She resumed with a dominant win in what was a thin maiden at Bendigo, where the pace was strong in the early stages, slowed markedly between the 800 and 400 metres, then quickened again over the concluding two furlongs. She has drawn well to settle prominently, with cover from the strong northerly headwind in the chute, and suggests she may be a notch or two better than this grade.
Cruiserweight made an impressive Australian debut, carrying 59.5kg and proving too strong for what was admittedly plain opposition at the Swan Hill carnival. He won comprehensively and in fast time, giving the impression that seven furlongs will be his optimal distance in time. I’ve taken an early position on him, as well as Beechworth, a son of the highly talented mare Haut Brion Her, who broke his maiden well at Sale.
Like A Drifter appears abysmally under the odds at his current quote as second favourite. He has won five consecutive races, but he has not produced figures good enough to justify his position near the head of the market. The same applies to Undisputable, who is unable to utilise Emily Pozman’s claim due to her 53kg minimum riding weight. I would expect both runners to be very easy in the market.
The last race of the day is as difficult as they come, and I’m not sure the market reflects that. First Chorus has been a stalwart in this grade throughout the winter, running well on every occasion bar one, though she does appear to have been priced on her absolute best figures, which may be a touch optimistic. Of course, she deserves to be favourite, but at bigger odds than what is currently on offer.
The runner of interest at odds is Fearless Freddie, who returns after a terrible performance at Flemington, although there may have been valid excuses for the run. He was well backed to win that day, which indicates that he has plenty of ability when things go his way, and while the draw is not ideal, there does appear to be sufficient pace to bring him into the race if he’s good enough.
Selections:
- Race 1 (2) Angel’s Fury
- Race 3 (5) Cruiserweight
- Race 3 (13) Beechworth
- Race 9 (13) Fearless Freddie
