Australian Racing: Astral Flame can burn rivals

There are a number of meetings set to take place on Thursday including at Pakenham, where it’s Future Stars Series Final day.

Race 8 Pakenham

Astral Flame @ 4.40

Race 7 Wyong

Kantishna @ 4.80

Race 5 Kyneton

Redevance @ 4.80

Astral Flame to claim Future Stars Final

The previously mentioned Future Stars Series Final is a Class 3 handicap set to take place over 1400m.

This race, the penultimate contest on a nine-race card, is set to take place on a good 4 track with top weight Nostringsattached expected to jump as favourite.

The three-year-old broke through for his first victory when coming home one-and-a-half-length victory in a 1200m maiden held on a good 4 track here last month.

Nostringsattached went on to complete a double when stepped up to Class 1 company for a 1400m handicap at Sandown last week.

Racing on the Lakeside course the colt won by a narrow margin on that occasion with Blake Shinn, on board for both of those victories, again set to ride.

However, Enver Jusufovic’s filly ASTRAL FLAME is preferred in this event, with the pick having made a highly promising debut when third of six over 1200m at Sandown at the end of last month.

The daughter of Overshare was beaten just under one-and-a-half-lengths when racing on a good 4 surface that day and she encountered similar conditions here two weeks ago.

Astral Flame confirmed she is a filly with plenty of ability when saluting by a neck over 1200m on that occasion.

A change of tactics saw Astral Flame race close to the speed that day and jumping from barrier five she is taken to complete a double with Carleen Hefel retaining the ride stepping up in distance.

Kantishna to salute at Wyong

The seventh race at Wyong is a 1000m Benchmark 64 handicap expected to take place on a good 4 track.

James Cummings-trained Last Druid is expected to have his supporters having performed well last prep, including when breaking his maiden here first up.

The three-year-old gelding contested a 1000m maiden that day and went on to place second in a couple of metro events including when narrowly beaten over the same distance at Moonee Valley.

Last Druid ended his last prep with a disappointing seventeenth when racing down the straight at Flemington in early November.

Adam Hyeronimus’ mount arrives here fit following a couple of barrier trials at Rosehill and he holds obvious claims on his first start since a gelding operation.

Scott Singleton is set to saddle KANTISHNA here and she is preferred having won two of her three starts this prep.

The second of those saw the daughter of Headwater win by just under half-a-length when contesting a 900m Class 1 handicap at Gunnedah last month.

Mitch Stapleford, on board that day and set to ride here, was again in the saddle when the filly placed second over this distance at Tamworth subsequently.

Kantishna raced close to the speed when contesting a Benchmark 66 handicap on that occasion, with the third home that day going on to win next time.

The filly gets a slight drop in grade here and, jumping from barrier eight, she is taken to record the third win of her career.

Redevance to triumph at Kyneton

Our third selection comes up in the fifth race at Kyneton with REDEVANCE taken to deliver a victory for the Patrick & Michelle Payne stable.

The four-year-old broke his maiden on soft going when saluting by nearly a length in a 2000m maiden at Mildura in July.

That effort marked the gelding’s final start that prep and he resumed with a good fourth when dropped to 1400m for a Benchmark 58 handicap at Wangaratta in December.

Redevance failed to make an impact at Warrnambool subsequently, however, he returned to winning ways at Horsham when stepped up to 1800m just 16 days later.

Connections reach for the blinkers again here, with the gelding having been slowly away when beaten less than a length into fourth over 2000m at Wangaratta earlier this month.

Redevance raced at Benchmark 64 handicap level last time out and he has the services of Billy Egan in the saddle for this event.