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh, the race organizers announced Tuesday.

Night Guy was dismissed at 20-1 at Geelong Racecourse in Australia on Sept. 6, the day he closed from last of 11 to win a seven-furlong handicap.

Night Guy won for the second time in his seven-race career that day. The victory has made the gelding the focus of a handicap at about six furlongs at Geelong on Thursday. In a field of 10, Night Guy may be a slight favorite over the equally-appealing gelding Abiding.

Only seven could be mustered for the Group 3 National Day Handicap on a special holiday Thursday afternoon card at Sha Tin in Hong Kong.

The 1,000-meter National Day is run over a straight 1,000 meters, a common distance at the city track, Happy Valley, but less frequently run at Sha Tin, and most of the entrants have only a start or two over the Sha Tin configuration.