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Australian Racing: Only Old Once to show experience counts

3 minute read

There are a number of meetings set to take place on Thursday including at Gosford where a heavy 8 track is expected.

Picture: bet365

Race 6 Gosford

Hiawatha @ 5.50

Race 8 Grafton

Rum Revolution @ 6.50

Race 2 Pakenham

Only Old Once @ 3.60

Hiawatha for Gosford victory

The sixth race at Gosford is a 2100m Class 1 set weights contest with Earth Dance expected to have his supporters.

The four-year-old started his career in Ireland where he won a 2011m maiden on a soft 6 track at Navan in September last year.

The gelding joined the Peter & Paul Snowden team subsequently and has recorded a couple of solid efforts over shorter so far this prep.

The first of those saw him beaten less than three lengths into fourth in a 1400m Benchmark 72 handicap on the Kensington track at Randwick in March.

The step up to 2100m should suit here, with the son of Australia heading here on the back of a sixth in a 1900m event at Canterbury on 17th April.

The Annabel Neasham-trained HIAWATHA is the pick on this occasion however, with the gelding another to have started his career in Ireland.

The four-year-old placed second in stakes company in the Eyrefield Stakes over 1811m at Leopardstown in October 2022 but missed the whole of last year.

The selection was scratched having fallen in the straight when returning in a 2000m Class 1 contest at Kembla Grange last month.

The selection showed no ill-effects from that experience when losing out by a head in finishing runner-up in a similar race to this over track and trip on 25th April.

The heavy 8 track forecast here is no issue and Tyler Schiller is taken to steer the son of Camelot to victory.

Revolution for Grafton glory

The eighth race at Grafton is a 1420m Class 1 handicap set to take place on a heavy 9 surface.

Sea Of Qi is expected to jump as favourite for the Tracy Timbery team, following a highly-promising first up effort.

The seven-year-old came home a good second in an 1181m Class 1 handicap held on a soft 5 track at this venue just over two weeks ago.

The gelding was making his first appearance since a third of four on the polytrack at Gold Coast in November and rates highly in this contest.

However, RUM REVOLUTION is the pick here, having registered four good efforts at this track this prep.

Those efforts include a third place finish when beaten less than two lengths in an 1195m Class 2 handicap on a soft 5 track in March.

The selection's best effort in two subsequent starts came when a length fourth in a Class 1 handicap over 1181m at this venue at the end of last month.

Fleur Blanch's filly is untested over this distance and, while she has to prove her stamina here, she looks up returning to winning ways racing on a heavy 9 track for the first time.

Only Old Once can lean on experience

The second at Pakenham is an interesting 1400m maiden plate.

A soft 5 track is expected and, while newcomers Red Galaxy and Dream All Day are both expected to feature prominently in the market, ONLY OLD ONCE is the pick.

Trained by Richard Cully, the filly may prove capable of putting her experience to good use, having debuted with a second at Stawell at the end of March.

The selection suffered a neck defeat when runner-up that day, with the fourth boosting the form in registering a subsequent victory.

Only Old Once was slowly away prior to racing close to the speed that day and is expected to have improved for the experience.

The four-year-old daughter of Rebel Raider has been freshened since that effort and, having advertised her well-being with a third in a barrier trial at Horsham recently, she can break her maiden here.


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