Australian Racing: Arugamama looks strong in Hobart Cup

There are seven meetings scheduled to take place on Sunday, with the highlight of the day, the Hobart Cup, taking place in Tasmania.

They also race at Bendigo, Mount Barker, Nowra, Stony Creek, Sunshine Coast and Taree.

Race 8 Hobart

Arugamama @ 3.80

Race 6 Bendigo

Si Si Milano @ 6.00

Race 7 Taree

Nazare's Impact @ 6.00

Melham to guide Arugamama home in Hobart

The Hobart Cup is the big race of the day in Tasmania, with a field of eight set go to post for the 2400m Group 3 handicap.

A soft 5 track is expected for the race, with Promises Kept expected to jump as favourite for Ciaron Maher.

The gelding is one of two runners for Maher in the race and he demonstrated good form when winning the 2200m Summer Cup over 2200m at this track last month.

The five-year-old raced on a wet track that day and rates as a worthy favourite with Shane Foley again set to ride.

In a contest dominated by horses shipping in for the race, preference here is for the Andrew Gluyas-trained ARUGAMAMA.

The mare completed a double when winning by three-and-a-half-lengths in a 2500m Benchmark 78 handicap at Morphettville in December.

The 3.80 pick had previously won over 2400m when racing on the Parks course at the same venue three weeks earlier, with both of those efforts coming on a good 4 surface.

The daughter of Churchill arrives here on the back of a good fourth, beaten just over two lengths at Flemington, when again racing on a good 4 track.

That effort came in a Benchmark 100m event and, while she steps up in class here, she looks capable of recording a victory with Jamie Melham set to ride.

Milano to salute at Bendigo

The penultimate race on the Bendigo card is a 1300m Benchmark 64 handicap set to take place on a good 4 track.

Anthony & Sam Freedman’s Second Fix is expected to have his supporters, having broken through for his first win in a track and trip maiden in September.

The four-year-old won on a good 4 surface that day and, having been spelled following that triumph, resumed at Mornington last month.

The gelding could finish only third, beaten two lengths over 1200m at Mornington and he remains open to improvement on just his fourth career start.

A wide barrier is far from ideal here and with that in mind SI SI MILANO is the selection in this contest.

The three-year-old showed good form on the synthetic track at Pakenham in his first prep, winning twice including over 1400m in a Benchmark 58 handicap in August.

The 6.00 pick went on to lose out by a narrow margin when contesting a Benchmark 64 handicap over the same distance there prior to making his turf debut at Flemington in September.

The son of Yes Yes Yes failed to shine at Flemington when finishing last of seven, beaten by over nine lengths in the Listed Exford Plate over 1400m.

Ben, JD & Will Hayes’ representative returns from a spell and, having advertised his well-being with a Geelong barrier trial second, he can return to winning ways dropping in grade.

Grima mount to make Taree Impact

The seventh race at Taree is a 1000m Benchmark 58 handicap contest.

A soft 5 track is forecast for the race, with NAZARE'S IMPACT taken to record a win for the Paul Perry stable.

The four-year-old has placed on both starts here this prep, including when beaten just over two lengths in finishing third in a similar race to this over course and distance at the end of last month.

The 6.00 gelding had previously recorded the second win of his career when saluting by a narrow margin in a similar contest over the same distance at Port Macquarie 12 days earlier.

While both of those efforts came on a good 4 surface, the son of Brave Smash has gone well on a wet track in the past, including when winning on heavy going at Tuncurry in April last year.

Siena Grima takes one-and-a-half kilograms off the pick’s back with the pair taken to register their second win together.