Pinatubo might not be a great horse, but he is a very good horse and showed it Sunday at Deauville, winning the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat by three-quarters of a length over Lope Y Fernandez.

Kruanui, the 7-year-old Australian-bred gelding, is part of trainer Chris Heywood’s stable based at Wagga Wagga Racecourse. The venue is not only home for Kruanui, but the site of most of his success.

Kruanui has won 6 of 49 starts in his career and 4 of 26 starts at Wagga Wagga.

Those statistics make Kruanui an easy horse to support in a six-furlong handicap Tuesday at Wagga Wagga. As of Sunday, Kruanui was 3-1 in early betting in a field of 10.

Pinatubo will try a new country and a shorter distance looking for his first win as a 3-year-old.

Europe’s best 2-year-old last season went 6 for 6 but has no wins from two starts during 2020. Pinatubo ran fine both starts, finishing third of 15 in the English 2000 Guineas and second of seven in the Group 1 St. James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, but those performances, both over one mile, were nothing like the dominant form he displayed as a juvenile.

The 3-year-old gelding Shenandoah ended the Australian summer in February with a front-running win in a maiden race in his second start. Nearly five months later, in the midst of the Southern Hemisphere winter, Shenandoah will have his first start against winners in a five-furlong handicap at Moruya Racecourse on Monday.

Shenandoah will carry top weight of 131 pounds and is likely to take a position near the front of the field of 11. In his maiden race win at six furlongs at Canberra Racecourse in February, Shenandoah was always near the front and won by a length at 2-1.

Paul Lally:

R1 7-3-1-11

R2 5-2-6-14

R3 2-6-7-5

R4 8-2-1-3

R5 1-7-9-6

R6 3-2-6-7

R7 2-8-1-9

R8 1-2-4-11

R9 10-6-2-9

R10 12-7-6-10

R11 7-2-5-9

Best Bet R10 N12 Heza Beauty

Longshot R11 N7 Presidents Choice

Best Play R11 N2-5-7

Mark McNamara:

R1 – 11.1.7.6

R2 – 5.3.2.4

R3 – 12.3.2.13

R4 – 4.3.8.2

R5 – 7.6.11.13

R6 – 3.2.7.6.

R7 – 10.8.1.2

R8 – 2.4.10.8

R9 – 10.6.2.1.

R10 – 12.11.7.1.

R11 – 2.7.5.1

With the Hong Kong racing season hurtling to a close, Fast Most Furious can win the featured Sha Tin Trophy Mile Handicap on Sunday.

The Sha Tin Trophy Mile, a Class 1 for horses rated 115-90, comes early on an 11-race card, going as race 4, post time 2 a.m. Eastern. The program starts at 12:30 a.m, with wagering and live video at DRFBets.com.

Since the beginning of June, Smokin’ Pierro has been in the best form of his career in Australia, winning two of three starts.

Smokin’ Pierro, who starts in the Ladbrokes Handicap at about 1 1/4 at Moonee Valley on Sunday, will always get a little extra attention when he races. The 5-year-old gelding is trained by Michelle Payne, who became famous for becoming the first woman to ride the winner of the Melbourne Cup – in 2015 on Prince of Penzance.

Golden Horde, fresh off an age-restricted Group 1 win over the American filly Kimari in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, tackles older horses in the Group 1 July Cup on Saturday at Newmarket.

The four-time stakes winner Viridine ended a four-race losing streak when he successfully carried top weight in the $69,600 Winter Dash, a handicap at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Australia on June 20.

The win has made Viridine a strong favorite in Saturday’s Group 3 Sir John Monash Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs at Caulfield Racecourse. In the $89,088 Monash, Viridine and his eight rivals are racing in weight-for-age conditions.

SHA TIN SELECTIONS
(Sunday, July 12, 2020)

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