Polly Grey finished fifth in her first try at 1 1/4 miles at Flemington Racecourse in Australia on July 18, but the loss was probably not a true indication of her ability at the distance.
Polly Grey was checked in traffic behind a slow pace in the first half of the race and was only beaten 1 3/4 lengths.
Shiranda will complete a busy July when the gelding starts favored in Friday’s Mackay Cup at Mackay Racecourse in northeast Australia.
Shiranda, a winner of 8 of 41 starts, has already raced three times this month – finishing third in one-mile handicaps at Rockhampton on July 7 and July 17 and winning a handicap at 1 1/8 miles at Mackay as the 6-5 favorite on July 21.
Youngblood went from being a multi-race maiden to a multiple winner when he was tried in marathon races for the first time last month in Australia.
Winless in his first six starts at distances ranging from 6 1/2 furlongs to 1 1/8 miles, Youngblood has won two of his last three starts in races at 1 3/8 miles, displaying the ability to gallop along near the front and maintain that advantage.
Since the beginning of his 2018 campaign, Stradivarius has raced 12 times in races at 1 3/4 miles and beyond, his domain as king of the European stayers. He has won 11 of those races, the lone defeat in the sequence coming last fall at Ascot in the British Champions Long Distance Cup, where the Aidan O’Brien-trained 4-year-old Kew Gardens beat him a nose.
The Australian-bred 3-year-olds Escaped and Front Money finished first and second in a five-furlong handicap at Hawkesbury Racecourse on July 10, the first start following layoffs for both.
They seem to be on the same career plan. Wednesday, Escaped and Front Money meet again in a six-furlong handicap at Warwick Farm Racecourse. This a new distance for both Escaped, a gelding who has won 2 of 4 starts, and Front Money, a filly who will have her fourth start on Wednesday.
Siskin beat all the 2-year-olds that raced against him last year and has beaten all the 3-year-olds he has faced this season. Now it is time to tackle older rivals as Siskin puts his perfect career record, five wins from five starts, on the line in the Group 1 Sussex Stakes on Wednesday at Goodwood Racecourse in England.
Enable had only two to beat to win her third, and she did so by 5 1/2.
“Two” was the number of opponents as Enable cruised to her third victory in the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes on Saturday at rain-swept Ascot. The 6-year-old mare is the first horse to win the King George three times and she strolled home by more than five lengths after principal rival Japan failed to fire and Anthony Van Dyck was scratched.
Australian bettors are slowly catching on to Illecebrous, who has won her last two starts at 7-1 and 6 -1 and figures to be a shorter price in a handicap at Cessnock Racecourse on Monday.
Illecebrous, trained by Kris Lees, has won 3 of 6 starts. A 3-year-old Australian-bred filly, Illecebrous had three starts in the second half of 2019 before being given a break of nearly six months. After finishing sixth in her comeback on June 9, Illecebrous won a handicap at six furlongs at Port Macquarie on June 23 and a handicap at 5 1/2 furlongs at Grafton on July 8.
