Sydney's slate of rich, new races continues with the third running of the Golden Eagle. Rosehill Racecourse has long hosted the world's richest 2-year-old race, the Golden Slipper. More recently, the track introduced a million-dollar race for 3-year-olds called the Golden Rose. This Friday night's Golden Eagle, for 4-year-olds at 7-1/2 furlongs, is the nation's 3rd-richest race with a whopping $7.5 million purse. The 18-strong field (plus four Also Eligibles) features a geographic plethora of form lines:

#1 Private Eye (5-1) is a last-start winner of Sydney's G1 Epsom Handicap. #2 I'm Thunderstruck (7-2 favorite) is a last-start winner of Melbourne's G1 Toorak Handicap. #13 Maximal (10-1) is one of three northern hemisphere 3-year-olds making his Australian debut (with a two-pound weight allowance versus the Australian horses, who turned four on August 1st). Maximal is a ¾-brother to Frankel, with imposing form lines in Ireland and England. The strongly credentialled import had been heavily bet in futures wagering, but his odds drifted back up from 7-1 after he drew the extreme outside gate.

The 6-1/2 furlong Classique Legend Stakes features six horses who contested the world's richest turf race The Everest two weeks ago, including 2nd-placed #2 Masked Crusader (5-2 favorite) and 3rd-placed #1 Eduardo (7-2). #9 Top Ranked (20-1) is a new shooter who was G1-placed in England but – like Maximal in the Golden Eagle – has drawn the extreme outside gate for his Aussie debut. 

While Sydney is the unquestioned capital of racing innovation, purists consider Friday night's card at Melbourne's Flemington Racecourse to perennially be the best in Australia. Known as “Derby Day,” the all-graded stakes program (Track B) includes four Group Ones averaging 16 horses:

Race 5: The Empire Rose Stakes is for fillies and mares at a mile. #3 Tofane (5-2 favorite) is a three-time Group One winner at seven furlongs. This campaign, she is targeting mile races and comes off a strong 2nd to Golden Eagle favorite, I'm Thunderstruck. 

Race 6: The Victoria Derby, Australia's oldest Classic, dates to 1855. Its 1-9/16 miles provides a stern stamina test just three months into the southern hemisphere season. No runners have raced beyond 1-3/8 miles. #1 Forgot You and #4 Gunstock share favoritism at 3-1 and give every indication – on performance and breeding – of staying the distance. Gunstock must overcome a horror post position with a short run to the sharp first turn.

Race 7: The Coolmore Stud Stakes, for 3-year-olds, will provide a great spectacle on Flemington's famous “Straight Six”-furlongs course. #9 Extreme Warrior (7-2 equal favorite) has burst onto the scene this campaign with impressive wins in a maiden and Group Three. #4 In the Congo (9-2 into 7-2 in the immediate aftermath of the field being finalized) won the Golden Rose in Sydney a month ago and adds blinkers. #6 Paulele (5-1) was considered for Godolphin's slot in The Everest. #5 Home Affairs (11-1) did contest The Everest, as the race's lone 3-year-old. Coolmore's colt adds a shadow roll and tongue tie, as his owners strive to win this stallion-making race that carries their sponsorship.  

Race 8: The Kennedy Cantala Stakes is a wide open, one-mile contest whose 7-2 favorite, #14 Mr Brightside, has never contested a Group/Graded race. Supporters will look on the bright side and point to his six consecutive wins while cutting a swath through restricted ranks.  

Look for a special preview of Monday night's $8 million Melbourne Cup, the two-mile “race that stops a nation.” 

The Rosehill and Flemington cards will be broadcast live on TVG this Friday night (First Post: 9:20pm ET / 6:20pm PT) alongside cards from Eagle Farm and Ascot. All races will be live-streamed in HD on the new Sky Racing World App, skyracingworld.com and major ADW platforms such as TVG, TwinSpires, Xpressbet, NYRABets, WatchandWager, HPIbet, DRF Bets and AmWager. Wagering is also available via these ADW platforms. Fans can get free access to live-streaming, past performances and expert picks on all races at skyracingworld.com. 

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The Invitation: A $2 million race for fillies and mares trained in Australia or New Zealand. A panel convened by Racing New South Wales extended invitations to an elite dozen fillies and mares. Contested at seven furlongs, The Invitation will be the 9th of ten races this Friday night with a post time of 11:35pm Pacific. Randwick is Track “A.” 

RSVP: Of the dozen who accepted their invitation, favoritism will be held by #6 Entriviere (9-5). Trained by New Zealand's most successful modern-day conditioner, Jamie Richards, this lightly raced 5-year-old debuted only 13 months ago. Since winning five of six in her homeland, Entriviere has a win from three Australian starts – with legitimate excuses for her two minor placings. Most recently, she was the beaten favorite in the G2 Golden Pendant, but raced in season (southern hemisphere Spring) and was ridden negatively from the outside gate. Her closing splits were the best of the day for seven furlongs at Rosehill. #7 Vangelic was the 5-1 Golden Pendant winner (and my Pick of the Night on TVG). Vangelic is again attractively priced at 7-1 for The Invitation, but meets Entriviere four pounds worse at the weights and will find it tougher to hold out the New Zealand mare on the roomier Randwick layout. Also at 7-1 is another hard-luck story from the Golden Pendant, #10 Icebath. After her close 4th-place finish, she suffered an even worse trip in the G1 Epsom Handicap (this time a losing Pick of the Night on TVG). Icebath has, in fact, been a luckless racehorse throughout her career and is thoroughly deserving of a rich prize. However, she now has to cut back from a mile while making her fifth start this campaign, whereas most rivals are fresher and specifically targeting The Invitation. Rain is predicted for race day, which would enhance Icebath's prospects. 

Selection: #6 Entriviere 

Longshot: #8 Rocha Clock (20-1) had a troubled trip resuming from a layoff, has excellent 2nd-up stats and is recommended for all exotics.

Supporting Stakes: Yet another relative newcomer to Sydney's racing calendar is the Bondi Stakes, a million-dollar race for 3-year-olds at a mile. #1 Hilal upset #2 Coastwatch in a recent G2 event. After being 8-1 and even-money respectively on that occasion, the pair are 5-2 equal favorites for this third running of the Bondi Stakes, Race 8 on Friday night's card. Should the track come up soft, #3 Royalzel (8-1) enters right into calculations.

Hot Trainer: Chris Waller's work with The Everest winner, Nature Strip, earns him the plaudits from last week. Waller has dual representation in The Invitation with #1 Madam Rouge (25-1) and #2 Nudge (12-1); he also puts the polish on Bondi Stakes co-favorite Coastwatch. 

The Randwick card will be broadcast live on TVG this Friday night (First Post: 9:30pm ET / 6:30pm PT) alongside cards from Doomben, Kembla Grange and Gold Coast. All races will be live-streamed in HD on the new Sky Racing World App, skyracingworld.com and major ADW platforms such as TVG, TwinSpires, Xpressbet, NYRABets, WatchandWager, HPIbet, DRF Bets and AmWager. Wagering is also available via these ADW platforms. Fans can get free access to live-streaming, past performances and expert picks on all races at skyracingworld.com. 

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The Setting: Randwick hosts a third straight Friday night of top-quality racing – the temporary rail was out 16 feet last week and moves into the “true” position (0') for The Everest. Rain is predicted across the week; race day could be windy, in which case it can be advantageous to be “covered up” in running. 

The Broadcast: Nick Hines will anchor TVG's coverage; Sky Racing's Jason Witham will be on-track at Randwick; yours truly will weigh in via Skype. First Post: 9:30pm ET / 6:30pm PT.

The Field: All runners carry 128 pounds, except the mare Libertini (124) and the 3-year-old Home Affairs (116). Post positions in parentheses.

#1 Nature Strip (10) 7-2. The world's highest ranked turf sprinter. 17 wins from 32 starts. Prodigiously gifted, Nature Strip was enigmatic earlier in his career. Under Chris Waller's patient tutelage, the horse is finally balancing his brilliance with tractability and professionalism. Has finished 4th and 7th in The Everest; this third time could deservedly be the charm.

#2 Classique Legend (5) 7-2. Went to Hong Kong (where his owner is based) after winning The Everest last year, but failed to acclimate. 83-year-old training legend Les Bridge got his “gray flash” home again in June, and is training him up to the race (used two prep races in 2020). Tries to emulate Redzel, who won the first two editions of this race; jockey Kerrin McEvoy is a common denominator, and shoots for a remarkable fourth win in five runnings of The Everest.  

#3 Eduardo (7) 5-1. The world's second-highest ranked turf sprinter; has twice out-gamed Nature Strip in photo finishes. He was a scintillating G1 winner in March when 2nd-up from a layoff, prompting a similarly timed attack on The Everest.

#4 Gytrash (1) 8-1. Pronounced GEE-trah. Finished 3rd in The Everest last year; desperately unlucky when 3rd last start behind Eduardo and Nature Strip. Career 25:10-6-7, with valid excuses for only two unplaced runs.

#5 Trekking (4) 30-1. Godolphin's aptly named representative is being given a third chance to reach the summit, after finishing 3rd and 4th the past two years. Veteran son of Street Cry needs the breaks, but is genuine and will be closing. 

#6 Masked Crusader (9) 8-1. Ran 2nd behind Nature Strip in an April G1 race; has produced exhilarating rushes from the rear to win two of three starts this campaign, in slightly easier company. 

#7 Wild Ruler (11) 50-1. Would have been an exotics chance on firm ground from a good gate, but has neither.

#8 The Inferno (12) 25-1. Star sprinter-miler in Singapore in 2019-20. Caught fire in Melbourne last month with a G2 win and close G1 2nd. Has never raced clockwise; hard task after being dealt the “visitor's draw.” 

#9 Embracer (3) 70-1. Late replacement for the slot-holder whose Rothfire was sidelined by injury. Outclassed and impossible to embrace.

#10 Lost And Running (2) 20-1. Was hot when running through the grades earlier this year; snapped up early by his slot-holder. Albeit with some excuses, has been more lost than running in both starts this campaign against top-level competition.   

#11 Libertini (8) 30-1. A dangerous weapon when fresh, this mare has deliberately been set for The Everest off a layoff. Has overcome a recent, minor setback. Knockout potential, but prefers firmer footing.

#12 Home Affairs (6) 10-1. Coolmore is replicating the formula that won them The Everest with Yes Yes Yes in 2019 – a (newly turned, on August 1st) 3-year-old colt trained by Chris Waller and ridden by Glen Boss. Home Affairs brilliantly won his seasonal debut, before holding his own in a workout versus Waller's Nature Strip. 

Selection: #4 Gytrash

Wagering Strategy: Gytrash win/place; 20c trifecta 2, 4 / 1, 2, 3, 4 / 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10

The Final Word: Coolmore's Tom Magnier: “Full credit to Racing New South Wales. They planted the seed for The Everest and it grew into a tree from Day One.”

The Randwick card will be broadcast live on TVG this Friday night (First Post: 9:30pm ET / 6:30pm PT) alongside cards from Eagle Farm, Newcastle and Gold Coast. All races will be live-streamed in HD on the new Sky Racing World App, skyracingworld.com and major ADW platforms such as TVG, TwinSpires, Xpressbet, NYRABets, WatchandWager, HPIbet, DRF Bets and AmWager. Wagering is also available via these ADW platforms. Fans can get free access to live-streaming, past performances and expert picks on all races at skyracingworld.com. 

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Friday Night's Feature Race: Race 8, the G1 $1,000,000 Spring Champion Stakes, for 3-year-olds at 1-1/4 miles. Wagering is headed by the exacta horses from the traditional prep race, the Gloaming Stakes, along with a filly who caused a massive Group One upset just last week. The trio can keep close tabs on each other, as they break from adjoining gates.

Hefty Price Tag: Profondo is Italian for “deep,” which describes the pockets belonging to the owner who paid $1.9 million for this colt. More likely, the name pays homage to his late sire, the Japanese racetrack-and-stud sensation Deep Impact (by Sunday Silence). Unraced as a 2-year-old, Profondo debuted with a seven-furlong maiden win on September 1st, before stepping up to nine furlongs in the G3 Gloaming Stakes. Sent off favorite, Profondo raced a bit keenly before hitting the front in the stretch, only to throw the race away by ducking in sharply. He lost narrowly to the more seasoned Head Of State (a son of American Pharoah), and the pair will be neighbors in the starting gate for Friday night's much-anticipated rematch. #1 Head Of State (gate 9) is 7-2, while #2 Profondo (gate 10) is 2-1 favorite.

Fillies Trending: While only three fillies have won the Spring Champion Stakes (first run in 1971), those wins have all come in the past five years (including 2020 winner, Montefilia, who won last week's G1 Metropolitan Handicap as a 4-year-old). #11 Never Been Kissed will attempt to replicate Montefilia's feat of last season, by winning the G1 Flight Stakes and the G1 Spring Champion Stakes “double.” Never Been Kissed was let go at 60-1 when winning the one-mile Flight versus her own sex. She is 4-1 third choice for Friday night's assignment against colts and is drawn directly inside Head Of State in gate 9.  

Selection: #2 Profondo

Supporting Stakes: Race 7, the Silver Eagle, is a $500,000 race for 4-year-olds and up at 6-1/2 furlongs. The program also features a pair of Group Two races and a pair of Group Threes. Friday night's 10-race card attracted a total of 140 entries (including Also Eligibles). First Post is 6.35pm Pacific.

Hot jockey(s): Reagan Bayliss was last Friday night's star, increasing his career Group One win total from three to five (Epsom Handicap and Flight Stakes). Hugh Bowman deserves an honorable mention for reaching a special milestone: by winning last week's other G1, the Metropolitan, Bowman became just the fourth Australian rider to register 100 Group One victories (exactly one quarter of Bowman's came aboard Winx).    

The Randwick card will be broadcast live on TVG this Friday night (First Post: 9:35pm ET / 6:35pm PT) alongside cards from Gold Coast, Eagle Farm and Goulburn. All races will be live-streamed in HD on the new Sky Racing World App, skyracingworld.com and major ADW platforms such as TVG, TwinSpires, Xpressbet, NYRABets, WatchandWager, HPIbet, DRF Bets and AmWager. Wagering is also available via these ADW platforms. Fans can get free access to live-streaming, past performances and expert picks on all races at skyracingworld.com. 

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Friday Night's Historic Feature: Sydney's “Royal Randwick” hosts one of Australia's time-honored handicaps this Friday night, when the G1 Epsom is contested for the 156th time. The  $1.5 million Epsom is emblematic of the tremendous value that Australian racing provides – both as a wagering medium and a sporting spectacle. A field of 17 will commence its mile journey from the top of Randwick's back stretch, at 11.05pm. Pacific time.

The Favorite: #9 Riodini (4-1) finished 3rd in this race last year and is favorite on the strength of two recent narrow defeats at weight-for-age, both at the Randwick Mile. He almost stole the G2 Chelmsford Stakes at 40-1, only to be grabbed in the last stride by Think It Over, before a gallant 2nd to champion mare Verry Elleegant in the G1 George Main Stakes. Kindly treated under handicap conditions, Riodini will forge his own luck in or near the front, and make the higher weighted horses run him down. His trainer, Gai Waterhouse, is tied with her legendary father, T.J. Smith, for most Epsom wins (7).

The Highweight: In Australia, program numbers do not correspond to post positions. Instead, fields are listed from highest to lowest weighted horses. As a dual-Group One winner, #1 Mo'unga has earned his highweight but must concede 12 pounds to Riodini. (Both have drawn wide gates, but post positions are not significant with a three-furlong run to the first turn.) Mo'unga was the first G1 winner for England native Annabel Neasham, a rising star in Australia's training ranks.

Contention Runs Deep: The field includes the trifecta horses from the Epsom's “sister” race, the Doncaster Mile (part of “The Championships at Randwick” each April). #2 Cascadian (12-1) rises seven pounds from his victory over #7 Icebath (8-1) and #3 Dalasan (14-1). Icebath's prospects are enhanced by the forecast for rain leading up to race day. #6 Hungry Heart (7-1) could have Springsteen fans swooning, but last season's top 3-year-old filly has shown a preference for firm footing.    

Selection: #7 Icebath

Supporting Stakes: 3-year-old fillies will also utilize Randwick's one-mile starting point in the G1 Flight Stakes. The G1 Metropolitan Handicap at 1-1/2 miles and a pair of Group Two races add depth to a stellar 10-race card, which includes the first 2-year-old race of the new Australian season (sponsored by Keeneland).

Hot Jocks: Nash Rawiller was last week's hot jockey, on the back of four wins the previous Friday night. Nash again got the cash, riding a triple and sharing the honors with Tim Clark. (One of Clark's three winners was my 5-1 Pick of the Night on TVG, Vangelic.)  

The Randwick card will be broadcast live on TVG this Friday night (First Post: 9:50pm ET / 6:50pm PT) alongside cards from Doomben, Newcastle and Gold Coast. All races will be live-streamed in HD on the new Sky Racing World App, skyracingworld.com and major ADW platforms such as TVG, TwinSpires, Xpressbet, NYRABets, WatchandWager, HPIbet, DRF Bets and AmWager. Wagering is also available via these ADW platforms. Fans can get free access to live-streaming, past performances and expert picks on all races at skyracingworld.com. 

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Star Colt: #1 Anamoe (4-5 favorite) was Australia's best 2-year-old last season, finishing an unlucky second from a horror post position in the world's richest juvenile race, the Golden Slipper. His 2-year-old campaign culminated in a smashing G1 victory at his only seven-furlongs start. In Anamoe's seasonal debut two weeks ago, the son of Street Boss contested the Golden Rose's traditional prep race, the Run to the Rose (watch replay). The Godolphin colt gave weight and a beating to many of Friday night's rivals, whom he will meet at level weights this time. Anamoe's dam was a G1 winner in Australia who finished third in the 2007 American Oaks at Hollywood Park.

China Opposition: “Godolphin blue” might be the most globally ubiquitous silks in horse racing, but the Chinese flag is on the rise courtesy of the China Horse Club. Justify carried their red and yellow colors across the Belmont finish line in his Triple Crown triumph, and the same silks will be carried by four of Anamoe's twelve opponents. Chief among them are #2 Artorius (8-1), who has defeated Anamoe and likes seven furlongs; and #5 In The Congo (9-1), who is a game, consistent front-runner but is suspect at the distance.

Untapped Potential: #7 Remarque (7-1) is a full brother to 2018 Golden Slipper winner Estijaab. Remarque was also considered “Slipper-worthy,” but illness sidelined him. The lightly raced colt was beaten by Anamoe in the Run to the Rose, but remains on the radar of slot holders for The Everest who have not secured a runner.  

A Pair of Fillies: #12 Jamaea (14-1) was similar odds when upsetting a G2 race for fillies at six furlongs; will relish the extra distance. Owners of #13 Startantes (17-1) paid a $37,500 late entry (supplemental) fee for their filly, who invades from the northern state of Queensland.

Selections: #1 Anamoe, #7 Remarque, #2 Artorius

Supporting Stakes: The card boasts four other Group races and a Listed race. The 7th is the G2 Golden Pendant for fillies and mares at seven furlongs. #2 Entriviere (7-5) just turned five but has run only eight times, winning six for New Zealand's preeminent trainer, Jamie Richards. The 5th is a Listed race for 3-year-olds at 5-1/2 furlongs. The Chris Waller-trained #2 Home Affairs (5-2) and Godolphin's #3 Paulele (2-1) are candidates for The Everest. The world's richest race on turf is only three weeks away, on October 15.   

Hot Jock: Nash Rawiller rode four winners last Friday night at Randwick, and has mounts in eight of this week's ten races. Best fancied are Race 5 #2 Home Affairs (see above paragraph) and Race 10 #2 Ellsberg (5-2), for the aforementioned Rosehill-based Gerald Ryan. 

The Rosehill card will be broadcast live on TVG this Friday night (First Post: 9:55pm ET / 6:55pm PT) alongside cards from Toowoomba, Gold Coast and Goulburn. All races will be live-streamed in HD on the new Sky Racing World App, skyracingworld.com and major ADW platforms such as TVG, TwinSpires, Xpressbet, NYRABets, WatchandWager, HPIbet, DRF Bets and AmWager. Wagering is also available via these ADW platforms. Fans can get free access to live-streaming, past performances and expert picks on all races at skyracingworld.com. 

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Melbourne jockey Craig Williams has reaped the benefits of a decision to base himself in Brisbane throughout Queensland's “Winter Racing Carnival,” as COVID-19 flare-ups have caused state border closures resulting in restricted opportunities for some of his peers. Williams has collected a G1 victory, three G2s and a pair of listed stakes, and he stole the show at Eagle Farm two weeks ago by winning three stakes races across the second half of the card. The astute rider was the first to identify an outside bias, which he exploited to full advantage at odds of 16-1, 11-1 and 7-1. If a fan were leaning over the outside rail enjoying a hot dog during the finale, “Willo” almost could have snatched it as he brought Brooklyn Hustle from last of 15 at the 1/8-pole. That win, in the G2 Dane Ripper Stakes, would normally guarantee a return mount for Williams in Friday night's Tattersall's Tiara. Both races are restricted to fillies and mares, and five of the last seven Tatt's Tiara winners have come through the Dane Ripper. However, another of Craig Williams' wins two weeks ago was the G1 Stradbroke Handicap, in which Tofane defeated males and repaid the faith of her owners, who withdrew the soon-to-be 6-year-old from a broodmare sale last month.   

“It was like choosing between my daughters, which no parent wants to do. It was a really tough decision,” said the 44-year-old winner of 64 G1 races in six countries.

Ultimately, Williams has stuck with Tofane (4-1 favorite), whose only two starts at seven furlongs have yielded two G1 wins over males. Brooklyn Hustle (10-1) will have the services of veteran local jockey Michael Cahill, who won a pair of G1s during the last full-length Winter Racing Carnival in 2019. Odeum, one of two 3-year-old fillies, is the 6-1 second choice off an excellent second to Brooklyn Hustle, whom she meets 5 1/2 pounds better for a ½-length defeat.

Savatiano (7-1) is the most likely of a Godolphin trio to “wear the Tiara.” The 6-year-old daughter of Street Cry finished 3rd as favorite when the race was last run, in 2019. Hugh Bowman seeks a 100th G1 win aboard Subpoenaed (10-1), the best fancied of three entrants for trainer Chris Waller, with whom Bowman collaborated to famous effect throughout the record-breaking career of Winx.

As a successful Queensland “Winter Racing Carnival” draws to a close (following a pandemic-abbreviated version in 2020), optimism abounds that the state will be granted an increase in G1 races next season. Queensland currently hosts eight of Australia's 74 G1s, but Zaaki's victories in the Gold Coast's Hollindale Stakes and Eagle Farm's new Q22 give those races an excellent chance for elevation from G2 status. The 2021-22 season begins on Aug. 1, with Sydney's “Royal Randwick” set to stage the country's first G1 – the Winx Stakes – on the night of Aug. 20. In the meantime, Australian racing will continue to offer big fields and tremendous wagering value from multiple tracks on a nightly basis. 

The Eagle Farm card will be broadcast live on TVG this Friday night (first post: 9:43 p.m. ET / 6:43 p.m. PT) alongside cards from Randwick, Newcastle and Belmont. All races will be livestreamed in HD on the new Sky Racing World App, skyracingworld.com and major ADW platforms such as TVG, TwinSpires, Xpressbet, NYRABets, WatchandWager, HPIbet, and AmWager. Wagering is also available via these ADW platforms. Fans can get free access to live-streaming, past performances and expert picks on all races at skyracingworld.com. 

A native of Brisbane, Australia, Michael Wrona has called races in six countries. Wrona's vast U.S. experience includes race calling at Los Alamitos, Hollywood Park, Arlington and Santa Anita, calling the 2000 Preakness on a national radio network and the 2016 Breeders' Cup on the international simulcast network. Wrona also performed a race call voiceover for a Seinfeld episode called The Subway.

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Zaaki rendered racing fans breathless when pulverizing the G1 Doomben Cup field in stakes record time three weeks ago. Zaaki's star is ascendant on a similar arc to that of 30-year-old Annabel Neasham, who celebrated her second G1 winner in her first year of training. Neasham's original plan was to rest Zaaki after the Doomben Cup, while targeting Melbourne's prestigious W.S. Cox Plate in October. However, the lure of a $1.2 million purse for the Q22 – under the same weight-for-age conditions and at the same distance (1 3/8 miles) as the Doomben Cup ­– has proven irresistible. And, in an ominous warning for Zaaki's opposition, Neasham declared, “He pulled up superb and certainly hasn't taken a backward step since. I can't see why he's not going to turn up in the same form.”

It is somewhat surprising – but a big boost for the new Q22 – that 15 horses will take their chances against Zaaki, who was installed a prohibitive 1-2 favorite. Just as his multitude of opponents might be competing for worthwhile minor paychecks, wagering might be heavily slanted towards the exacta pool.

Toffee Tongue (10-1) completed the Doomben Cup exacta and is the “favorite” to again finish closest to Zaaki. Spirit Ridge (16-1) brings a recent G3 victory into the equation. Paths of Glory (30-1) finished a sound third behind Spirit Ridge and has the distinction of being the last horse to defeat Zaaki – by a head in April at Randwick, when carrying 13 pounds less; they meet at level weights in the Q22. Vanna Girl (also 30-1) gives the impression she will appreciate her first assignment beyond 1-1/4 miles.

If the race for second in the Q22 is wide open, there are candidates galore for the Stradbroke Handicap (G1) winner's circle. Vega One was a close, unlucky fourth in last year's race and is 5-1 favorite to make amends this Friday night. Supporters will hope he didn't use up a year's worth of luck when winning the G1 Kingsford Smith Cup two weeks ago. Melbourne's leading rider, Jamie Kah (in the yellow silks in this replay), produced a miraculous “steer” to navigate a passage. Kah is stuck in Melbourne, which has entered another lockdown, and Vega One will be ridden by another of Australia's star female jockeys, Sydney's Rachel King.

Wild Planet (6-1) and The Harrovian (8-1) filled the minor placings in the G1 Doomben 10,000 (whose winner, the outstanding Eduardo, is enjoying a well-deserved layoff). Mr Quickie (9-1), who won the 2019 Queensland Derby at 1 1/2 miles, has become most effective as a late closer in races from seven furlongs to a mile. He has been kept fresh for the Stradbroke's seven furlongs, and will be ridden for the first time by James McDonald – two hours after Sydney's leading jockey pilots Zaaki in the Q22. Regardless of his Stradbroke result, Melbourne-based Mr Quickie will spend some time relaxing in Queensland's perfect mid-year weather. Even if not competing, many southern horses benefit from “wintering' in Australia's northeast. Mr Quickie's trainer, Phillip Stokes, summed up the Sunshine State's broad appeal: “It's the place to be at this time of year.”

Friday night's other G1 race is the J.J. Atkins Stakes for 2-year-olds at a mile. Hugh Bowman rides Port Louis (7-2) and is currently one win away from becoming just the fourth Australia-based jockey to register 100 G1 triumphs. Apart from the significant contribution by Winx (25), Bowman's total includes four G1s in Hong Kong and one in Japan. The 40-year-old reached 99 G1 wins by producing a peach of a ride, from a wide gate, in last week's Queensland Oaks on Duais. Port Louis has been luckless in consecutive races beneath Bowman from wide draws.

“Surely I'm due for a better marble in a big race,” said Bowman early this week … before being dealt gate 13 of 14.

Favoritism for the J.J. Atkins rests with Converge at 5-2.

Eagle Farm's card boasts an average field size of 12, with several favorites above 4-1. Last week on TVG, I recommended a six-horse exacta box on an Eagle Farm race. A 5-2 winner over a 15-1 runner-up yielded $56.25 for a $30 investment. I will be on the lookout for similar opportunities this week.

The Eagle Farm card will be broadcast live on TVG this Friday night (first post: 9:29 p.m. ET / 6:29 p.m. PT) alongside cards from Randwick, Newcastle and Gold Coast. All races will be live-streamed in HD on the new Sky Racing World App, skyracingworld.com and major ADW platforms such as TVG, TwinSpires, Xpressbet, NYRABets, WatchandWager, HPIbet, and AmWager. Wagering is also available via these ADW platforms. Fans can get free access to live-streaming, past performances and expert picks on all races at skyracingworld.com.

A native of Brisbane, Australia, Michael Wrona has called races in six countries. Wrona's vast U.S. experience includes; race calling at Los Alamitos, Hollywood Park, Arlington and Santa Anita, calling the 2000 Preakness on a national radio network and the 2016 Breeders' Cup on the International simulcast network. Wrona also performed a race call voiceover for a Seinfeld episode called The Subway.

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After Chris Waller captured last week's Group 1 Queensland Derby with Kukeracha (spoiling Explosive Jack's bid for a fourth derby win), the master conditioner set his sights on Friday night's G1 Oaks. Regardless of how many G1 trophies Waller accumulates – his current total is a whopping 126 – he will forever be synonymous with the storied career of Winx. The Queensland Oaks was the first of Winx's 25 G1 successes and the second win in her unforgettable streak of 33. The 1 3/8 miles of the Queensland Oaks was also the longest distance at which the great mare was victorious and Waller has won the race twice since. In search of a fourth Queensland Oaks, he will pack the same numerical punch that saw him train six of the first eight finishers in last week's Derby.

The Waller sextet is led by Grace and Harmony (5-1), who enjoyed a change of fortune at the post position draw (three). The filly was given a “negative” ride, tactically, from a wide alley when sixth as favorite two weeks ago in The Roses, the key local prep which has produced 12 of the last 20 Queensland Oaks winners. Waller still won The Roses with 15-1 shot Only Words, who is about half those odds (7-1) this Friday and has a wide gate with which to contend. Splitting that pair in wagering is Charms Star (6-1), who was third in The Roses in her Australian debut after placing in the New Zealand Oaks. Waller is also represented by Easifar and Signora Nera (each 16-1) and 100-1 shot Ruru.

For all the headlines that Chris Waller naturally generates, he doesn't train the Oaks favorite. Future book wagering had been headed by Duais, who lost favoritism to Bargain as a result of the post position draw. The pair bring strong formlines from the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival: Duais led a 1-2 finish in a G2 race, then a 2-3 finish in the G1 Australian Oaks during The Championships at Randwick. Duais could become the first G1 winner in the fledgling career of a fourth-generation trainer with royal racing bloodlines. Edward Cummings, 35, is a brother of James (Godolphin's private trainer in Australia), son of Anthony (with whom Edward trained in partnership before going solo in 2019), grandson of Bart (trainer of a record 12 Melbourne Cup winners) and great-grandson of Jim (who trained the 1950 Melbourne Cup winner). Edward named his stables Myrtle Lodge in honor of a horse that Jim Cummings rode to victory in 1910 before taking out the training license that would launch a great racing dynasty. Bart Cummings, the “Cups King,” had a checkered history with the Queensland Oaks, winning it only once (in 1987) and saddling the favorite in 2010, Dariana, who sensationally had her head in an adjacent stall when the gates opened and took no part.

Edward Cummings is forthright in his conviction that Duais is “the benchmark 3-year-old staying filly,” rating her second in the Australian Oaks the best performance in the race. He has elected to train Duais up to this Friday night's assignment, giving his filly an unusually long (by Australian standards) seven weeks between runs. After riding Duais in a May 13 trial (training race), jockey Hugh Bowman said, “Just go straight to the Oaks. She is in a great frame of mind and is a natural staying filly.” However, after drawing post 12 in the 14-horse field, Duais (5-1) was displaced for favoritism by Bargain (7-2). The well-named daughter of Shopaholic is trained by an in-form Mark Newnham, who saddled Spirit Ridge to win a G3race last week. Bargain has raced since the Australian Oaks, finishing second in The Roses.

Queensland's “Winter Racing Carnival” continues next Friday night with a tantalizing card, whose two G1 races might be overshadowed by the sport's newest star contesting a new race. Zaaki has exited his record-breaking G1 Doomben Cup win in excellent order and will line up in the Q22, a new event that currently carries G2 status but boasts an alluring $1.2 million purse. Zaaki, whose opposition is likely to include the aforementioned Spirit Ridge, promises to be a massive drawcard on a day that features the G1 Stradbroke Handicap at seven furlongs and the G1 J.J. Atkins Stakes at a mile for 2-year-olds.

The Eagle Farm card will be broadcast live on TVG this Friday night (First Post: 9:29 p.m. ET / 6:29 p.m. PT) alongside cards from Rosehill, Newcastle and Gold Coast. All races will be live-streamed in HD on the new Sky Racing World App, skyracingworld.com and major ADW platforms such as TVG, TwinSpires, Xpressbet, NYRABets, WatchandWager, HPIbet, and AmWager. Wagering is also available via these ADW platforms. Fans can get free access to live-streaming, past performances and expert picks on all races at skyracingworld.com.

A native of Brisbane, Australia, Michael Wrona has called races in six countries. Wrona's vast U.S. experience includes; race calling at Los Alamitos, Hollywood Park, Arlington, and Santa Anita, calling the 2000 Preakness on a national radio network and the 2016 Breeders' Cup on the International simulcast network. Wrona also performed a race call voiceover for a Seinfeld episode called The Subway.

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Despite having no experience of horse racing growing up, Annabel Neasham had horse history in England through show jumping, point-to-point, and eventing. She came to Australia on a working vacation with legendary Sydney trainer Gai Waterhouse, expecting to stay no more than a year. However, Neasham was subsequently hired as assistant trainer to the formidable partnership of Ciaron Maher and David Eustace. Amid her four-year stint with Maher and Eustace, she took time out to compete in the Mongol Derby, a 625-mile endurance race on horseback across the Mongolian steppe. Through monsoon rain, fog and heat, while subsisting for six days on cereal bars and purified water, Neasham won.

In the middle of 2020, ready for another challenge, Neasham branched out on her own. She won with her first runner and, with the support of prominent owner Aquis Farm, acquired several horses from champion trainer Chris Waller. In her first year of training, Mo'unga gave Neasham a G1 victory in the Rosehill Guineas during Sydney's recent “Autumn Racing Carnival.” Now, she is playing a major role in Queensland's “Winter Carnival” with her latest star performer, Zaaki.

The gelded son of the late Leroidesanimaux achieved modest success in England, but has thrived in Australia under Neasham's tutelage. After a pair of promising performances in Sydney, Zaaki demolished a quality field in the G2 Hollindale Stakes at the Gold Coast. Among the Hollindale vanquished who are trying again in the Doomben Cup is Melody Belle (16-1), who will shoot for an incredible 15th G1 victory in her career swan song. However, Zaaki's stiffest opposition is expected from Sir Dragonet and Mugatoo (each at 4-1), who finished first and fourth respectively in last October's Cox Plate. Most recently, they were just behind the placegetters in last month's memorable Queen Elizabeth Stakes showdown between Addeyb and Verry Elleegant.

Curiously, only three favorites have won the Doomben Cup in the past two decades. Should Zaaki buck that trend, both he and his trainer will embody the Arabic meaning of his name: one who increases in growth and goodness.

Friday night's nine-race Doomben card includes several supporting stakes named for famous Queenslanders. The fourth and fifth races honor trailblazing jockeys Darby McCarthy and Pam O'Neill. McCarthy, who died last year at 76, was an Indigenous Australian who rose from the humblest of beginnings in Outback Queensland to become one of the nation's top riders of the 1960s. He won more than 1,000 races in Australia, England, and France.

O'Neill campaigned for more than a decade before being granted a license – in 1979, at the age of 34 – as Australia's first female jockey. Her career tally of more than 400 winners includes several during a month-long stint in Japan. Australia now boasts a world-high ratio of female-to-male jockeys. Jamie Kah is the star of Melbourne's riding colony, while Rachel King is third in the Sydney standings.

Race 6 is named for the ultimate “horse for a course.” Chief de Beers recorded minor placings at multiple tracks during his 51-start career in the 1990s – but every one of his 20 victories came at Doomben. Upon retirement, he served for a decade on the Queensland Police Force, receiving a prestigious Blue Cross Medal for his service to the force and community. Chief de Beers died last year at Living Legends Farm, aged 28.

The Doomben card will be broadcast live on TVG this Friday night (first post: 9:34 p.m. ET / 6:34 p.m. PT) alongside cards from Rosehill, Newcastle and Gold Coast. All races will be live-streamed in HD on the new Sky Racing World App, skyracingworld.com and major ADW platforms such as TVG, TwinSpires, Xpressbet, NYRABets, WatchandWager, HPIbet, and AmWager. Wagering is also available via these ADW platforms. Fans can get free access to livestreaming, past performances and expert picks on all races at skyracingworld.com.

A native of Brisbane, Australia, Michael Wrona has called races in six countries. Wrona's vast U.S. experience includes race calling at Los Alamitos, Hollywood Park, Arlington and Santa Anita, calling the 2000 Preakness on a national radio network and the 2016 Breeders' Cup on the international simulcast network. Wrona also performed a race call voiceover for a Seinfeld episode called The Subway.

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